How to Beat the Heat

What is heat illness and how do I get it?

Heat illness, which may come in the form of heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke, is the result of your body overheating. Normally, your body is cooled in hot weather by the evaporation of sweat off your skin, but the combination of unusually high temperatures, high humidity, and/or vigorous physical activity can cause this natural cooling system to shut down. As a result, your body temperature rises and you may feel ill.

What symptoms should I look out for?

Common signs of heat illness include headache, nausea, dizziness, faintness, fatigue, thirst, vomiting, rapid and weak pulse, pale or flushed skin, and muscle weakness. It’s important to remember that you need not suffer from several of these symptoms to still be suffering from heat illness. Symptoms that indicate more serious forms of heat illness:

• Heat cramps are marked by sharp, painful muscle contractions in the arms, legs, and abdomen.

• Athletes suffering from heat exhaustion usually are bothered by several of the aforementioned symptoms simultaneously and are seriously dehydrated.

• Clinically, heatstroke is no different from heat exhaustion, yet the symptoms from which an athlete with heatstroke suffers are much more intense and can be deadly.

Is everyone susceptible to heat illness?

Yes. Young, healthy athletes tend to believe that they are immune to such bodily responses to their environments, yet even the most fit athlete can suffer from heat illness if he/she is not well adjusted to the climate in which he will be doing vigorous physical activity. In fact, heat illness is most likely to strike the athlete who has suffered from heat illness before and/or is in return-to-sports mode (i.e. participating in late summer team preseason sessions after an extended time away from his or her sport).

How can I avoid getting heat illness?

Awareness of, and respect for, the temperatures in which you will be physically active are the best ways to avoid heat-related problems. Sports medicine doctors and trainers recommend that you observe the following guidelines to stay healthy in the heat:

• Acclimatize yourself to your environment. Over a period of 7-14 days, gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workout so that your body has a chance to adjust to unusually high temperatures and humidity levels. By the end of your two-week acclimatization period, your activity should be comparable, in length and degree to that likely to occur in competition.

• Wear lightweight and light-colored clothing and sunscreen. Light-colored gear reflects the sun’s heat rays (as opposed to dark clothing, which absorbs them), and lightweight apparel encourages sweat evaporation, which, as mentioned above, helps to keep your body cool. Sunburn causes your body to lose fluids too, so it is important to wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 15 or higher.

• Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout, even if you do not feel thirsty. The moisture that your body loses by sweating must be replenished to keep it cool, and, even in the absence of thirst, dehydration can and will occur. Experts recommend that you drink 2-3 cups of water (or fruit juice, seltzer, lemonade, milk, or tea, all healthy alternatives to water) a couple hours before exercising, 1 cup about 10 minutes prior to your workout, and another cup every 15-20 minutes during your training. After your workout session is over, you should drink at least as much water as you lost as sweat while exercising for full rehydration. Be sure to remember that beer, coffee, and caffeinated soda draw fluid out of the body (due to their alcohol and caffeine content) and consequently should not be consumed as substitutes for water or any of the aforementioned water alternatives.

• Know when and where to exercise. Heat is at its peak in the middle of day, so it isn’t a terrific idea to work out at 2:00 in the afternoon. Try to schedule your activity for the early morning or early evening in places that afford shade (such as a park) and/or satisfactory air ventilation (such as a gym with powerful air conditioning).

• Exercise with a friend. Frequently those around you can better judge that your performance is being affected by the heat than you can, especially if you are suffering from heatstroke and your mental clarity has diminished.

What should I do if I am suffering from heat illness?

• If you or someone with whom you are training is suffering from heat illness, cease activity immediately and move yourself (or him or her) to a cool area. Drink plenty of water to decrease your body temperature and splash cold water on your skin. Remove any clothing or gear that may be hampering the evaporation of sweat.

• If you or someone with whom you are training is suffering from heat illness, and rest and rehydration do not seem to be alleviating the problems, be sure to call your doctor or emergency medical services for professional consultation.