Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke - What To Do?

                                                                   

I am not complaining but..... It is hot hot hot. And this kind of heat can creep up on you so it is important to monitor your body's response to it.

We all know it’s important to drink water and slap on sun cream when the sun shines. But would you know what to do if someone had heat exhaustion or heat stroke?

So what is heat exhaustion?  It is when we sweat excessively and lose   water and body salts. Take a child that begins to feel poorly in the late afternoon or early evening after running around all day. 

Heat exhaustion occurs when the core body temperature rises above 38"C.   And if this is not treated it can quickly lead to heat stroke

So what are the signs and symptoms?

They include confusion, dizziness, and a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and a pale and sweaty skin.   The child or adult may say they 'feel cold' but they will be hot to touch

How to treat this?

·        Move the adult or child to a cool shaded area. Remove excessive clothing and lay them down

·        Give them water to re-hydrate them. Oral rehydration solutions such as Dioralyte or isotonic drinks are best as they also replace lost body salts (if giving to someone else's children read the label and get consent from patents)  If a child does not want to drink then  try ice lollies. 

Always get medical advice, even if the child or adult recovers quickly.

Heat stroke is a much more serious condition and results in failure of the temperature control area of the brain.  Our sweating mechanism fails and the body is unable to cool down. The body temperature can reach dangerously high levels (over 40"C).

The symptoms for this can include severe confusion and restlessness, a lowered level of consciousness and a possibility of fitting. Flushed, hot dry skin (no sweating), a throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting.

So how to treat this? 

·   Move the child or adult  to a cool, shaded area

·    Call 999/112 for emergency help

·    Cool rapidly. Remove outer clothing and wrap in a cold, wet sheet, Keep it wed and cold until the temperature falls to normal levels, then replace with a dry sheet. Take care not to cool down too quickly

    

I hope this isn't too scary but really so much better to be forwarned

You can also always attend one of our first aid courses www.safeandsound.uk.net