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Athletes and Heat Strokes

Posted July 17, 2008 at 01:30 PM by Denise Musumeci

Section: In The News, His Fitness, Injuries & Rehab, His Health, Physical Health

With the summer heat at its peak, the risk of heat stroke rises. The problem is that most people do not even realize that they are having a heat stroke until they collapse after finishing their exercises.

Most of the time, the athlete is unaware that they are suffering from heat illness and often feel no symptoms at all. “Your cognitive ability and your capacity to make a rational decision is indeed compromised,’’ said Michael F. Bergeron, director of the environmental physiology laboratory at the Medical College of Georgia. “You hear all the time that the athletes themselves didn’t know enough to stop and didn’t want to stop and have no memory of what happened.”

How can you tell if someone may be suffering from a heat-related illness while exercising? The athlete may seem disoriented or confused and may have less coordination than usual. Their skin may seem hot and red, even if they are not sweating and they may not have any recollection of any conversation that you may have had while suffering from heat exhaustion.

If you think someone is having a heat stroke or heat-related illness, sit him or her down immediately in the shade or inside a cool environment. Give the athlete some water and put ice or a cold rag on his or her head to reduce body temperature. If they are suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned above, do not let the athlete tell you that they feel fine. He or she is the worst judge when it comes to heat exhaustion because that person is more than likely unaware that they are suffering a heat-related illness until they pass out. Exercising with a partner in the summer heat may be the safest thing to do to ensure each other’s safety because your partner will notice your symptoms first.

Research sources and for more information: [NY Times]

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Tags: exercise, exercise safety, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat-illness, summer, temperature

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