Event Safety Insights Issue One | Fall 2016 | Page 22
Heat Cramps
If you have ignored the perspiration step above
and remain exposed to the heat and/or are still
engaged in outdoor activities, your body will next
try to send a wake up call to get you to stop. That
signal comes in the form of cramps that can be
debilitating. Painful muscle spasms and cramps
are the first indicator that your internal body temperature is becoming dangerously high. This is a
warning to get you to take notice, stop the activity, and find shade.
Once cramps have occurred, it is also important to
take slow sips of water in an attempt to replenish
fluids lost through perspiration. However, if nausea is also present, don’t drink water. The outcome
will be messy, and those around you will also not
react well. This is a tough dilemma. On one hand,
your body needs the water. On the other hand,
your body wants to make you as miserable as
possible to get you to try something else!
Heat Exhaustion
If you ignore the heat cramp stage without removing yourself from the heat, then heat exhaustion will likely follow. Victims of heat exhaustion
may still be perspiring profusely, become physically weak, have clammy or pale skin, exhibit dizziness, feel faint or be overcome with nausea and
vomiting. At this point, many victims finally realize
22
that something is wrong. However, in most cases
they blame their illness on something other than
heat.
Heat exhaustion symptoms are associated with so
many other flu-like illnesses that we tend to not attribute these factors to heat exhaustion. There is also
a mental health issue that kicks in at this point.