The planet is getting hotter fast. This is what happens to your body in extreme heat
Cnn
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Climate change of human origin has already made heat waves in the world more frequent and more intense.
Scientists who study the role of global warming on bad weather say that each heat wave today carries the fingerprints of the climate crisis.
Climate change, mainly driven by humans burning fossil fuels, aggravates extreme global time in general, but a large part of this change is linked to heat.
In the United States, heat kills more Americans than any other disaster linked to weather conditions, and it will only get worse as the world warms fossil fuels.
Here is what happens to your body in extreme heat, which you need to be careful and how to stay safe.
What happens to your body
Normally, your body is used at a certain range of temperatures, generally between 97 and 99 degrees Fahrenheit. When your brain feels a change – lower or higher than that – it tries to help your body cool or warm up, according to Dr. Judith Linden, executive vice -president of the Boston Medical Center emergency medicine department and professor in the Emergency Medicine Department of the University of Boston.
“There are a number of different ways that (the brain) are trying to cool the body. One way, the most common way we think, is that you sweat,” said Linden. “The pores open, the body sweats and the sweat evaporates, which cools the body.”
The second way your body cools is in dilating the vessels and increasing your heart rate, which helps bring heat and blood to the surface of your body and helps to release this excess heat.
When you are exposed to high temperatures, it becomes more difficult for your body to try to continue to cool. And if your environment is hot And Wet, sweat does not evaporate so easily – which pushes your body temperature even higher, according to the Mayo clinic.
“The higher the humidity, the more the temperatures you need for extreme heat,” said Linden.
High body temperatures can cause brain and other vital organs, says CDC. They can also cause several heat -related diseases.
Heat -related diseases, including heat the cramps, are the most common, said Linden. Heat cramps can develop in people who sweat a lot, including during exercise. Excessive sweating uses all the salt and humidity of the body and can cause muscle pain or spasms, usually in the abdomen, arms or legs, depending on the CDC.
A rash can also develop. It is a skin irritation caused by too much perspiration in warm and humid weather, and is the most common in young children, says the CDC. It is generally a red group of pimples or blisters, and tends to be in places, especially the neck, the top of the chest or the folds of the elbows.
When your body begins to exceed its ability to cool, you can develop what is called heat exhaustion.
“In this case, you will see excessive sweating because your body will really try to follow this additional warmth. You will feel dizzy, you can feel dizzy, often people present with nausea, headache and their skin often looks pale and moist and their pulse is often fast,” said Linden.
“This is the last attempt of the body to cool before it is really without return.”
A heat stroke is the most serious disease linked to heat and, if not treated, can lead to death.
“This is where your body temperature exceeds approximately 104 to 105 degrees, and this is where your mechanisms are starting to fail,” said Linden.
Warning panels may include extremely high body temperatures, red and dry skin, rapid impulse, headache, dizziness, nausea or loss of consciousness, depending on the CDC.
The brand brand of a heat stroke is confusion and agitation, said Linden.
“So when someone is in the heat and it becomes confused and agitated, it is a heat stroke until it is proven the opposite and you must call 911 for this or get help immediately and get the person out of the heat.”
The elderly, people with chronic medical conditions as well as children have a higher risk of severe heat -related diseases.
The elderly and people with chronic medical conditions may be less likely to feel and respond to temperature changes and can take medication that worsen heat, said CDC.
“Very young (people) too, because they are less likely to recognize heat -related diseases and they are less likely to get out of the heat if they start to feel overheated,” said Linden.
Students and pets are also more at risk, she added.
“In this time, you never have to leave a child or pet in the car for a minute,” added Linden.
When your community faces extreme heat, there are several things you can do to make sure and others safe.
First, keep an eye on heat exhaustion symptoms or other diseases. “If someone is starting to feel dizzy, dizzy, nauseated or headache, it’s time to act immediately,” said Linden. “It means getting them out of heat and in a fresh environment.”
Putting water on someone who can feel symptoms and give them liquids can help cool them. If someone starts to lose consciousness or nausea or vomiting, call 911.
“If you see someone with a type of confusion, it’s an immediate red flag,” added Linden.
When it is hot outside, try to avoid outdoor activities – especially between hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to Linden. If you have to go out, wear light -colored clothes, cover your head and drink a lot of liquids.
Do not wait to be thirsty for drinking water – because it can be a sign of dehydration. Linden recommends drinking at least one glass of water – or more – an hour.
“If you start to feel dizzy, stunned, sweating, fast pulse, immediately get out of the heat,” said Linden.
Try to find air conditioning or places in your region where you can go to cool, according to Ready.gov. Even spend a few hours in a shopping center or a public library can help you.
When you are at home, fans can help you, but do not count on them as your only way to cool – although it may be more comfortable, they will not help prevent heat -related diseases.
“If you are in a super hot room, if you have a fan, is it useful? No. I think, if you have a fan and you can scramble … then fans can be useful,” said Linden. “Fans are not infallible.”
Finally, be sure to check your neighbors, relatives and friends – especially the elderly who can live alone or isolated, said Linden.
