The heat wave blanketing much of the US can be dangerous to your health – especially children, seniors, those with underlying health issues, even pets.
Stay safe from heat exhaustion or more serious heat stroke with these common sense tips from the CDC.
Stay Hydrated
Drink Plenty of Fluids
Regardless of how active you are, don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
- If your doctor limits the amount you drink or has you on water pills, ask how much you should drink while the weather is hot.
- Stay away from very sugary or alcoholic drinks. These actually cause you to lose more body fluid.
- Also avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.
Replace Salt and Minerals
Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body that need to be replaced.
A sports drink with electrolytes can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat.
- If you are on a low-salt diet, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or taking salt tablets.
Keep Your Pets Hydrated
Provide plenty of fresh water for your pets, and leave the water in a shady area.
Staying Cool
Wear Appropriate Clothing
Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
Stay Cool Indoors
Stay in an air-conditioned place as much as possible.
If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall, a museum or public library, or treat yourself to a movie in an air conditioned theater.
Even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat.
- Note: Large cities like New York City offer FREE cooling centers with air conditioning. Call 311 to find one near you.
Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.
- Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, they will not prevent heat-related illness.
- Taking a cool shower or bath or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off.
- Use your stove and oven less to maintain a cooler temperature in your home,
- Use heat-producing appliances like the washing machine and dishwasher during cooler morning or evening hours..
Schedule Outdoor Activities Carefully
Try to limit your outdoor activity to when it’s coolest, during morning and evening hours.
Rest often in shady areas so that your body has a chance to recover.
Pace Yourself
Cut down on exercise during the heat.
If you’re not accustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually.
If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity.
Get into a cool area or into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint.
Wear Sunscreen
Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated.
If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going out.
Continue to reapply it according to the package directions.
- Tip: Look for sunscreens that say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels- these products work best.
Do Not Leave Children in Parked Cars
Cars can heat up quickly to dangerous temperatures, even with a window cracked open.
While anyone left in a parked car is at risk, children are especially at risk of getting a heat stroke or dying.
- Never leave infants, children or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
- Many new model vehicles have warning beeps if somebody is left in the back seat.
- If your vehicles does not have such a perk, to remind yourself that a child is in the car, keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When the child is buckled in, place the stuffed animal in the front with the driver.
- When leaving your car, check to be sure everyone is out of the car. Do not overlook any children who have fallen asleep in the car.
Avoid Hot and Heavy Meals
They add heat to your body.
Use a microwave whenever possible to prepare meals, since it gives off less heat than a stove.
Here are some healthy no-cook recipes from the NYTimes.
Schedule Use of Heat-Producing Appliances
Do not use your dishwasher or washing machine during the hottest part of the day. Ditto ironing.
In addition to helping avoid producing heat in the kitchen or laundry room, you’ll be avoiding adding to the electricity load on your local utility, and helping avoid potential brown-outs, even blackouts.
Stay Informed
Check for Updates
Check your local news for extreme heat alerts and safety tips and to learn about any cooling shelters in your area.
Know the Signs
Learn the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses and how to treat them.
Use a Buddy System
When working in the heat, monitor the condition of your co-workers and have someone do the same for you. Heat-induced illness can cause a person to become confused or lose consciousness.
If you are 65 years of age or older, have a friend or relative call to check on you twice a day during a heat wave. If you know someone in this age group, check on them at least twice a day.
Monitor Those at High Risk
Although anyone at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others:
- Infants and young children
- People 65 years of age or older
- People who are overweight
- People who overexert during work or exercise
- People who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation
Visit adults at risk at least twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching.
Staying in a too-hot home or apartment isn’t just uncomfortable, it can be dangerous, especially for older adults.
People 65 and older are especially susceptible to heat stress, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
If you’re notice any of these symptoms of heat stroke, the CDC recommends calling 911 right away:
- Body temperature is high, at 103 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
- Skin is hot, red, dry or damp.
- A fast, strong pulse.
- Headache, dizziness or nausea.
- Confusion or passing out.
While you wait for medical help, move the person to a cooler place, cover them with cool clothes or give them a cool bath, but do not give them anything to drink, per the CDC.
This article was published originally on my NYC on the Cheap website, which was hacked, held for ransom and destroyed by the hackers in Feb. 2022.
Although this article has been updated for publication here, some links are to the original archived site.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is President Emeritus of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and a current member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and a member of the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter
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