How to prevent heat exhaustion during hot weather

This week we saw record breaking numbers in the desert southwest reach up to 120 degrees.

There’s a great reason doctors recommend drinking plenty of water as the heat can interfere with how your body functions.

Dr. Kristina Diaz with the YRMC Family Medicine Center say’s, “Heat exhaustion is that moving into that phase of not just being hot anymore so your not just feeling symptoms of the heat.”

You can save yourself a trip to the doctor by recognizing the signs of heat exhaustion which could come from feeling dizzy, nauseous, and or general irritability.

When you’ve been in the heat too long that can move from heat exhaustion into a heat stroke situation which is more of an emergency. These are signs that you’ve lost water and electrolytes which may also begin to affect the other organs in your body, such as your muscles or kidney functions.

If you start to feel these symptoms Doctor Diaz recommends finding the nearest place to cool down, drink plenty of water and have a sports drink handy such as Gatorade or Powerade, non-sugar preferably, as the electrolytes will help you prevent from overheating.