When summer begins with a suffocating heat wave, such as the one that is being lived in many places in 2025, risks can arise for almost any person who spends time outdoors, whether runners, people who walk or go by bicycle to work, outdoor workers or children who practice sports.
Susan Yeargin, an expert in heat -related diseases, explains what everyone should take into account before spending time outdoors during a heat wave, and how to stay safe, as well as protect their relatives and vulnerable friends.
The time of day is important if you go to run, or if you walk or by bicycle to work during a heat wave. Those who get up early or exercise at night run less risks: the sun does not heat so much and the air temperature is lower.
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What risks run people who run, walk or work outdoors when it is hot?
But if your usual routine is to run in mid -morning or during lunch, you should probably reconsider the idea of ​​exercising in those hours.
In the hottest hours of the day, the body is heated both by the air temperature and solar radiation. The soil is also heated, so you will feel more heat from the asphalt or the grass.
If moisture is added, the body’s ability to dissipate heat through sweat is also affected. Do not forget that the body also generates internal heat when you are active, either running or cutting the grass. When it is hot outside, the effort further increases heat gain. The more you run or bicycle, the more heat you produce.
Outdoor workers – farms, construction sites or even those who walk dogs – are usually exposed to heat for a longer time and with less flexibility to take breaks.
Do our bodies eventually adapt to the heat of summer?
An average person takes about two weeks to acclimatize at higher temperatures. During that time, the body makes amazing adaptations to support heat.
Your sweating rate improves, dissipating heat more effectively. The plasma volume expands, which allows more blood to circulate through the body, reducing the effort of the heart. Thanks to the cardiovascular system becoming more efficient, the body does not heat up so much. Salt is also better retained, which helps keep water in the body.
However, that does not mean that you are prepared for even higher temperatures or for extreme heat. Even if you are acclimatized at 27 ° C, you might not be for a heat wave of 35 ° C.
When heat waves are presented at the beginning of the season and with high humidity, these can reach levels that people are not yet adapted to support. In addition, some combinations of heat and humidity are too intense for anyone to spend a lot of time exposed to them safely.
Do young children and older people run a higher risk in heat?
In older adults, the cardiovascular system is not as flexible or powerful as before, so it does not work with the same efficiency, and sweating mechanisms decrease. This increases the risk of diseases such as heat exhaustion or insolation.
Its thirst mechanism may also not work so well, which makes them more likely to dehydrate. Some older adults are also less willing or capable than young people to find places to cool off.
Children, meanwhile, can take a few more days to acclimatize than adults. In addition, they depend more on the loss of heat through the skin than on sweating, so your skin can reddex.
However, children are likely to express better if they have too much heat or if they do not feel good, so listen to them and help them look for fresher areas. They may not realize that they need to rest during football training or that they should return before the beach.
What are the main heat security tips?
Choose the moment of the day to keep active: People love routines, but it is important to exercise, work in the garden or other early outdoor activities in the morning or at sunset. Avoiding the hottest hours of the day is the best way to prevent heat -related diseases. If you are outdoors when the sun is at its highest point, look for places with shade.
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Keep good hydration habits: Don’t ignore thirst; It is a sign of your body. Staying hydrated helps to keep a higher plasma volume, which reduces the effort of the heart and decreases the general risk of suffering from heat causes. Your brain and your muscles are also composed in a large part of water, so, if the body detects a deficiency, it will begin to sacrifice other functions, such as sweat production.
Listen to your body: If you need to go to work or have fun, pay attention to how your body responds to heat. If you feel bad, you have excessive heat or you cannot continue with the same effort, your body is telling you to lower your rhythm, take additional breaks or get out of that situation.
Choose right clothes: Wear light colored clothes, as it absorbs less heat than dark clothes. Short manga and short shirts also help prevent heat accumulation and facilitate sweat evaporation.
Remember that helmets and sports team retain heat: Construction workers usually wear helmets, but athletes do not always need to train with shoulder pads and helmets, especially when temperatures are high. To protect workers, it is recommended that companies follow health security guidelines, such as providing cooling stations and breaks to hydrate.
Sleep well: Heat exposure for one day can increase the risk the next day. Sleeping with air conditioning and ensuring good night rest can help reduce the risk of heat -related diseases.
This article was originally published in The Conversation
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