Dangerous heat waves affect the human body in many hidden ways that most people do not notice until they feel very sick. When the summer temperature goes way above normal, your body has to work extra hard to maintain its safe internal temperature. This constant struggle puts a massive amount of pressure on your organs, your skin, and your brain.
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When these dangerous heat waves last for several days without stopping, the stress builds up rapidly inside your system. If you do not know the warning signs, you might put yourself in a very risky situation while doing normal activities outside. Understanding exactly what happens inside your system can help you stay safe and healthy during the hottest months of the year.
Dangerous Heat Waves: 7 Ways Extreme Heat Damages Your Body
When the weather gets too hot, your body goes through a chain reaction of negative changes. Here are the seven specific things that happen to your body when you are exposed to extreme summer temperatures:
- Your heart rate speeds up drastically: To push heat out of your body, your heart has to pump blood toward your skin at a very high speed, running like you are sprinting even if you are just sitting down.
- Your blood becomes dangerously thick: As dangerous heat waves cause you to lose cups of water through heavy sweating, your body dehydrates and your blood thickens, making it much harder to pump safely.
- Your muscles go into painful spasms: Losing vital salts and minerals like sodium through your sweat causes your legs, arms, and stomach muscles to lock up in painful heat cramps.
- Your blood pressure drops fast: Because so much of your blood is rushing to the surface of your skin to cool you off, there is less pressure left to push blood back up to your upper body.
- Your brain receives less oxygen: The sudden drop in blood pressure means your brain does not get enough oxygen, which causes severe dizziness, nausea, and can make you faint on the spot.
- Your internal cooling system completely shuts down: When your internal temperature hits a dangerous peak, your brain gets confused and stops telling your body to sweat, leaving your skin dry, hot, and burning.
- Your internal organs begin to suffer damage: Without any sweat to cool you down, the extreme trapped heat starts to hurt the cells of your kidneys, liver, and brain, which is a life-threatening emergency.
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Dangerous Heat Waves: Understanding the Warning Signs
Before these seven things become too severe, your body will try to send you quick warning signals. You might start to feel a throbbing headache or notice that your skin feels cold and clammy even though the air around you is boiling hot.
It is highly important to watch your friends and family members for these signs too, because when a person’s brain starts getting too hot, they often become too confused to realize that they are in deep danger.
How to Protect Your Family From High Heat
To prevent these seven dangerous things from happening to you, you must adjust your daily schedule during high-temperature alerts. Avoid walking outside between noon and four in the afternoon when the sun is directly overhead and at its strongest point.
You should also make sure to check on elderly neighbors and young children during dangerous heat waves because their bodies cannot regulate heat as well as a healthy adult can. Ensure they have access to cool water and shaded rooms, and force them to take long breaks if they are moving around too much. Wear lightweight, loose clothing so air can circulate around your body naturally, and never wait until your throat feels completely dry to drink a fresh glass of water.
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Dangerous Heat Waves: Summary of Heat Protection Tips
In conclusion, learning about what dangerous heat waves can do will help you protect your loved ones and yourself during the summer. If you see someone looking dizzy, acting confused, or complaining of muscle cramps after spending time in the hot sun, move them to a cold space and call for medical help right away.
Taking quick action and cooling the skin down with wet towels is the absolute best way to stop the heat from damaging the human body.
