Deal With Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to excessive loss of water and salt (which is in sweat) and it is a warning that the body is getting too hot. Heat stroke is an emergency condition in which the body loses its ability to cool itself. Heat exhaustion is a serious heat related illness that can range from mild symptoms such as cramping and headache to more severe symptoms that could endanger a person’s health. If left untreated, heat exhaustion may progress into heat stroke, which can be life-threatening. Remember, though, that treatment should be administered by someone trained in first aid whenever possible, and that first aid should always be followed by evaluation by a trained medical professional.

Steps

Administering First Aid

1. Get to a cool place. Do whatever you can to cool the person suffering from heat exhaustion. If possible, get the person suffering from heat exhaustion to shade or an air conditioned building. If those are not available, get the person suffering from heat exhaustion in front of a fan.
   • Keep the person with heat stroke in a cool environment while they hydrate and allow their body temperature to regulate. This may mean several hours to a full day indoor or in a cool area.
2. Monitor and reduce the internal body temperature. With heat exhaustion, the person’s temperature may only be slightly elevated, if at all. However, it is important to monitor the person’s temperature since a very high temperature (over 104 degrees Fahrenheit) can indicate heat stroke.
   • To lower the person’s temperature, try applying a cool compress to the back of the neck and wrists. Use a towel soaked in cool water or wrap an ice cube in a paper towel and apply it to the skin.
   • Try not to apply ice directly to skin, as the skin may be sunburned and this may cause damage to the tissue.
3. Loosen or remove clothing. If the person suffering is wearing tight-fitting clothing, loosen it, and remove any excess layers. If certain articles of clothing are necessary, loosen them as much as possible to allow airflow through the clothes.
   • Do not remove any clothes that are necessary to protect the person from exposure. Sunburns and blistering will only make heat exhaustion worse. Avoid removing protective layers unless absolutely necessary
4. Lie down. Lay down the person suffering from heat exhaustion and elevate their legs and feet slightly above the level of the heart. If the person reports feeling dizzy or disoriented, decrease the elevation incrementally until they feel comfortable.
   • Use props such as pillows, an ottoman, or towels to help support the legs and feet.
5. Drink water. Heat exhaustion and dehydration are closely linked. Slowly and consistently drink water to replenish their fluids and keep hydrated.
   • Drinking cool water, if available, may help with the overall cooling process.
   • If you suspect salt depletion, which may be recognized by nausea and vomiting, you may want to provide the person with sports drinks to help replenish their salts while keeping them hydrated.
   • Avoid any alcoholic or caffeinated beverages, as this may lead to further dehydration.
6. Wipe the person down with a damp cloth. Soak a cloth or sponge in cool water and rub it over the body, especially the head. Alternatively, you can fill a spray bottle with cool water and spray the person suffering with it. Sweat helps the body to cool as it evaporates, and applying moisture to the skin can perform the same function.
   • If there is access to a shower or bathtub, soaking in cool water may also help the overall cooling process.

Finding Medical Care

1. Contact a medical professional. If you even suspect you are Treat-Heatstroke, immediately call emergency medical services (911). If the symptoms seem minor, you may want to call the person’s general practitioner. However, if symptoms include loss of consciousness, vomiting, or dizziness such that the person cannot stand, emergency services need to be contacted.
   • Let the medical professional with whom you speak know what symptoms the person with heat stroke exhibits, and inform the medical team of what type of treatment is being administered.
   • Ask them, “Is there anything else we need to do to manage the condition until this person can get to you?”
   • If you are on the phone with emergency services and an ambulance is being dispatched to you, stay on the phone until the ambulance arrives, and update the medical professional regarding any changes in condition and actions taken.
2. Call an ambulance for unconsciousness. If the person with heat exhaustion has become unconscious, if they are showing symptoms of heat stroke, or if they have a fever at or above 104° F (40° C), call an ambulance or take measures to get them to a hospital immediately. Administer first aid as necessary, but make it a priority to get the person medical attention as soon as possible.
   • Carefully monitor heartrate and breathing if the person is unconscious. If either stop, it may be necessary to perform CPR.
3. See a doctor. For any individual who suffered from heat exhaustion but did not need emergency care, follow up as soon as possible with a doctor. Go to an urgent care center or make an emergency appointment with a general practitioner to have them look for signs of complications due to heat exhaustion.
   • It is important to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible after recognizing symptoms of heat exhaustion. Do not wait multiple days for an appointment with a general practitioner. If a regular doctor cannot see the person immediately, it is best to go to urgent care.
4. Make a follow up appointment. A person who ended up in the hospital or in urgent care with symptoms of heat exhaustion should make a follow up appointment with their regular doctor a few days after initial medical treatment to ensure that the body has adjusted back to normal. Let the doctor know what symptoms were experienced, and what treatment was administered as first aid, as well as by a medical professional.
   • Ask the doctor, “Is there anything else I need to do to properly treat this issue?”

Recognizing Heat Exhaustion

1. Determine if symptoms are heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are two closely related syndromes, and if left untreated one can easily lead to the other. However, the symptoms of each are different, and both require a different set of treatments. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
   • Confusion or disorientation
   • Fatigue
   • Heavy sweating
   • Pale or flushed skin
   • Rapid heart beat
   • Headache or dizziness
   • Fainting
2. Look for signs of heat stroke. Before any first aid is administered for heat exhaustion, you should check to see if things have progressed to the level of heat stroke, which requires a different first aid approach. Heat stroke has symptoms including:
   • Red skin
   • Dry skin with no sweating
   • A body temperature of above 104° F (40° C).
3. Evaluate the type of heat exhaustion. Heat exhaustion may be caused by either water depletion or salt depletion. Look at the symptoms to understand what type of heat exhaustion you are treating and relay this information to a medical professional as soon as possible.
   • Water depletion leads to symptoms such as excessive thirst, muscle weakness, headache, and fainting.
   • Salt depletion leads to symptoms including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and heat cramps.

Tips

• Bring water bottles to keep you hydrated in the sun or in warm conditions.
• If you personally feel symptoms of heat exhaustion, get out of the sun, hydrate, and lie down.
• Always wear a hat when out in the sun, especially if you are susceptible to heat syndromes.
• Avoid spending time outside on very hot, humid days. If you must be outside, then try to reduce your physical activity as much as possible.
• Wear loose lightweight clothing so that sweat can evaporate from your skin and cool your body more effectively.

Warnings

• Be careful to avoid over-hydration, which can be dangerous, by drinking slowly and stopping before the person suffering feels full or experience nausea.
• Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition, and cannot be treated the same way as heat exhaustion. Heat stroke requires prompt medical attention. Always seek professional medical advice in addition to self-treatment.

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Be Safe During a Heat Emergency
• Treat a Hand Burn
• Recognize Symptoms of Heat Stress
• Survive a Heat Wave
• Survive a Fall Through Ice
• Rescue Someone Who Has Fallen Through Ice
• Drop Your Core Temperature
• Treat Frostbite
• Prevent Hypothermia
• Treat Sunstroke

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