How to protect yourself from heat illness
CDC photo.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Protect yourself and others when it's hot outside by staying cool, staying hydrated, and staying informed.
Stay Cool
• Stay in an air-conditioned place as much as possible.
• Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.
• If your home does not have air conditioning, go to a store, 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.
• Use your stove and oven less to maintain a cooler temperature in your home.
• Take a cool shower or bath to cool off.
Do not leave kids or anyone else in cars.
Cars can quickly heat up to dangerous temperatures, even with a window cracked open. While anyone left in a parked car is at risk, children are especially at risk of getting a heat stroke or dying.
When traveling with children, remember to do the following:
• Never leave infants, children or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
• To remind yourself that a child is in the car, keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When the child is buckled in, place the stuffed animal in the front with the driver.
• When leaving your car, check to be sure everyone is out of the car. Do not overlook any children who have fallen asleep in the car.
Don't rely on electric fans
Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, they will not prevent heat-related illness.
Schedule outdoor activities carefully
• Try to limit your outdoor activity to when it’s coolest, like morning and evening hours.
• Rest often in shady areas so that your body has a chance to recover.
• Pace yourself. If you’re not accustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually.
• Know when to stop activity. If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity. Get into a cool area or into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint.
Wear sunscreen
Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated. If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going out. Continue to reapply it according to the package directions. Look for sunscreens that say "broad spectrum" or "UVA/UVB protection" on their labels — these products work best.
Stay Hydrated
• Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
• Drink more fluids, regardless of how active you are.
• Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Stay away from very sugary or alcoholic drinks — these actually cause you to lose more body fluid.
• Avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.
Also, avoid hot and heavy meals. These types of meals add heat to your body.
Warning
• If your doctor limits the amount you drink or has you on water pills, ask how much you should drink while the weather is hot.
• Replace salts and minerals.
• Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body that need to be replaced. A sports drink can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat.
• If you are on a low-salt diet, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or taking salt tablets.
• Keep your pets hydrated.
• Provide plenty of fresh water for your pets, and leave the water in a shady area.
Stay Informed
Check your local news for extreme heat alerts and safety tips and to learn about any cooling shelters in your area.
Know the signs
Learn the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses and how to treat them.
Heat stroke - What to look for
High body temperature (103°F or higher).
Hot, red, dry, or damp skin.
Fast, strong pulse.
Headache.
Dizziness.
Nausea.
Confusion.
Losing consciousness (passing out).
Heat stroke - What to do
Call 911 right away - heat stroke is a medical emergency.
Move the person to a cooler place.
Help lower the person's temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath.
Do not give the person anything to drink.
Heat exhaustion - What to look for
Heavy sweating.
Cold, pale, and clammy skin.
Fast, weak pulse.
Nausea or vomiting.
Muscle cramps.
Tiredness or weakness.
Dizziness.
Headache.
Fainting (passing out).
Heat exhaustion - What to do
Move to a cool place.
Loosen your clothes.
Put cool, wet cloths on your body or take a cool bath.
Sip water.
Get medical help right away if:
You are throwing up.
Your symptoms get worse.
Your symptoms last longer than 1 hour.
Heat cramps.
In need of medical help - What to look for
Heavy sweating during intense exercise.
Muscle pain or spasms.
In need of medical help - What to do
Stop physical activity and move to a cool place.
Drink water or a sports drink.
Wait for cramps to go away before you do any more physical activity.
Get medical help right away if:
Cramps last longer than 1 hour.
You’re on a low-sodium diet.
You have heart problems.
Sunburn - What to look for
Painful, red, and warm skin.
Blisters on the skin.
Sunburn - What to do
Stay out of the sun until your sunburn heals.
Put cool cloths on sunburned areas or take a cool bath.
Put moisturizing lotion on sunburned areas.
Do not break blisters.
Heat rash - What to look for
Red clusters of small blisters that look like pimples on the skin (usually on the neck, chest, groin, or in elbow creases).
Heat rash - What to do
Stay in a cool, dry place.
Keep the rash dry.
Use powder (like baby powder) to soothe the rash.
Use a buddy system.
Heat-induced illness can cause a person to become confused or lose consciousness.
When working in the heat, monitor the condition of your co-workers and have someone do the same for you.
If you are 65 years of age or older, have a friend or relative call to check on you twice a day during a heat wave. If you know someone in this age group, check on them at least twice a day. Check on people who are at high risk.
Although anyone at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others:
• Infants and young children.
• Pregnant women.
• People 65 years of age or older.
• People who are overweight.
• People who overexert during work or exercise.
• People who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation.
Visit adults at risk 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.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy can make you more likely to get sick when it’s very hot. If you are pregnant, it is important to know what you can do to protect you and your developing baby from extreme heat.
Pregnancy can make you more likely to get heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or other heat-related illness sooner than those who are not pregnant because your body must work harder to cool down both you and the developing baby.
Pregnancy can also make you more likely to become dehydrated. This also means you won’t be able to cool yourself as well by sweating.
In very hot environments or during strenuous activity, your core body (internal body) temperature may rise. In some cases, increased internal temperature and fever during pregnancy have been linked to birth defects and other pregnancy complications, so if you're pregnant, stay cool and stay hydrated.