Did you know that annually 600-700 people die from heat-related illness every year?
The elderly are most at risk, but athletic teens are too.
In fact, heat-related illness is the third highest cause for death in young athletes. Specifically, football players in the month of August are at the top of that list.
How sick you get from heat depends on how high your body temperature is.
At Stage 1, your body temperature is between 98 and 103 degrees.
Symptoms include:
• Nausea
• Increased heart rate
• Vomiting
• Flushing (skin turns red)
If you have these symptoms you don't necessarily have to go to the hospital, just get out of the sun immediately and try to cool off.
Get under some iced water, or better yet, put ice packs under your armpits. That's where your largest blood vessels are, and how you can cool your body the fastest.
When your body temperature is between 104 and 108 degrees, you're in Stage 2.
At this temperature, your brain starts to get affected.
You may:
• Start to hallucinate
• Become delirious
• Go into a coma
If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, rush to the emergency room immediately.
If your body gets any hotter, you're in Stage 3. When your body temperature is at or over 108 degrees, that's when it becomes life threatening.
At this temperature, the enzymes in your body stop functioning properly and you can experience multiple system failure.
Your kidneys stop working, your liver stops working--and ultimately, your heart will stop too.