Stay cool, it’s a hot planet out there.
In the present days of climate change, summers are hotter than ever before. Some very real dangers of rising temperatures include several deaths each year attributed to heat exhaustion, dehydration, heat stroke, and over exertion. There are also very real victims such as lost live-stock, pets, and whole crops, and related events such as wild-fires, combustible materials, and heart attacks during heat waves.
Older people living alone are most at risk, when they live in places where there is inadequate ventilation, available water, and/or air conditioning, getting over heated can quickly become hazardous. After the elderly, those most susceptible are the disabled, very young, over weight, and also the very young, who may not have control over their temperature regulation.
Every year there are deaths, although, this happens most of all to pets, that occur when people leave kids and pets in parked vehicles, which very quickly become a hot house trap of very high temperatures. People should park in the shade when ever possible. Always provide some ventilation, and have plenty of water, even damp towels, for anyone left trapped in a vehicle, or even a home.
Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are not the same condition, but they can both happen to an individual, or an animal. Even plants are severely affected by heat waves. They too, need the right amount of moisture to produce food, and ward off flash fires.
When doing any exertion outdoors, keep hydrated, and pay attention to your core temperature. If you have young kids, elderly, or pets to be responsible toward, the same rules apply. You body sends clear signals, but we often ignore nature’s cues, as our modern societal way has come to expect constant progress, technology, and “routine” to over ride what normally we would clearly recognize as danger zones of accelerating heat.
In heat stroke and in heat exhaustion it is possible to become dazed, confused and even have hallucinations. Heat stroke usually displays itself with headache, possibly nausea, dizziness, and a drive toward relief from movement. It often happens when people exert themselves too much with exercise, or fatigue.
Heat exhaustion on the other hand, with or without head and muscle aches and pains, can occur just from becoming over heated.
Any temperatures above 101 degrees Fahrenheit should be considered dangerous. When it is this hot outdoors, remember it easily gets even hotter indoors, on paved surfaces, and especially in cars. The human body needs relief from such heat as soon as possible. Hydration and any kind of breeze are natural answers.
Animals, especially those that cannot sweat, will need special consideration; they too need plenty of water and ventilation as much as can be provided. And don’t forget to water your plants, and set them, yourself, and everyone else, in the shade when possible.
