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Posted on 07/21/2025 5:31:25 AM PDT by Red Badger
When the summer heats up, many of us try to stay indoors as much as possible. But there are times when you need to be outside for work, events and activities.
Excessive heat can lead to dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. We explain the different symptoms you should look for and ways to help prevent and treat each one.
DEHYDRATION
Dehydration happens when you aren't getting enough fluids. This can lead to your body not functioning properly. It is a cause of both heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
It doesn't just happen during excessive heat. Dehydration can also be caused by diarrhea, sweating, and vomiting.
Symptoms of dehydration
Thirst is often the first sign of dehydration. Other signs of mild to moderate dehydration include:
* Headache
* Fatigue
* Dry or sticky mouth
* Not urinating much
* Dark yellow urine
* Muscle cramps
* Low blood pressure
* Chills
* Flushed skin
* Lack of sweating
Signs of severe dehydration include the above, but also:
* Dizziness
* Rapid heartbeat
* Rapid breathing
* Fainting
* Sleepiness or lack of energy
Ways to prevent dehydration
Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. You should also drink water before you're thirsty. People who work or need to be out in the heat should drink 8 oz. of water every 20 minutes. Even if you're inside, you should still remember to drink plenty of water when it's hot outside.
Avoid drinks with caffeine, such as iced coffee, soda, energy drinks and iced tea. Caffeine is dehydrating.
Instead, choose plain water, sparkling water or water infused with fresh fruit like cucumber or lemon. Electrolyte replacement drinks may be helpful for long stretches of outdoor activity.
HEAT EXHAUSTION
Heat exhaustion is caused by your body's loss of water and salt. This is usually caused by a lot of sweating, especially in hot conditions. It's an early stage of heat stroke.
People who are at increased risk for heat exhaustion include:
* older adults
* children
* people who are overweight or obese
* people who have heart or other health conditions (such as diabetes or kidney disease)
* people taking certain medications.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion
If you notice someone with any of the symptoms of heat exhaustion, have them sit or lie down in a shady spot. You can also give them cold drinks and apply cool, wet cloths on their skin.
Heat exhaustion symptoms include:
* Overly tired or weak
* Nausea
* Dizziness or briefly passing out
* Cool or clammy skin that may appear flushed or pale
* Headache
* Heavy sweating
* High body temperature
If the person doesn't get better or the symptoms get worse, they should get medical care immediately.
Ways to prevent heat exhaustion
When the weather starts heating up, it can take a few weeks for your body to get used to it. Be mindful of this and increase your water intake.
If you usually exercise outdoors, do it during the early morning hours. The evenings can still be pretty warm, so be sure to wait until it's shady if you are going to exercise later in the day.
Wear lightweight clothing that is cool to the touch and breathable. Avoid synthetic fabrics like polyester that don't allow your body's natural cooling system to work.
If you are working outside or children are playing sports outdoors, take regular breaks. Schedule at least 10 minutes in the shade for every hour of work or activity. Children, older people and those who are not as fit need more rest.
HEAT STROKE
Heat stroke is a very dangerous condition. It happens when the body can no longer cool down properly. This can cause the body temperature to rise to 106° F rapidly. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if emergency treatment isn't given.
Symptoms of heat stroke
When a person has heat stroke, they may stop sweating. They may also get what feels like chills although their body temperature is higher. Other symptoms may include:
* Confusion or slurred speech
* Loss of consciousness
* Hot, dry skin
* Seizures
* Extremely high body temperature (above 104° F)
* Rapid pulse and heart rate
If you see someone with these symptoms, call 911 right away.
In the meantime, move the person to a shaded area, and remove outer clothing. Cool the person quickly with cold water on the skin or by soaking clothes in cool water. You can also use a fan or other clothing to circulate air around the person to help with cooling.
Ways to prevent heat stroke
You can help prevent heat stroke in the same way you can prevent heat exhaustion. Drink lots of water, wear proper clothing, exercise at cooler times and take breaks in shady areas.
When is a heat illness an emergency?
Heat exhaustion isn't usually an emergency. If you or someone you know cools down in about 30 minutes, there isn't cause for concern.
However, if someone has signs of heat stroke listed above, call 911 immediately.
This blog was medically reviewed by occupational and environmental medicine physician Sheri Belafsky, M.D.
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Pickle juice
😫.......................
