As summer temps rise, protecting yourself from heat-related illness is paramount. Air conditioning seems to work best, but how many hours each day can you spend indoors – or might even want to?

So, if you do need to be out and about, here’s how to protect extreme heat from getting to you.

Learn How Your Body Reacts to Heat

It’s important to understand how your body handles excess heat and humidity. As temps rise, your body produces sweat to cool itself. However, on especially hot, humid days, excess moisture in the air slows this process down, putting you at risk of heat-related illness, like heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

• Heat cramps, the mildest form of heat-related illness, consist of muscle cramps and spasms that often occur during or after sweating in high heat – also during or after intense exercise.
• Heat exhaustion is more severe and results from the body’s loss of water and salt without adequate replacement.
• Heat stroke, the most severe form of heat-related illness, occurs when your body’s heat-regulating system is overwhelmed. This is a life threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention.

Risk factors for heat illness include inadequate water consumption, alcohol and caffeine consumption, certain medications, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart, lung, and kidney disease, being over- or under-weight, and even age (very young children and the elderly are especially prone to physical problems).

How Do I Know If It’s Heat Exhaustion or Heat Stroke?

Heat exhaustion symptoms include heavy sweating, cold, pale, and clammy skin, a fast, weak pulse, headache, nausea or vomiting, muscle cramps, feeling tired, weak, or dizzy, or fainting. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, move to a cool, shaded place, loosen your clothing, sip water, and place cool, wet cloths on your face and body.

Heat stroke is marked by a high body temperature, red, hot, dry, or damp skin, a rapid pulse, headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, and loss of consciousness. As this is a life-threatening condition, it’s imperative you call 9-1-1 immediately whether it’s you or someone else experiencing the problem. Move to a cool, shaded place, and try to lower body temperature with a cool bath or cool cloths. If the individual is losing consciousness, do not give them anything to drink.

The best advice of all is stay home on excessively hot and humid days with air conditioning on. On the other hand, if the AC system is on but you’re not feeling a whole lot cooler than you might outdoors, one call to C&D Cooling & Heating will solve the problem. Call us today or anytime your heating or cooling system needs professional care.