Houseboat Magazine

July 2009

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health 22 Houseboatmagazine.com To protect your health when tempera- tures are extremely high, remember to keep cool and use common sense. You need to increase your fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink. During heavy exercise in a hot environment, drink two to four glasses (16-32 ounces) of cool fluids each hour. Use caution when drinking liquids that contain alcohol, or large amounts of sugar, since these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps. You body has natural mechanisms to cool itself from extreme heat. Heavy sweating is one way that your body deals with heat. But sweating removes salt and minerals from the body and must be replaced. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. If you are not accustomed to work- ing or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradu- ally. If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity. Get into a cool area or at least into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area. Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, fans will not prevent heat- related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off. Use your stove and oven sparingly to maintain a cooler temperature onboard your houseboat. Although anyone at anytime can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others. Infants and children up to four years of age are sensitive to the effects of high temperatures and rely on others to regulate their environments and pro- vide adequate liquids. People 65 years of age or older may not compensate for heat stress efficiently and are less likely to sense and respond to change in temperature. People who are overweight may be prone to heat sickness because of their tendency to retain more body heat. Be aware that any sudden change in temperature, such as an early summer heat wave, will be stressful to your body. You will have a greater tolerance for heat if you limit your physical activity until you become accustomed to the heat. If you travel to a hotter climate, allow several days to become acclimated before attempting any vigorous exer- cise, and work up to it gradually. Even short periods of high tempera- tures can cause serious health prob- Preventing Heat-Related Illnesses Tips to keep you cool this summer By Karlee Dahl Boating season in now in full swing and hopefully our winter paleness is behind us as we work towards the ultimate summer glow. The sun is out and it feels good to lie out on the top deck, but the heat can be a killer too. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet annually many people succumb to extreme heat. From 1979-2003, excessive heat exposure caused 8,015 deaths in the United States. During this period, more people in this country died from extreme heat than from hurri- canes, lightning, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes combined.

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