OT Heat Exaustion and Keeping Cool

[Guest guest]

With these high temps, I thought this was timely. See Heat Exaustion

symptoms below. If you are worried about running your AC at least run it

on 78 or so, to help prevent this. Yesterday we were down in Mobile, AL at

Zorbo's, a Greek Restaurant. Their AC wasn't working and before we left, I

thought I was going to pass out. We should of gotten our food to go and

eaten it in the AC of our vehicle. I don't know how they were working in

those temps. It had to be at least 90 degrees in there. The man working

there even said he had a hard time keeping folks that wanted to work. Wow,

I wonder why. In this part of the country we run our AC about 7-8 months

out of the year, just like you folks in colder temps run your heat several

months of the year. We rarely have to use our heat more than a couple of

months out of the year and then not every day.

 

Life can't stop because of high temps, so AC is a must in this part of the

world. Run it cooler earlier in the morning and get the house cooler so

that later in the day, when the electric company is having more of a strain

on the system, your AC doesn't have to work as hard. Run your washing

machine, dryer(or hang outside, I have an umbrella clothesline that doesn't

draw a lot of attention to it), your dishwasher during the night or first

thing in the morning to help the electric companies. Use ceiling fans and

turn up your AC temp when you are out of your home. Close your blinds and

curtains too.

 

If you don't have AC at least go to a place that does for several hours a

day to cool down your internal body temp. Take cold showers and stand in

front of a fan too cool off while still damp. Drink lots of water.

 

Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can

develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures and

inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids. Those most prone to

heat exhaustion are elderly people, people with high blood pressure,

and people working or exercising in a hot environment.

 

Recognizing Heat Exhaustion

 

Warning signs of heat exhaustion include:

 

heavy sweating

paleness

muscle cramps

tiredness

weakness

dizziness

headache

nausea or vomiting

fainting

The skin may be cool and moist. The victim's pulse rate will be fast

and weak, and breathing will be fast and shallow. If heat exhaustion

is untreated, it may progress to heat stroke. Seek medical attention

immediately if:

 

symptoms are severe, or

the victim has heart problems or high blood pressure.

Otherwise, help the victim to cool off, and seek medical attention if

symptoms worsen or last longer than 1 hour.

 

What to Do

 

Cooling measures that may be effective include:

 

cool, non-alcoholic beverages, as directed by your physician

rest

cool shower, bath, or sponge bath

an air-conditioned environment

Lightweight clothing

 

 

 

Keep safe,

Judy