The heat is on - timely tips help you keep cool as temperatures top out

  • Published
  • By 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  With temperatures forecast near triple digits through the holiday weekend, Edwards is starting to feel the heat. Doing too much on a hot day, spending too much time in the sun or staying overheated for too long can make you sick or even kill you.

You can become ill from the heat if your body can't compensate for it and properly cool you off. Heat exposure can even kill - it caused 8,015 deaths in the United States from 1979 to 2003.

The main things affecting your body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather are high humidity and a variety of personal factors.

When the humidity is high, sweat won't evaporate as quickly, which keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to. Although it is usually fairly dry here in the high desert it can get humid at times and people will have a harder time keeping cool.

Personal factors like age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.

People who are at the highest risk for heat-related illness are the elderly, the very young, and people with mental illness and chronic diseases. But even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather.

Air-conditioning is the number one protective factor against heat-related illness and death. If a home is not air-conditioned, people can reduce their risk for heat-related illness by spending time in public facilities that are air-conditioned.

You can take these steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths during hot weather:
  • Stay cool indoors.
  • Drink plenty of fluids.
  • Replace salt and minerals.
  • Wear appropriate clothing and sunscreen.
  • Schedule outdoor activities carefully.
  • Pace yourself.
  • Use a buddy system.
  • Monitor people at high risk.
  • Adjust to the environment.
  • Do not leave children in cars.
  •  Use common sense.
The best defense against heat stress is prevention. Here are some prevention tips:
  • Drink more fluids (nonalcoholic), regardless of your activity level, and drink before you are thirsty. If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask him how much you should drink while the weather is hot.
  • Don‟t drink liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar - these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.
  • Stay indoors and, if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library - even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. 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, fans 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.
  • Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
  • Never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle.
  • Although any one at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others. Check regularly on infants and young children, people aged 65 or older, people who have a mental illness and those who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure.
  • Visit at-risk adults 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.
If you must be out in the heat:
  • Limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours.
  • Cut down on exercise. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat, but if you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage.
  • Try to rest often in shady areas.
  • Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, which will also keep you cooler. Wear sunglasses and put on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. The most effective products say "broad spectrum" or "UVA/UVB protection" on their labels.
Editor's note: Information in this article is provided by the National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Environmental Hazards & Health Effects and the NCEH‟s Health Studies Branch.