GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Temperatures are expected to feel oppressive the next couple days. Health officials say weather, like the triple digit heat indexes expected, pose a threat to people’s lives, but outcomes like that can be preventable with a few simple steps.
“You do not want to disrupt your body’s regulatory system,” said Adair McIntyre. “If you do, you’re going to experience some really unpleasant symptoms.”
McIntyre is a nurse at Spectrum Health.
She works with the health system’s injury prevention team.
According to McIntyre, with extreme heat, a person’s body temperature rises and its unable to cool through the ways it usually does, like sweating.
“As you’re sweating, you’re losing water and salt, so you have less of it in your body and your blood stream, so your reservoir so to speak is smaller,” said McIntyre.
It leads to an increased risk of heat-related illness, which kills about 658 people a year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The most common illnesses include heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which is more severe.
Heat exhaustion symptoms include:
- Fainting or dizziness
- Excess sweating
- Cool, pale, clammy skin
- Nausea or vomiting
- Rapid pulse
- Muscle cramps
If someone experiences any heat exhaustion symptoms, they should move to a cool place, loosen their clothes, put cool, wet cloths on their body, and drink cool water.
Medical help should be sought if a person throws up or cannot drink or their symptoms worsen or last longer than one hour.
Heat stroke symptoms include:
- Confusion or disorientation
- Very high body temperature
- Red, hot skin that may be dry or sweaty
- Nausea or vomiting
- Rapid pulse
- Loss of consciousness
If someone experiences any heat stroke symptoms, 911 should be called right away.
“With summer, you start to expect to see people who are overheated, who are coming in with heat exhaustion, who are coming in with heat stroke and a lot of the interventions that we’re talking about doing are things that we would do as well,” said McIntyre.
The CDC says elderly people and infants and children do not adjust as well to sudden changes in temperatures, which makes them more at-risk to heat-related illness.
Pregnant women and those with chronic conditions, like cardiovascular disease, are also at a higher risk.
McIntyre says its important to drink water all day long and eat regular meals.
She also suggests people limit their time outside to mornings and evenings, avoid direct sunlight, and wear loose lightweight, light colored clothing.
“I also think it’s important as a community that we’re checking in on each other,” said McIntyre. “Check in on that elderly neighbor that you might have or if you’re out exercising, can you exercise with a partner that’s best to do it in pairs. You can help one another out if there’s an injury that occurs.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says people can call or text ‘Michigan 211’ to locate an air-conditioned shelters in their area.
MDHHS also suggests spending time at public places like the mall or library.
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