HEAT SAFETY

In our continued dedication to player and spectator safety we thought it was important provide information on heat safety. Dehydration and heat stroke the two most common heat-related diseases that can be life-threatening if left untreated. The key to minimize the risk of these illnesses is proper hydration. Proper hydration should always start at home hours before exposure to heat and intense activity and should continue several hours after the activity ends.  Please read through the following information which was published by Johns Hopkins Medicine

What is dehydration?
Dehydration can be a serious heat-related disease, as well as being a dangerous side effect of diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Children and persons over the age of 60 are particularly susceptible to dehydration.



What causes dehydration?
Under normal conditions, we all lose body water daily through sweat, tears, breathing, urine, and stool. In a healthy person, this water is replaced by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water. When a person becomes so sick with fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, or if an individual is overexposed to the sun and not drinking enough water, dehydration occurs. This is caused when the body loses water content and essential body salts, such as sodium, potassium, calcium bicarbonate, and phosphate.

What is heat stroke?
Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness and is a life-threatening emergency. It is the result of long, extreme exposure to the sun, in which a person does not sweat enough to lower body temperature. The elderly, infants, persons who work outdoors, people with mental illness, obesity, poor circulation, and those on certain types of medications or drinking alcohol are most susceptible to heat stroke. It is a condition that develops rapidly and requires immediate medical treatment.


What causes heat stroke?
Our bodies produce a tremendous amount of internal heat and we normally cool ourselves by sweating and radiating heat through the skin. However, in certain circumstances, such as extreme heat, high humidity, or vigorous activity in the hot sun, this cooling system may begin to fail, allowing heat to build up to dangerous levels.
If a person becomes dehydrated and cannot sweat enough to cool their body, their internal temperature may rise to dangerously high levels, causing heat stroke.