Dehydration

Dehydration takes place when your body loses a lot of fluid, mostly water, and the amount is more than what is taken in.

The best way to treat dehydration is to drink plenty of fluids, such as water, glucose, diluted squash or diluted fruit juice, to rehydrate the body. A sweet drink can help to replace lost sugar and a salty snack can help to replace lost salt. Taking oral rehydration solutions, or ORS, is a better option.

If dehydration is not taken care of at once, the condition can deteriorate quickly. See a doctor if things don’t improve.

Heat cramps

These are also common in summer, it is when we get cramps or muscle spasms in the abdomen, arms or legs. Like dehydration, quickly replenish the body by drinking lots of fluids.

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke

Heat exhaustion is a slightly less severe form of heatstroke and both are serious conditions that can quickly turn potentially dangerous.

Heat exhaustion is when you start feeling very hot and lose a lot of water and salt from the body, leading to weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, fainting, decrease in blood pressure, intense thirst, muscle cramps, heavy sweating, fast pulse rate, etc. Heat exhaustion can quickly lead to heatstroke if left untreated.

In heatstroke the body is no longer able to cool itself and the body temperature becomes dangerously high. We call it sunstroke when this is caused by prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

The symptoms of heatstroke are extremely high body temperature, red and hot dry skin, rapid pulse, throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, disorientation, seizures (fits) and a loss of consciousness.

If someone has signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke, make them lie down in a cool place, possibly in a room with air conditioning. Remove unnecessary clothing and sponge them and give them cold packs around the neck and armpits, or wrap them in a cool, wet sheet.

Make them drink fluids and monitor them. They should start feeling better in about 30 minutes or so, otherwise if they become unconscious or worst, rush to the nearest hospital. While taking them for medical aid, continue to make efforts to keep the person’s body cool and bring its temperature down.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 21st, 2016