Dehydration and heat stroke are common heat-related injuries that athletes experience in the summer. However, that doesn’t mean they’re unavoidable. Learn why these two issues happen to see how you can avoid or treat them.
Heat Stroke
This is an extreme form of heat-related illness and can become life threatening if not recognized and remedied right away. This problem comes about when your body can’t sweat (which is its way of cooling down) because the air is too hot or moist—think 75 degrees with 70 percent humidity. When this happens, your body begins to overheat, with internal temperatures rising to dangerous levels.
Symptoms:
- Sluggish or fatigue
- Dizziness
- Rapid heart beat
- Headache
- Seizure
- Hallucinations
- Dry Skin
If you experience any of these, go to a shaded area, remove clothing and apply cool water to the body. Follow this with fanning, which should help stimulate sweating.
Apply ice packs to the hottest points on the body, such as armpits and groin. See a doctor to determine whether you need IV fluids and bed rest.
Dehydration
When you don’t replace the amount of water you’re losing from sweat, your body becomes dehydrated. This is common on long summer runs, if you don’t bring enough water or any water at all to compensate for rapid loss via sweat.
Symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Light-headedness
- Dry mouth
- Thirst
- Dry skin
- Confusion
- Dizziness
If you experience any of these signs, drink fluids immediately. Remember to replenish electrolytes as well with a glass of chocolate milk or a bagel with peanut butter.
To avoid dehydration, drink 7 to 10 ounces of fluid every 10 to 20 minutes of your workout, or when you feel thirsty. Prep for workouts with 17 to 20 ounces of water 2 to 3 hours before and 8 more ounces 20 to 30 minutes before. If you lost water weight during your workout, replenish with 16 to 24 ounces for each pound lost.
