A Heat Wave Is Hitting Much of the U.S. This Week. Here ’s How to Stay Safe

Large swaths of the country are gearing up for — or already weathering — a major heat wave this week, with temperatures threatening to top 100 degrees in some places. If you live in an area experiencing these extreme temperatures, it’s important to know how to keep yourself cool and healthy. Here’s what you need to know in a heat wave, according to Dr. Laura Burke, an emergency medicine physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Prevention is the best medicine Burke recommends limiting strenuous outdoor activity and taking frequent breaks if it can’t be avoided, staying indoors or in a cool area, drinking plenty of water and refraining from leaving children and pets in hot cars, even for a short time. “It’s important that people drink regularly — definitely when thirsty, but not just when thirsty —if they are in extreme heat,” Burke says. Fluid requirements vary from person to person, but she says two glasses of water per hour is a good rule of thumb if you’re out in high temperatures. Know the signs of heat stroke Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are two of the most common heat-related illnesses, and Burke says both come with non-specific symptoms including nausea, weakness, heavy sweating and headache. But more severe heat stroke, which occurs when body temperatures rise above 104 degrees and can be fatal or result in permanent organ damage, comes with a distinct hallmark. “Any kind of...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthytime onetime public health Source Type: news