Sweat acts like our natural air conditioner.  As sweat evaporates from our skin, it cools us off. Our personal cooling system can fail, though if we overexert ourselves in hot and humid days. When this happens our body heat can climb to dangerous levels. This can result in heat exhaustion or heat stroke which is life threatening.

Signs and Symptoms of heat exhaustion:

* Cool clammy pale skin

* Sweating

* Dry mouth

* Fatigue, weakness

* Dizziness

* Headache

* Nausea, sometimes vomiting

* Muscle cramps

* Weak and rapid pulse

    Heat stroke, unlike heat exhaustion, strikes suddenly, with little warning. This creates an emergency situation.

   Signs of Heat Stroke:

* Very high temperature (104 degrees or higher)

* Hot, dry, red skin

* No sweating

* Deep breathing and fast pulse then shallow breathing and weak pulse

* Dilated pupils

* Confusion, delirium, hallucinations

* Convulsions

* Loss of consciousness

 PREVENTION FOR ATHLETES

 * Don’t exercise vigorously during hottest times of the day.  If the temperature outside is 82 degrees or greater and humidity is high, do your activity for a shorter time

* Wear light, loose clothing

* Drink lots of fluids, especially if your urine is dark yellow. Thirst is not a reliable sign that your body needs fluids.

* It is better to sip rather than gulp fluids

* Drink water or water with salt added if you sweat heavily (use 1/2 teaspoon of salt in 1 quart of water) sports drinks are good too

* Alcohol and beverages with caffeine speed up fluid loss

 TREATMENT

      AID FOR HEAT STROKE

* Seek medical treatment immediately

* Perform CPR if necessary

* Move the person to cool place

* Place their feet higher than their head

* Remove clothing and wrap person in cold, wet sheet, sponge with towels, fan person

* Put ice packs or cold compress to the neck, under the armpits to the groin area

     AID FOR HEAT EXHAUSTION

* Move person to a cool place

* Loosen clothing

* Take fluids, if available fluids with salt

* Eat salty foods such as saltine crackers if tolerated

* Lie down in a cool, breezy place