The act of exercising actually increases your core body temperature and when you pair this activity with high temperature, it can spur on heat illness. It’s one of the main causes of heatstroke, and so, even professional athletes need to be careful. Our kids enjoy playing sports or games outdoors, which brings us to our next point.
Dehydration
One of the very real consequences of hot weather is dehydration. Losing as little as 1.5% of your body’s water content can produce symptoms. When you feel thirsty, you must immediately drink fluids. Apart from preventing heatstroke, water has a vast range of functions: delivers oxygen to different parts of the body, aids digestion, lubricates the joints, and makes saliva, among others. Needless to say, the loss of fluids within the body affects many bodily functions.
Overexposure to the sun
Summer is a time to get out and do different activities, like playing sports, hitting the beach or poolside, or even going hiking to commune with nature. People who work outdoors – like construction workers and seamen, for instance – are also at higher risk for heat illness. Make sure that your child is wearing sun-appropriate attire: loose clothing, visors or caps, arm sleeves, rubber shoes, and similar clothes.
These are just some causes of heatstroke, but the main thing is to remember to drink lots of fluids, and seek shelter from the sun every now and then. Learn first aid here. Children, in particular, have higher chances of getting heatstroke because they sweat less, have a higher surface-area-to-body-mass ratio and they take longer to acclimatize to the environment.
What signs and symptoms should I look out for?
The way to be sure a heatstroke is happening is to check the body temperature with a thermometer and see a reading above 40°C (104°F). Aside from a high temperature, watch out for the following symptoms:
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