What to do in case of overheating and heat stroke: expert advice

The long-awaited summer has arrived, and everyone wants to get away from civilisation, to nature or the beach. But remember that there is a risk of getting heat or sunstroke in the open sun. UaPortal will tell you how to distinguish between them and what to do when they occur.

Sunstroke is a condition that occurs when the head is overheated by direct sunlight. It causes the blood vessels in the brain to dilate and leads to blood flow to the head. Most often, sunstroke occurs in calm weather with high humidity.

The first signs of sunstroke include redness of the face and a severe headache. This may be followed by nausea, dizziness, tinnitus, darkening of the eyes, vomiting, shortness of breath, and even loss of consciousness.

Heat stroke occurs as a result of general overheating of the body due to too high an ambient temperature. The main cause of heat stroke is a disturbance in thermoregulation, which can occur during physical overload, dehydration or malfunctioning of the sweat glands.

The first signs of heatstroke include lethargy, headache, dizziness, flushing, fever, drowsiness, vomiting and delirium.

If you do not take timely measures to relieve overheating, you may develop a real heat stroke. It is accompanied by pallor, blue skin, cold and sweaty skin, a thready pulse and loss of consciousness.

First aid for sunstroke or heatstroke

If the first signs of a stroke appear, the victim should be moved to the shade or to a cool room.

Place the victim on his/her back and raise the head above the level of the body.

Unbutton or remove clothing that may interfere with normal breathing.

Cool the body by applying cold compresses to the head, forehead, neck and chest. You can also wrap your body in a wet sheet.

Read also: What to do and where not to hide from a thunderstorm with lightning and thunder

It is important to remember that cooling should be gradual, not sudden.

Wipe the victim's body with cool water.

Provide drink, preferably non-carbonated cool mineral water or lightly salted plain water.

If the victim is dizzy or unconscious, you can give them a cotton ball soaked in ammonia.

If the victim's condition continues to deteriorate, an ambulance should be called immediately.

As a reminder, we have already written about the causes and symptoms of sun allergy.

If you want to get the latest news about the war and events in Ukraine, subscribe to our Telegram channel!