
Heat-Related Illness Awareness & Prevention
It’s summertime and as the heat rises, so can the health risks. It’s essential to keep yourself healthy and safe while enjoying outdoor activities. If you have a chronic health condition, it can impact how your body responds to overheating. Certain medications can impact your response to high heat and impair your body’s ability to regulate your internal temperature properly. This makes you more vulnerable to heat than others.
Stay Cool Indoors
If you have indoor air conditioning, it’s important that you set it to a level that is cool enough for your health and safety. Air conditioning should not be set higher than 78 degrees. 65 to 78 degrees is considered a safe range. Keep in mind that being overheated indoors is high risk and can result in heat related illnesses.
Preventative Measures
There are proactive steps you can take:
- Make sure that you stay hydrated
- Wear lightweight, breathable clothing
- Limit outdoor activities during the hottest hours of the day, which are late morning to early evening
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine
Signs of Heat-Related Illness
The common signs and symptoms that indicate you may be suffering from a heat-related illness include but are not limited to:
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Headache
- Rapid heartbeat
- Confusion
- Excessive sweating
Red Flags That Require Rapid Medical Attention
There are heat-related red flags that require immediate medical attention. Signs that a person is dangerously overheated include:
- Very high body temperature
- Inflamed skin
- Feeling overheated but not sweating
- Elevated pulse rate
- Breathing unusually quickly
- Atypical level of fatigue
- Confusion
- Unusual behavior
- Fainting
- Seizures
If you or someone you love is experiencing any of these symptoms while in a high heat situation, it’s important that you are vigilant and take immediate emergency action.
Remember, staying cool and hydrated is not just a comfort—it’s a matter of health and safety.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.