Heat Exhaustion
Heat Exhaustion
A scorcher can be torture, especially for seniors. “As we get older, our bodies simply don’t work as efficiently as they once did,” says Stephen Dawkins, M.D., medical director of Hospital Occupational Medicine and Sentry LLC in Atlanta. “A number of factors make it much more difficult for an older person to tolerate heat.”
Seniors, for instance, tend to perspire less than younger people, making it difficult to shed body heat, Dr. Dawkins says. Older people also lose much of their sense of thirst. So if you do sweat, you may not feel thirsty until you are severely dehydrated.
In addition, as you age, two of your body’s natural insulators—skin and fat tissue—tend to thin and diminish. And without that extra insulation, you’re more vulnerable to heat-related problems.
What doctors call heat exhaustion is actually just one in a series of problems that can be prompted by excessive heat. When you have heat exhaustion, you experience excessive thirst, clammy skin, headaches, nausea, weakness, dizziness, or even fainting. But, according to Dr. Dawkins, other things may be happening, too. Some people have mild rashes and cramping. And if the exhaustion gets out of hand on a hot, muggy day, you have to watch out for heatstroke, a dangerous condition that causes your body’s temperature control mechanisms to malfunction. When your body can’t cool itself, its temperature rises uncontrollably, which can lead to brain damage or death.
Fortunately, as long as you’re not in the middle of the Sahara, there are reasonable and fairly easy ways to prevent heat-related health problems, notes Dr. Dawkins. Here are a few ways you can minimize your risk of heat exhaustion.
Try This First
Quench your thirst. Keep your fluids up. It’s your best defense against heat-related illness, Dr. Dawkins says. During hot weather, always have a drink of water handy. Take frequent sips. Avoid drinking soda, alcohol, and caffeinated drinks like coffee, because they act as diuretics, pulling liquids out of your body instead of adding them in. They will just make you need to urinate more often, which dehydrates you.
Before you go out, drink an eight-ounce glass of water to ensure that you are hydrated. Then whenever you are outdoors, stop what you’re doing and have a six-ounce drink every 15 to 20 minutes, even if you don’t feel thirsty, advises Michael Bross, M.D., associate professor of family medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Even if you’re in a cool indoor environment, drink at least six to eight tall glasses of water a day, recommends Dr. Dawkins.
Other Wise Ways
Stay cool. Air-conditioning is your best friend during a heatwave, Dr. Dawkins says. If you have it, use it. Though you may save a few pennies by not turning it on, that’s false economizing if you risk heat sickness. If you don’t have central air, seal off one room and use a window air conditioner to keep that space livable, Dr. Dawkins advises. In the rest of your home, open windows and use fans to create cross-ventilation.
During a heatwave, if you don’t have air-conditioning of any kind, arrange to stay with a friend or relative who does, Dr. Dawkins suggests.
Lie low when the sun is high. Stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, usually from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., warns Dr. Bross. If you do venture out during these hours, try to spend as much time as possible in malls, movie theaters, and indoor public environments that are air-conditioned.
Get acclimated. Give your body time to adjust to hot weather, Dr. Dawkins says. By acclimatizing to your surroundings, you’ll sweat sooner but lose less sodium and other minerals that your body needs to stay comfortable in the heat. Begin by spending about 10 to 15 minutes outdoors early in the morning and at dusk. Then gradually increase the amount of time you spend in the heat each day. In a couple of weeks, your body should become acclimatized, and heat-related problems will be less of a concern.
Stay in touch. If you live alone, ask a friend, relative, or neighbor to check in on you at least twice a day during hot weather to make sure you’re okay, Dr. Bross suggests. If you’re not, they can summon assistance that may save your life.
Turn off the oven. Dr. Dawkins recommends that you eat light, cool meals like salads and sandwiches that don’t require cooking. Using the stove or oven just adds unwanted heat to the house. If you must heat your food, try using a microwave.
Take the plunge. A dip in a cool pool, a tepid bath, or a refreshing shower can help lower your body temperature, suggests Dr. Dawkins. Place cool cloths, as needed, on your head, neck, and wrists to help beat the heat.
| Managing Your Meds Diuretics such as furosemide (Lasix) or chlorothiazide (Diuril) speed fluid loss and can make it more difficult for you to cope with heat, says Stephen Dawkins, M.D., medical director of Hospital Occupational Medicine and Sentry LLC in Atlanta. Other potential troublemakers in hot weather are high blood pressure medications such as the beta-blockers propranolol (Inderal) and timolol (Blocadren). In addition, the following drugs also can make you more susceptible to heat-related conditions. • Antihistamines, including diphenhydramine and clemastine, found in over-the-counter products such as Sominex, Benadryl, and Tavist-D • Antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil) and imipramine (Tofranil) • Trimethobenzamide (Tigan) and other medications to relieve nausea and vomiting • Medications containing atropine, such as Lomotil (a drug used to relieve diarrhea and intestinal cramping) • Bromocriptine (Parlodel), levodopa (Larodopa, Dopar), and other drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease. If you are taking any of these drugs and develop dehydration or other symptoms of a heat-related condition, talk to your physician. You shouldn’t stop taking a medication without your doctor’s consent, Dr. Dawkins says. But your doctor needs to be alerted to the heat-related side effects, if you’re having them. |
Go au naturel. Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing made from natural fibers like cotton, Dr. Dawkins says. Unlike synthetic nylon or polyester, natural fibers are porous and will help prevent you from overheating. Lighter colors like khaki absorb less heat than darker colors like black.
Reach for the accessories. Wear a broad-brimmed hat to shade yourself in the wilting sun, Dr. Bross suggests. A sunburn will make it harder for your skin to sweat and release body heat. So use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 whenever you are outdoors.
Shake off the salt tablets. Salt tablets were once believed to speed fluid replacement on hot days. Doctors now know that taking these tablets can actually worsen your reaction to intense heat. In reality, salt tablets actually impede fluids from entering your bloodstream and prevent those fluids from being quickly distributed throughout your body. The excessive amounts of sodium in these pills also can cause kidney damage, Dr. Dawkins notes. Even if salt tablets have been prescribed for some other condition, don’t take them unless you have your doctor’s permission, Dr. Dawkins warns.
