Heat Stress, Exhaustion, Stroke
July 23, 2011, Submitted by: Ken Tweet
Heat stress is the buildup in the body of heat generated by the muscles during work and of heat coming from a hot environment. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke result when the body is subjected to more heat than it can cope with.
When the body becomes overheated, less blood goes to the muscles, brain, and other internal organs. You get weaker, become tired sooner, and less alert, and less able to use good judgment. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include profuse sweating, weakness, nausea, vomiting, headache, lightheadedness, and muscle cramps.
As the condition becomes more severe, there can be a rapid rise in body temperature and heart rate. You may not realize that this is happening because there is no pain. Mental performance can be affected with an increase in body temperature of just 2 degrees F above normal. An increase of 5 degrees F can result in serious illness or death.
Heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke when the body’s temperature regulation fails and spirals out of control. The individual becomes confused, lethargic and may have a seizure, the skin stops sweating and the body temperature may exceed 106 F (41 C ). Its effects can include confusion, irrational behavior, convulsions, coma, and even death. Heat stroke can cause varying degrees of brain and kidney damage. More than 20 percent of people that get heat stroke die, even young and healthy adults.
The body normally generates heat as a result of metabolism, and the body is usually able to dissipate the heat by either radiation of heat through the skin or by evaporation of sweat. However, in extreme heat, high humidity, or vigorous exertion under the sun, the body may not be able to dissipate the heat and the body temperature rises
Those most susceptible to heat strokes are infants, the elderly, athletes, or any outdoor worker physically exerting themselves under the sun.
Prevent heat stroke.
Most importantly, avoid becoming dehydrated. A dehydrated person may not realize that they are dehydrated, and will not be able to sweat fast enough to dissipate heat, which causes the body temperature to rise. Drink plenty of fluids (such as water and Gatorade).
Avoid vigorous physical activities in hot and humid weather (common sense). If you have to perform physical activities in hot weather, take frequent breaks to hydrate yourself. Wear hats, and light colored, loose clothes.
Avoid alcohol, coffee, and tea which may lead to dehydration.
If you enjoyed this, or topics of survival preparedness or current events risk awareness,
check out our current homepage articles…
Any ideas on how to cool a small room if the electricity is out? For instance, I’ve seen videos on how to use a cooler and blocks of ice (or pre-chilled water bottles) as a sort of swamp cooler but this is a bit more temporary than I would like. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.
@millenniumfly. If you live in a hot but dry enough place with some air circulation, a breeze, you can hang up a lightweight pice of material, such as a sheet soaked in water on a window or doorway. As the outside air hits the sheet you will have some evaporative cooling. The main issue is air movement to help your body cool down. Stagnant hot air is very difficult to handle.
There is a book called ” Nuclear War Survival Skills ” by Cresson H. Kearny that actually deals with making your own fallout shelter ventilating pump that discusses just how the heat becomes intolerable in cramped nuclear war shelters because of the lack of air circulation. Appendix B pages 193-212 actually details how to build something that will keep air moving without any electricity. Some of these devices use a pully cord type system with flap that lets in outside air and keeps the air in a room, or shelter, from becoming dead.
Another idea is to have a type of high velocity fan that can be powered by a solar panel and or battery back-up system in which you could hang a wet sheet in back of the fan and let the air from the fan hit the wet part of the sheet. This should provide relief. Again the main issue here is air circulation, the more the better.
When I did not have an airconditioner as a kid I would put a fan right next to myself and drank lots of water and it got me by some really hideous hot days in which the temperature got 106-108 degrees F during the day and ONLY dropped to 83 or so at night.
as you know heat rises so get to the lowest room of the hse, also keeping the doors and windows closed and covered helps to trap the cool air from the night before
Keep windows and curtains closed on the sunny side of the house, and open the ones on the shady side. If the curtains on the sunny side are thin, hang a towel over them too. I’ve got no real scientific basis for this, but it seems to work for me so it might help others.
Also, don’t forget pets suffer too – I’ve seen pictures of animals draped in damp towels to keep them cool, but I’m not sure that all pets would tolerate this!