What is heat-related illness (hyperthermia)?
Heat related illness or better called Hyperthermia in medical terms is a group of illnesses that occur when our body struggles to cool itself. In this situation our body temperature goes higher than usual and corresponds to a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Hyperthermia is defined as any temperature over the baseline.
When the body becomes excessively heated, the body tries to bring down the temperature on its own. It produces sweat that evaporates off your skin to reduce body temperature before it reaches dangerously high levels. Sometimes sweat is not enough to cool down the temperature and as a result we experience some moderate to severe ailments.
In hyperthermia, one can have heat rash and heat cramps or simple heat-related ailments that typically go away with rest or at-home remedies. To prevent major problems like heat exhaustion and heat stroke must be treated with care and use some remedies.
What are the four types of heat illness?
There are four main types of heat illness from mild to severe:
Heat rash
Heat rush means tiny pimples that form when sweat becomes trapped beneath the skin. It is best to keep your skin dry and cold and apply anti-itch creams to reduce its effects.
Heat cramps
Heat cramps are muscle cramps in the stomach, arms, legs, or other parts of the body. It is a moderate kind of heat-related illness and the body temperature remains normal or slightly high.
Heat exhaustion
Heat exhaustion happens when the body loses too much water and salt, usually by exposure to high heat or for straneoys exercises. Symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, and lightheadedness.
Heat fatigue
This heat-related illness has the potential to be lethal. It occurs when body temperature reaches a very high point, typically more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit. In this condition, one can have slurred speech, altered behavior, and disorientation.
What are the symptoms of heat-related illness (hyperthermia)?
The symptoms of hyperthermia depend on the severity of the condition. In various types of heat related illness, one can experience:
- Heat Cramps: Muscle cramps, heavy sweating, fatigue, and thirst.
- Heat Exhaustion: Heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, nausea, headache, and rapid pulse.
- Heat Syncope: Fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness, often after prolonged standing or sudden movement.
- Heat Stroke: High body temperature, confusion, delirium, unconsciousness, and hot, dry, or damp skin. Heat stroke is a medical emergency condition and requires immediate attention.
What are the reasons for excessive body heat?
Heat-related illnesses happen when the body’s natural defenses against heat are overtaxed. It can be for various external or internal reasons. Either hot, humid weather or metabolic heat – the heat your body produces could be the main cause. In this situation, the body is unable to release enough heat as a result to keep your temperature within a reasonable range. One may experience other painful symptoms, such as a rash or muscular cramps or even excessive fever.
How to reduce body heat
To reduce body temperature, one can try these simple tips:
Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of water to aid in cooling through sweating.
Take a cool shower – It helps to lower the body temperature through conduction.
Use cold compresses – Apply ice packs to pulse points like the neck and wrists.
Wear lightweight clothing – Try to wear loose, breathable fabrics to enhance heat radiation.
Stay in a cool environment – Use fans, air conditioning, or seek shade to benefit from convection.
Avoid strenuous activities – Limit your physical exertion to reduce excessive heat production.
Eat cooling foods – Hydrating fruits, vegetables, and light meals will be good to keep body temperature under control.
Soak feet in cold water – It helps to cool the body through conduction.
10 Tips to reduce body temperature
1. Sip on cool drinks
By cooling the body from the inside out, consuming cool beverages like water or iced tea will help reduce body temperature. Drinking water on a regular basis can also help avoid dehydration, which raises body temperature.
2. Travel to an area with colder air.
By relocating to a region with a lower ambient temperature, people can lower their body temperature. Convection will cause the body to lose heat.
3. Jump into some cold water.
Some ways to lower body temperature include swimming in cold water, taking a lukewarm bath, or applying cold water from Trusted Source to the body. Conduction can cause a drop in body temperature in certain situations.
4. Apply cold to body parts that are crucial.
Applying cold water or ice to certain body parts, such as the wrists, neck, chest, and temples, where veins are close to the surface, can quickly reduce the temperature of blood passing through veins. As a result, the body could feel cooler.
5. Shorten your walking distance
Heat is released as the body moves. People may feel less overheated during hot weather if they minimize their mobility and stay away from physically demanding activities.
6. Wear lighter, airier clothing.
Heat is transferred more easily by some materials than by others. Natural materials like cotton and linen may allow heat to escape the body more easily than synthetic ones like acrylic and nylon.
Foods to reduce body heat
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is one of the finest natural ways to eliminate heat from the body, especially for people with high metabolisms and hot flashes. It replenishes the minerals and vitamins the body has lost due to perspiration. You can consume buttermilk for breakfast to protect you from the heat.
Mint
Mint tea is a great beverage to drink in extremely hot weather. It promotes sweating and helps the body with a cooling effect. It is better to make the mint tea and chill it in the fridge before consuming.
Lemon
Lemon is a natural solution to the problem of body heat regulation. By keeping the body cool, its high vitamin C content reduces the incidence of heat-related disorders. On hot summer days, lemon keeps one feeling renewed and invigorates the body with oxygen and water.
Peppermint
Peppermint is known for its cooling cooling effect due to its high menthol content. Menthol is the solution to the perplexing dilemma of how to naturally reduce body heat. Make a peppermint drink, store it in the fridge, and drink it all day long to stay cool.
Coconut Water
Coconut water keeps you rehydrated and refreshed in extreme heat. Coconut water is one of the finest ways to naturally lower body heat. Because of its high vitamin, mineral, and electrolyte content, coconut water can aid in dehydration in people experiencing heat stress. Coconut water is a quick treatment for cooling the body because it is safe and easy to digest.
Conclusion
The Summer season is approaching, and in India we experience excessive heat in some areas. Overall heat controlling is an issue for us. Here, we have tried to give some ideas on at home heat related measures. Hope, these will help to take care of yourself in the coming summer!
