How to Treat Sunstroke
– Remove any comfortable cloth if he is wearing them.
– Get him into the shade immediately.
– Loosen your clothes and remove his clothes. Cover his body with a wet cloth or towel, or ice bag to cool down rapidly.
– Give him a drink every 10 minutes but not coffee because it has caffeine which can increase the rate of heat loss in the human body, which results in fever dropping too quickly, leading to collapse. Give room temperature water or juice for the average person who gets sunstroke.
– For babies, try a few drops of glucose solution before giving them anything else.
– Take the affected person into a cool place and give it enough water because sweat losses can be very high.
– If he has no pulse or breathing, immediately rush to the nearest hospital.
You could follow these simple points mentioned above, and you will get rid of sunstroke in many cases without any further major problems and damages:
Some people die due to sunstroke but not all, so if at least one is alive even after getting sunstroke, then there is no doubt about its treatment which is not complicated.
Heatstroke treatment at home:
What is heatstroke:
Heatstroke hardly has any symptoms. It can frequently progress asymptomatically to a point where it causes damage to the brain and liver. So the body temperature, heart rate, and other signs aren’t always apparent in a patient with heatstroke.
The only way of knowing that you have heatstroke is if you lose consciousness after being exposed to hot temperature or extreme humidity for a prolonged period.
Heatstroke occurs when your body’s temperature control system fails because of strenuous activity in hot environments or because of sunstroke due to extreme exposure to the sun. How much you sweat, how good your blood circulation is, how much fluid there is in your body, your age, and genetic predispositions all play a role in how long you can safely be exposed to harsh conditions before getting heatstroke.
Symptoms of Heat Stroke:
The signs and symptoms are the same as for any other hyperthermia condition. The most noticeable are confusion, dizziness, nausea, loss of coordination, seizures, migraines, disorientation, delirium, or coma. However, these signs don’t necessarily indicate that it’s heatstroke until your body temperature is measured.
Heatstroke progresses from the first stage (heat cramps) to the third stage very quickly. So it might not be recognized at the initial stages even though there might be some early warning signs such as mild headaches or profuse sweating. This makes recognizing these warning signs all the more critical. In addition, heatstroke can be fatal if it’s not treated within the first few hours. That’s what makes knowing how to prevent and treat heatstroke so crucial.
Prevention of Heat Stroke:
Heatstroke is caused by over-exposure to high temperatures and excessively high humidity for a prolonged time. So, preventing it means making sure you’re not exposed to such conditions too long and too often. It also means protecting yourself from those conditions as much as possible when you do go out in hot or highly humid weather.
Some measures would include:
Drinking lots of water (this replenishes the fluid your body loses through sweating), staying indoors as much as possible (if you can’t efficiently cool down in your home, find another place where you can), wearing lightweight clothes (that don’t absorb heat or retain sweat), taking frequent breaks when doing strenuous activity in hot weather, using cooling creams/gels (to help cool down your skin temperature).
Treatment of Heat Stroke:
It is imperative to note that the only proper treatment for heatstroke is medical treatment. You can try to lower your body temperature at home, but it will put too much strain on your heart and make the condition worse.
If you suspect you have heat stroke, get professional help immediately, even if your symptoms are mild, like mild headaches or profuse sweating. All this aside, there are a few things you can do to treat yourself at home while waiting for professional help.
1. Get out of the sun and remove as much clothing as possible (this will depend on how hot it is).
2. Take a cool bath or shower with lukewarm water (not cold – that could make things worse) – this also helps remove some of the sweat and grime from your skin.
3. Drink fluids like fruit juice, coconut water (especially if you don’t have access to medical treatment soon), or even soup broth/bouillon. However, they should be room temperature at most since any hotter might further irritate your stomach.
But DON’T drink alcohol or caffeine as those substances dehydrate you, which worsens heatstroke symptoms. Nor should you drink milk as it constipates you, which also worsens the symptoms.
4. If your body temperature is not coming down or if your symptoms are getting worse at any point, get medical treatment immediately.
5. Using a fan or air conditioner to cool yourself might seem like a good idea. Still, it’s counter-productive in this case because they cause evaporation which adds heat to your already overheated body.
Heatstroke is much more severe than the flu. People die from it all too often because their symptoms aren’t recognized soon enough to provide proper care in time or sometimes because of other complications that occur even when the person gets immediate care. So don’t take this matter lightly, no matter how mild you think your symptoms are and don’t make light of the risks involved.
Heatstroke recovery:
Heatstroke is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. If left untreated, heatstroke can cause severe damage to major organs such as the kidneys and heart and may even result in death.
Because of the possibility of permanent damage to vital organs caused by heatstroke, you must get proper treatment for this disorder as soon as possible. This usually involves removing clothing and taking an ice bath to reduce your body temperature.
You’ll be hooked up to an IV after getting out of the ice bath and given fluids intravenously until your body temperature returns to normal and you no longer show signs of heatstroke.
Suppose you started showing signs of heatstroke before getting help from first responders or getting taken to a hospital for treatment. In that case, you might also be given medications via an IV to help prevent any permanent damage.
Some heat conditions such as heat cramps or heat syncope (fainting) can be treated at home, but a doctor at a hospital must treat other heat-related disorders like heat exhaustion and even life-threatening heatstroke. Even something as mild as “heat cramps” could lead to severe complications if improperly treated, and it should not be taken lightly.
Most people who experience problems from excessive amounts of solar radiation will present similar symptoms, making it more difficult for medical responders to differentiate between various types of heat-related issues, especially in cases where the patient has been exposed to high temperatures for days before seeking treatment.
Treatment for heat exhaustion in adults:
Heat exhaustion is the most serious of all heat-related health problems. It can occur in adults and children, although it is more common in older adults and people who participate in strenuous activities when exposed to very high temperatures for a prolonged period.
If you or someone else displays signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion, seek immediate medical attention by dialing 911 or taking the person to the nearest hospital emergency room.
Treatment for heat exhaustion may involve:
Taking an ice bath (with the assistance of trained personnel) to rapidly cool your body temperature
Administering intravenous fluids to rehydrate you and help reduce the risk of complications associated with this health problem
We were treating any other symptoms or medical conditions that occurred due to excessive exposure to solar radiation.
People who are at increased risk for heat-related disorders include those who:
Do strenuous physical activities during hot weather or while wearing heavy clothing.
Certain medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, obesity, advanced age older than 65), neurological diseases, and heart disease.
Take medications that interfere with the body’s ability to regulate its temperatures, such as many types of antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs.
Heat Exhaustion:
Heat cramps are a mild heat-related disorder, but they can lead to more serious conditions if left untreated. This condition usually starts when you start losing a lot of salt and water through sweat because of strenuous physical activity or exposure to excessive amounts of solar radiation.
When your body loses too much salt and water through sweating, your blood becomes more concentrated, making your blood vessels constrict (tighten). This may cause pain in various body parts, including the arms, legs, back, and abdomen.