This happened to me when we were working at our farm one hot July during a drought - still not sure if it was heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
Sweat POURED out of the top of my head and then abruptly stopped. I had uncontrollable, projectile vomiting and when we arrived at the ER, I started shivering so hard my teeth were chattering. My body temp dropped to 94 and they had to put heated blankets on me. (The outside temp was over 100 degrees.) I was so weakened and unable to do anything for a couple of weeks.
Since then, my body thermostat doesn’t seem to work anymore, I don’t perspire at all and have to plan every single thing around the outside temps. I can’t even go to the beach now in the summer. 😭 I always have to have moving air and use the ceiling fans all year, even during snow.
Sounds like Heat Stroke!.................
Thank you for this very important article
I love canned pickle juice but one rarely sees it on store shelves.
I know that once one feels better then they should follow up with the evening’s dirty martini.
Last week I went up to my parent’s place in the country to drop off an early birthday gift to my mother and to try out an RC tank that I got working.
After a couple of hours in 95 or so degree heat, the tank was functioning better than I was. It was fun even if the RC tank was kind of wonky at times.
About half the time was running the tank. The rest was trying photos and video of it with a couple of cameras and a small drone. Some of it has become Youtube fodder.
It’s about 90 minutes to come home from there. My AC was on full blast just about all the way.
This heat stuff is real, I’ve seen it hitting highly physical men over the years and one man die of it.
Most of us in So Cal have central air - but utilities are so expensive here now that I know of a lot of people who either aren’t running their a/c’s or have them set high. We pay ≈ 60% + more for electricity than other states due to idiotic “Climate Policies” and high taxes.
Average bills in my neighborhood in the summer are ≈ $500 - $750 during the hottest months of July- September, sometimes through October as well.
I expect there to be a lot more heat related deaths and injuries due to the cost of a/c.
Love my State. Hate its Government.
I’m one who doesn’t drink enough water. I do drink a ton of coffee and Gatorade when I’m out working in the heat in the summer. This weekend I built a trough for me to fill with protein pellets for the herd of deer I hunt. Went from being able to fill 200# to now 400# at a time. Then put up a deer stand in a new field. All this with a 105-110 heat index. I sweated like crazy but no lightheadedness or cramping thankfully.
Unless you are on a low salt diet, be sure to take some extra to avoid the cramps...............
Our home here in Texas is 1850 square foot, so rather small, but plenty for us . Our highest bill during the summer months is just under $200. We keep our AC set on about 79, and with ceiling fans that’s good for us. And since we live out in the country, with plenty of firewood and a fireplace insert, our winter bills go down to about $60. Most of that is probably the electric range and clothes dryer.
People who work outdoors need to be sensitive to catching if their body is starting to accumulate heat.
Working, sweating, drinking fluids, skin evaporation, sweating, feeling the cooling if one takes a break or steps in the shade are all the normal parts of working outdoors, but if they notice that their body is starting to build-up heat, that it is accumulating heat, then they need to break-off the work and discontinue until things totally normalize and their system is reset, take a very long break in the house or the vehicle, or in the tub if things are bad.
Gosh, I never would have guessed that.
Heat exhaustion used to be called heat prostration, but I remember an old timer in my home town calling it heat prostitution
Anytime the heat index exceeds body temperature I pack it in. At that point you just can’t sweat enough to keep yourself cool. Yup, I’m an old wimp. I am also in the market for an air conditioned lawn mowing tractor instead of waiting until evening to mow the yard and finishing at 2200 hrs.
My neighbor had a heat stroke last year and spent about a week in the hospital. This summer he is more sensitive to heat than before. We have been hot, very hot before in our time but now that we are older we don’t tolerate heat so well. Leave throwing hay at 105 degrees to much younger folks. Our skin is thinner now and we have fewer micro arteries and vessels in our skin for heat exchange. The heat being harder on us as we age is a real thing.
Do as much for your animals that live outdoors as you can this time of year. Provide them plenty of cool and clean water, wet down the dirt beneath the shrubs, provide them a fan on the porch. They get heat stroke as well, particularly cats since they don’t sweat anywhere but between their toes and don’t usually pant unless they are in distress.
Fortunately, I found my old tomcat under some bushes out in the corner of the yard three weeks ago, he was lifeless. I had no idea what had happened and suspected hemoplasmosis or bobcat fever, it was heat stroke. Over four days of near continuous care and IV fluids I nursed him back to health. I thought he had gone blind but it was temporary but very pitiful to see him staggering and bumping into things. Much better now and sassy again but living in the shop until the weather cools and I can get him neutered. He will not survive his considerable wanderings and I hope to curb his zeal for that.
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