Summer is in full swing and we’re having a heat wave! This summer, the American Heart Association wants you to protect your heart by keeping cool in the heat, eating healthy seasonal foods, staying hydrated, and making sure you take breaks if exerting in the heat.
Keep cool & hydrate!
The body has ways to keep itself cool in the heat — like sweating — but if the body can’t cool itself down, you get sick with heat-related illnesses like heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
Here are a few tips to stay cool:
- Drink water all day long, not sugary drinks. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty–that’s too late
- Avoid caffeinated or alcoholic beverages.
- Avoid salt tablets unless your healthcare provider has prescribed them.
- Avoid the heat from noon to 4pm when it is hottest
- If you have to be in the sun, take regular breaks from exertion in the heat. Find some shade or a cool place, stop for a few minutes, hydrate and start again
- Don’t make your body work hard to digest large or fatty meals. Eat light foods like fruits, veggies, salads, nuts and beans when it’s hot.
- headaches
- heavy sweating
- cold, moist skin, chills
- dizziness or fainting (syncope)
- a weak and rapid pulse
- muscle cramps
- fast, shallow breathing
- nausea, vomiting or both
If you experience these symptoms, move to a cooler place, stop exercising and cool down immediately by dousing yourself with cold water and rehydrating. You may need to seek medical attention.
Symptoms of heat stroke:
- warm, dry skin with no sweating
- strong and rapid pulse
- confusion and/or unconsciousness
- high fever
- throbbing headaches
- nausea, vomiting or both
If you experience these symptoms, seek medical attention right away.