Hot days ahead: Stay cool and hydrated to avoid heat-related risks -The Standard Health

Those with an eye for the movies will remember the soundtrack song for the 1984 Eddie Murphy movie called Beverly Hills Cop. The song was called ‘The Heat Is On’, it went on to become a major singles hit and reached No. Two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1985. But this column hasn’t suddenly turned into a critique of the movies. It’s just that the heavens appear to have turned on the heat in the last several days, leaving the days scorching with heat, and the nights no better.

You might ask what all the fuss is about heat. Well, heat is a health hazard, especially when it gets into extreme ranges. The last few days have hit close to 300C in Nairobi, and I am sure it’s been even hotter elsewhere. Such sudden levels of heat require our bodies to acclimatise and cool themselves adequately. We must also act in a deliberate way to keep ourselves cool and adequately hydrated, any other way portends disaster.

Heat-related illness occurs when the body fails to acclimatise to hot weather. Sweating occurs to cool the body, causing dehydration and loss of vital body salts. If the body’s thermostat fails, the body cannot cool itself anymore, and the core body temperature rises rapidly to dangerous levels. An overheated body must be cooled pretty quickly, otherwise, brain damage and death may occur, the so-called heat stroke.

Children have a higher body surface area than adults, their bodies tend to heat much faster when temperatures are high. The elderly too are constantly being faced with age-related deterioration in physiological functions. Their ability to quickly acclimatise to rising external temperatures is significantly compromised, leaving them mortally vulnerable to extreme heat. But all of us are at risk of heat-related illnesses if we remain ignorant and don’t take any steps to keep ourselves cool in the setting of extreme temperatures.

Many clues may signal that you are getting too hot. Headaches, dizziness, limited sweating, nausea, vomiting and muscle cramps may all indicate an overheated body. If remedial measures are not taken quickly, you may end up with a potentially lethal heat stroke. But it doesn’t need to get that far. Preventive measures are plain common sense. Find a shade, keep rooms well aerated, stay hydrated, and dress in light clothing that won’t retain too much residual heat.

Watch out for others when the heat is on. Disorientation or waning consciousness after heat exposure is a medical emergency. Get such folks immediate medical attention. Better still, instigate appropriate preventive measures to forestall untoward health effects when the heat is on.