METRO DETROIT (WXYZ) — Not only can the heat be annoying, it can also be dangerous, especially with the added humidity.
When it's as hot as it's going to be today, staying hydrated will be key. The ER Doctor I talked with said if you're thirsty, you're already behind on your water intake, especially in this humid heat, where your body is working overtime to try and cool itself off.
Watch the full report from Brittany Toolis in the video player below
"The heat and humidity together puts more stress on your body. Makes you sweat more," said Dr. Stuart Bradin, a Pediatrics ER physician. "You have increased metabolic demands. Your heart rate maybe a little bit fast or your respiratory rate may be a little bit faster so you have an increased insensible losses that it’s hard to keep up with."
Humidity also makes it harder for your sweat to dry, so it's harder to cool off naturally. If you are outside in the heat, Dr. Bradin says to listen to your body and watch for these signs in yourself and others:
- Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
- Nausea
- Feeling weak or lethargic
If there's heavy sweating, get the overheated person to a cool area, give them water to sip, loosen clothes, and make sure symptoms improve. If they've stopped sweating, their skin is hot to the touch or they've passed out, call 911; that's someone experiencing heat stroke. It can happen to anyone, but the elderly and kids are groups to keep an eye on.
And parents: if kids are out playing, make sure they take frequent water breaks. And per doctor's orders, get kids water in any way you can.
"Make It fun. Mandarin oranges, popsicles, watermelon, slushies, slurpies. Something that has a little bit of sugar in there but has a lot of water content in it. Frozen fruit. You can put pieces of frozen fruit in your water," Dr. Bradin.
Other ways to stay cool: wear light clothing, and limit anything like working out or taking your dogs on walks to mornings and evenings when it's cooler, and don't forget, the heat is just as dangerous for your pets as it is for people.
