I was 15 years old on a family vacation to St. Augustine, Florida. At some point on the tour of Castillo de San Marcos I became very thirsty but saw nowhere to buy water and decided not to mention it to anyone. I was relieved when I finally stopped sweating but didn’t know at the time that was a bad sign. As we walked out of the monument, I was again relieved when my dad suggested resting in the shade. The next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes to a crowd of people huddled around me, whom I had never met, attempting to bring me back from a heatstroke.
Signs and symptoms of heatstroke: dizziness, nausea or vomiting, headache, muscle cramps or weakness, flushed/red skin, increased breathing or heart rate, delirium, decreased sweating.
Fast forward to 2022 – I was a first-time U.S. Army Cadet Command public affairs intern during Cadet Summer Training. One of the perks of that experience was the opportunity to participate in a lot of the same training as the cadets. We were advised to eat breakfast and drink plenty of water before tackling the more strenuous activities, but my body doesn’t handle early morning eating well, so I opted to skip breakfast the morning of the high ropes course. I drank water, but not enough. Twenty-five feet in the air, tethered to a wire, I felt a familiar danger creeping in after only a few hours in the heat. This time, I didn’t hesitate to ask for water. I took a rest period, completed the course and was ushered straight to an arm immersion cooler and shaded area to cool down.
During my last semester as a college student in 2023, I had projects, papers, responsibilities as managing editor of the school’s arts and entertainment magazine and a job to juggle. All that made it difficult to take the time to focus on proper nutrition. I tried to keep it in check, but I knew it had been days since I had a proper meal, so I attempted to grab lunch before a group project meeting. Five minutes from food I again felt the dizziness creep in, and my vision blurred; I left the line to find a seat. Instead, I found myself falling into the line of other hungry students, all the way to the ground. To add insult to injury, I was late for my group meeting.
Despite my extensive experience with heat injuries, I thought I’d seek out some advice from an expert on the matter.
“Adults always say, ‘I’m going to finish up this project and then I’ll get something,’” said Dr. James Stephens, Chief of Preventative Medicine, Ireland Army Health Clinic. “When you’re talking about heat injuries, that’s a huge no-no. Your body tries to tell you that you’re in trouble, and if your body is starting to strain, it’s time to sit down and rest.”
Trying to drink the average recommended amount of water everyday has always been an issue for me, even in the thick of the summer heat. And with so many various recommendations, how do we really know what to follow? Too little water is bad, too much water is bad, coffee, tea and alcohol can be bad; so, what does one do exactly?
To put it simply, I can’t stand drinking water – shocker, I know. I just need flavor. I don’t think I’m alone here.
I find that diluting tea or lemonade with water helps me live the best of both worlds. Sugary drinks lead to increased urination and little water ends up actually being retained by the body, according to Stephens, and by diluting them, you can input a little extra water to help balance out that process while making the drink something more desirable.
I typically do about a half-and-half mixture to keep the most flavor.
Another good way to hydrate without over-consuming water is to eat fruits and vegetables. Stephens said it is better to mix some fruits and vegetables in with your summer snack bag because not only do they contain a ton of natural water, they can also replenish electrolytes. As a bonus, they also taste good.
Proper hydration is a balance between water and electrolytes, according to Stephens, and people often either don’t know this or think they can cheat the system by chugging sugary sports drinks back-to-back. Don’t worry, I used to be guilty of this, too.
Stephens recommends opting for an electrolyte water. You can get electrolyte-infused water from just about anywhere these days. Just add some flavor and you’re off to the races.
Additionally, remember when hydrating to treat your beverage temperate like Goldilocks – not too hot and not too cold: just right. An ice-cold beverage can be more dangerous than drinking a warm one when it’s hot outside, due to the drastic change in core body temperature.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched somebody drink an ice cold, almost frozen, drink and pass out because [of] the shock of the cold as they were swallowing,” said Stephens. “[It] actually slows the heart rate down.”
Ice baths fall into a similar category. Stephens said a lot of people will jump straight out of the sun and into a tub of ice to combat the heat, but that method is technically meant only for those already suffering from a heat injury. The shock to the system can bring a person suffering heat injury back out of that state, but someone who is not in such a state might do more damage to themselves.
There are other ways to reduce your core body temperature without icing yourself.
Stephens said shade is a good starting point when trying to stop heat injuries, but shade alone is often not enough.
“Think about how heat is dissipated… shade alone doesn’t cool you down quickly enough or well enough,” said Stephens. “So, think of multiple ways to cool yourself down.”
Personally, I carry a small hand fan with me almost everywhere in the summer months. They come in handy quite often in a pinch when there’s no natural breeze, and one can purchase them for next to nothing.
Sometimes though, it is simply better to change the rotation of your schedule if you can. Instead of sleeping in and getting a later start on yardwork, for instance, you might wake up early and take care of it during the cooler morning hours. Maybe instead of an outdoor game of tag, take the kids to a local indoor activity center to keep them from overheating in the sun. Instead of gardening at noon, do it right before dark.
There are always things we can do to try and reduce heat injury risks, but the best thing you can do for yourself is to know your activity and your limit. Listen to your body when it tells you to rest and stay inside when you need to; you’ll thank yourself later.
Visit Fort Knox News at www.army.mil/knox for all of Central Kentucky's latest military news and information.
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Editor’s Note: If you begin feeling symptoms of heat stroke or any heat related injury, immediately tell someone around you, look for a shaded area and hydrate. Once you have fallen victim to one heat injury, you are more susceptible to heat injuries in the future.
For recommended fluid intake and replacement and work-rest guidelines to prevent heat illness, find the chart below.
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