Heart experts have tips on staying safe in the summer heat

As People brace themselves for an additional summer time of brutal warmth and humidity, the American Coronary heart Affiliation (AHA) warns that coronary heart sufferers must take additional precautions to guard themselves.

In accordance with the U.S. Facilities from Illness Management and Prevention, greater than 1,200 folks die on this nation annually as a direct trigger of utmost warmth.

“Warmth-related deaths and diseases are principally preventable if correct security measures are taken,” AHA President Dr. Joseph Wu stated in an AHA information launch. “Precautions are particularly essential for infants and older adults and folks with hypertension, weight problems or a historical past of coronary heart illness or stroke. Whereas some individuals are extra weak to issues from warmth, excessive temperatures may cause well being points for anybody.”

And coronary heart sufferers could also be extra weak than most: A examine revealed lately within the AHA journal Circulation predicts that heart problems deaths associated to excessive warmth might greater than double over the subsequent 20 years.

So, what ought to people do as temperatures soar?

Wu advised that everybody follows these scorching climate precautions:

Watch the clock: Keep away from the outside within the early afternoon, as a result of the solar is often at its strongest, placing you at larger threat for heat-related diseases
Costume for warmth: Put on light-weight, light-colored clothes in breathable materials, equivalent to cotton or a more recent cloth that repels sweat. Add a hat and sun shades. Earlier than you get began, apply a waterproof sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 15, and reapply it each two hours
Drink up: Keep hydrated by ingesting a number of cups of water earlier than, throughout and after going outdoors or exercising. Keep away from caffeinated or alcoholic drinks
Take common breaks: Discover some shade or a cool place, cease for a couple of minutes, hydrate and begin once more

If these precautions do not work, it is essential to know when you could be experiencing an excessive amount of warmth.

Signs of warmth exhaustion:

Complications
Cool, pale and moist pores and skin
Quick, weak pulse
Dizziness and light-headedness
Weak spot or muscle cramps
Nausea and vomiting
Passing out

When you expertise these signs, transfer to a cooler place, cease exercising, douse your self with chilly water and re-hydrate. Chances are you’ll want to hunt medical consideration.

Warmth stroke is a medical emergency: Name 9-1-1 and get medical consideration immediately if in case you have these signs:

Excessive physique temperature (103 levels Fahrenheit or larger)
Sizzling, pink, dry or damp pores and skin
Quick, robust pulse
Headache, dizziness and confusion
Nausea
Passing out

Whereas being heart-smart within the warmth, it is nonetheless essential to search out methods to remain energetic in the course of the summer time.

Adjusting your train time to early morning or later within the night can assist. And if being outdoors is simply an excessive amount of on some days, head to a shopping center, health club or neighborhood recreation middle for a exercise.

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