Dehydration Heatstroke Heat Exhaustion Prevention
Dehydration, Heatstroke & Heat Exhaustion Prevention
Meanwhile, those hoping to escape the heat wave by vacationing abroad have been out of luck. Europe is also baking, with England experiencing an unprecedented 104 degrees Fahrenheit this week, a wild jump from its average July high of about 70 F. Britain’s weather office issued a red warning, its most severe, for when “illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.” Take those warnings seriously: Steamy temperatures can kill. When the heat dome descended on the Pacific Northwest last summer, Washington state had 100 heat-related deaths between June 26 and July 2, according to the state’s Department of Health, which noted that those were only confirmed cases: “We are not reporting probable heat-related deaths.” On June 28, 2021, alone 1,090 people in the Northwest U.S. visited emergency departments for heat-related illnesses (hyperthermia), the . Older people are particularly at risk for hyperthermia during periods of extreme heat, the National Institutes of Health warns, due to factors such as poor blood circulation and reduced sweating (sometimes caused by medications for age-related illnesses). Everyone should know about such dangers when summer weather starts scorching.
How to tell if you’re dehydrated
In addition to thirst, your urine color can indicate dehydration. When urine is dark, it’s a sign that it is more concentrated due to less fluid in your body. “It should look more like lemonade, less like apple juice,” says Luke Belval, director of research at the University of Connecticut’s Korey Stringer Institute, which focuses on safety in sports. “We’re shooting for that pale, straw-colored urine.” Another self-evaluation Belval recommends: Weigh yourself every morning. If you find that you’ve lost a pound or two from the day before, you are probably dehydrated — apologies to dieters — “because, in general, gross changes in body mass don’t happen that quickly.” Signs of more severe dehydration can include a dry mouth, headache, decreased urine output, increased pulse, lack of sweat, irritability, and feeling fatigued, nauseous, lightheaded or dizzy.
How to prevent dehydration
Drink frequently throughout the day. “Rather than wait until you feel bad and drink a ton of fluid, it’s better to maintain your hydration by drinking regularly,” advises Raj Deu, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. One thing preventing some people from , of course, is not having easy access to a bathroom. “Often they will restrict how much they drink and end up being dehydrated,” Deu observes. It can be a big problem for athletes, who may not be able to take bathroom breaks during practice or games, as well as for older men, who already may find that they need to urinate more frequently (a common issue as the prostate enlarges with age). “If you throw in drinking a ton of fluid, they’re going to be running to the bathroom an awful lot,” he says. There’s no great solution when bathrooms are scarce, Deu adds, but his best advice would be to try to maintain a steady hydration level, rather than drink a large amount of liquid at once. Experts also recommend avoiding alcohol, which is dehydrating, and being careful with caffeine, a mild diuretic, which means it causes you to eliminate an increased amount of fluid from your body. And, yes, it is possible to drink too much water. Hyponatremia occurs when you drink so much fluid that you dilute the sodium level in your blood, which can lead to severe medical problems or death. But it’s rare, being associated most often with marathon runners who guzzle water repeatedly along their route without periodically urinating.
