STATEWIDE — With the heat ramped up this week you need to keep an eye out for signs of heat stroke, both in others and in yourself.
Heat stroke happens when your body starts to overheat. If left untreated the symptoms can be deadly. Even though it’s a very preventable condition, over 600 people died from heat stroke every year, says the CDC.
“A person all of a sudden can’t regulate their body temperature anymore and that usually happens when the body temperature gets to about 104 degrees,” said Dr. Tyler Stepsis with Eskenazi Health.
“For the most part, (heat stroke) signified by acute confusion. You just don’t know where you are or you can’t answer questions. You don’t sweat, which is another thing. One of the body’s ways of regulating heat is to sweat to help evaporate that water off of your body, and, after that, your body basically starts to cook from the inside.”
Heat stroke differs from heat exhaustion, which is another heat-related illness you may hear about. Heat exhaustion is essentially a precursor to heat stroke in that you still can sweat, but you start to feel severe dehydration, dizziness, and even muscle cramps.
The best way to prevent both illnesses is to stay out of the sun as much as you can on hot days and drink plenty of water.
