With high humidity and no wind, prolonged exposure to the sun, especially without the use of a hat, can lead not only to sunburn, but also to sun or heat stroke. As Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, candidate of medical sciences, neurologist, told Doctor Peter, heat stroke occurs due to severe overheating of the body.
The expert gave some tips on how to protect yourself from sunstroke. The most obvious of them is not to go outside during the hottest hours (from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) without special need, preferring to stay in cool rooms. If this cannot be avoided, then you should protect yourself as much as possible: wear a hat and sunglasses, choose loose, light-colored clothing, and apply a cream with a protection factor of 30–50 SPF to exposed areas of the body.
At the same time, it is worth going into the shade from time to time to cool off. Any physical activity is recommended to be transferred to the morning or evening, when the sun is not so active.
The expert advised to take care of the comfort in the apartment. At home, you can turn on the air conditioner or fan, take a cool shower more often, or wipe your body with a damp towel. At the same time, it is important not to overcool: due to strong temperature changes, it is easy to get sick.
The doctor also reminded the need to drink enough fluids. In hot weather, a person sweats more and loses much more fluid than in cooler weather. This means that it is worth replenishing it more actively so that dehydration does not occur. It is best to give preference to non-carbonated water. You can also quench your thirst with mineral water, tea with lemon, natural kvass or fruit drink.
If the symptoms of overheating – lethargy, headache, tinnitus and blurred vision, increased heart rate, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea – still appear, it is important to seek medical help as soon as possible.
While waiting for the doctor, the victim should be laid in a cool place, freed from tight and hot clothes, and given water to drink. You can put a damp towel on your head, and cool compresses on the inguinal, popliteal and axillary areas.
Source: Rosbalt
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