How to Avoid Dehydration and Heatstroke
Doctors say older adults are more at risk for heat-related illnesses when temperatures soar
How to Keep Older Adults Safe in Extreme Heat
Heat waves are dangerous to everyone, but they pose an even greater risk to older adults. Here’s how to stay safe on hot summer days. Editor's note: This article was updated with news, temperatures and statistics for July 2022. Much of the country has been steeped in heat this month; while the South and Central regions have already seen temperatures in the triple digits, the Northeast is bracing for its own sweatfest. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declared a heat emergency through Thursday, and officials have established cooling centers around the city as temperatures were expected to surpass 100. The whole of Arkansas, too, was expected to exceed 100 degrees, with the National Weather Service tweeting out a to state residents: “Wednesday will be another brutal day with very hot temperatures and dangerous heat index values. Stay safe out there.”Meanwhile, those hoping to escape the heat wave by vacationing abroad have been out of luck. Europe is also baking, with England experiencing an unprecedented 104 degrees Fahrenheit this week, a wild jump from its average July high of about 70 F. Britain’s weather office issued a red warning, its most severe, for when “illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.” Take those warnings seriously: Steamy temperatures can kill. When the heat dome descended on the Pacific Northwest last summer, Washington state had 100 heat-related deaths between June 26 and July 2, according to the state’s Department of Health, which noted that those were only confirmed cases: “We are not reporting probable heat-related deaths.” On June 28, 2021, alone 1,090 people in the Northwest U.S. visited emergency departments for heat-related illnesses (hyperthermia), the . Older people are particularly at risk for hyperthermia during periods of extreme heat, the National Institutes of Health warns, due to factors such as poor blood circulation and reduced sweating (sometimes caused by medications for age-related illnesses). Everyone should know about such dangers when summer weather starts scorching.
Dehydration
We are quite literally what we drink. Our bodies are mostly (about 60 percent) water, and we can’t live more than a few days without it. There is no universally accepted rule of thumb for how much, exactly, each of us should drink, despite how often we’ve been told to consume eight 8-ounce glasses a day, or 64 ounces total. The National Academy of Medicine recommends that adult men drink about 15 cups (125 ounces) of fluid a day and women 11 cups (91 ounces), but experts say the ideal amount can vary widely depending on factors including a person’s weight, health and activity level. By the time you’re thirsty, you’re likely to have lost around 1 or 2 percent of your body’s fluid, so a key measure of dehydration is thirst. But this warning system doesn’t always function well in older adults, says Kumar Dharmarajan, a geriatrician and chief scientific officer at San Francisco–based insurer Clover Health, who explains that as people age they are less able to perceive their own thirst, “so when they need water, they’re less likely to respond to it.”How to tell if you’re dehydrated
In addition to thirst, your urine color can indicate dehydration. When urine is dark, it’s a sign that it is more concentrated due to less fluid in your body. “It should look more like lemonade, less like apple juice,” says Luke Belval, director of research at the University of Connecticut’s Korey Stringer Institute, which focuses on safety in sports. “We’re shooting for that pale, straw-colored urine.” Another self-evaluation Belval recommends: Weigh yourself every morning. If you find that you’ve lost a pound or two from the day before, you are probably dehydrated — apologies to dieters — “because, in general, gross changes in body mass don’t happen that quickly.” Signs of more severe dehydration can include a dry mouth, headache, decreased urine output, increased pulse, lack of sweat, irritability, and feeling fatigued, nauseous, lightheaded or dizzy.
How to prevent dehydration
Drink frequently throughout the day. “Rather than wait until you feel bad and drink a ton of fluid, it’s better to maintain your hydration by drinking regularly,” advises Raj Deu, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. One thing preventing some people from , of course, is not having easy access to a bathroom. “Often they will restrict how much they drink and end up being dehydrated,” Deu observes. It can be a big problem for athletes, who may not be able to take bathroom breaks during practice or games, as well as for older men, who already may find that they need to urinate more frequently (a common issue as the prostate enlarges with age). “If you throw in drinking a ton of fluid, they’re going to be running to the bathroom an awful lot,” he says. There’s no great solution when bathrooms are scarce, Deu adds, but his best advice would be to try to maintain a steady hydration level, rather than drink a large amount of liquid at once. Experts also recommend avoiding alcohol, which is dehydrating, and being careful with caffeine, a mild diuretic, which means it causes you to eliminate an increased amount of fluid from your body. And, yes, it is possible to drink too much water. Hyponatremia occurs when you drink so much fluid that you dilute the sodium level in your blood, which can lead to severe medical problems or death. But it’s rare, being associated most often with marathon runners who guzzle water repeatedly along their route without periodically urinating.