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Sunny and rainless aura is a guarantee of successful trips into the open air. However, high temperatures are a challenge for our body that it cannot always cope with. Fainting from heat, heat and heat stroke, and dehydration are common in summer and can happen to any of us. How to deal with them, explains Mateusz Wawryszuk *, paramedic, owner of the Aesculapa company, which offers first aid training.
- In the event of fainting, do not raise the victim’s legs. This is a myth that could cost someone a life
- When dehydration occurs, it is very important to balance the body’s water volume. However, water itself is harmful in large amounts and can lead to water poisoning
- Water should be supplemented with electrolytes – in the form of a ready-made powder or even ordinary table salt
- Heat stroke is different from heat stroke. It can happen even in winter
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Fainting due to heat – first aid
Fainting is a short-term, temporary loss of consciousness. It is most often caused by sudden standing upright or staying in one position for a long time, e.g. standing, which leads to a drop in blood pressure. Fainting occurs also due to exhaustion, dehydration and overheating when it is warm and stuffycolloquially speaking – when “there is nothing to breathe”, on top of that, we can’t change positions (e.g. sit down) and rest. Such situations occur most often in public transport, churches, as well as during mass events, where we are in a crowd and the amount of oxygen is limited.
When another person faints, our reaction is usually immediate and intuitive. We run up to her, try to awaken her. If she is conscious, we help to move into a shaded, cooler place and recover. This is the right thing to do. However, there is one rule to remember.
If we see someone passing out, we always check their condition first. If the person is unconscious but breathing, we place them in a safe position to keep their airways open and call an ambulance. When she is conscious, she talks to us, but she is lethargic and tired, we can help her lie down and we provide her with peace and conditions for rest.
A paramedic also destroys one of the still lingering myths about helping people who have fainted.
– It was once taught to lift your legs up in the event of a fainting so that more blood could flow to the head. Today we know that it is inadvisablebecause the rapid rush of blood to the brain can cause pressure to rise, resulting in vessel rupture and a hemorrhagic stroke, he explains.
The expert also sensitizes to another issue. – Fainting is not always caused by exhaustion, even when everything indicates it. It can also be the aftermath of heart problems. So let us be vigilant and watch if the condition of the injured person does not deteriorate. In case of doubt, we can always call the emergency number, describe the situation and ask the dispatcher what we should do – advises the paramedic.
It is also worth taking care of the hydration of the injured person. This is important because in this way we will increase blood pressure. However, it should be done carefully, the liquid should be administered in small portions (sips) and only if the person is conscious (there is no disturbance of consciousness). Otherwise, it may choke the water.
- It is always worth having a full Water Jug 1890ml OstroVit water bottle on hand, which is handy and comfortable to use, and has a large capacity.
It’s a bit more complicated to help ourselves when we feel our body is weakening. The body sends these signals earlier, but we are not always conscious and strong enough to react in time. What can we do?
– If we notice that our well-being is deteriorating because of the heat, we are weakening, we should perform simple exercises that will increase our blood pressure. The best, also recommended by the European Resuscitation Council (ERC), are the lower body maneuvers: squat, squat with crossed legs, and walk. It is generally about tensing and relaxing your muscles to help your blood pumping. This will allow us to maintain balance and restore some strength – adds the expert.
The rest of the text below the video.
Dehydration – Water is not everything
When the temperature exceeds 30 degrees C, the body becomes dehydrated very easily. This state is dangerous because it is spread over time – the loss of energy is gradual and we often “miss” the critical moment. How to recognize that our body is dehydrated?
The most common symptoms of body dehydration are:
- fatigue,
- weakness,
- headache or dizziness
- difficulty concentrating
- dry mouth.
It happens that you feel an increased thirst, but this is not always the case. When the condition is very serious, breathing and heart rate may increase, and blood pressure may drop. The skin becomes dry and wrinkled, and the color of the urine changes (darker).
The consequences of dehydration are very serious. If it is combined with overheating, it can result in heat stroke. This is very dangerous for children, the elderly and the chronically ill, but also healthy adults should be careful.
When it comes to “ways to dehydrate”, prophylaxis is always the best, that is, preventing too much fluid loss. However, when dehydration has already occurred, we need to hydrate the body. Contrary to appearances, plain water is not enough.
– Providing the body with water is very important because we need to equalize its volume. But water itself is harmful in large amounts. There may be hypotonic overhydration, i.e. water poisoning. This is nothing more than a dilution of electrolytes, primarily sodium, potassium and magnesium, which are necessary to conduct electrical impulses, explains the expert.
So it is a much better idea to add powdered electrolytes to the water. Such preparations are available over the counter at a pharmacy. Many of us even have it at home because it is a popular remedy for diarrhea and dehydration. You should always have them in your home medicine cabinet. When we do not have pharmacy electrolytes at hand, help with dehydration can be found in the kitchen.
– Even ordinary table salt will work, just a pinch per glass of water is enough. Since it is not very tasty, we can add mint, lemon, honey to taste and we have a great lemonade with electrolyte fluid – advises Mateusz Wawryszuk.
An alternative to “salted lemonade”? – Milk, preferably skim or coconut, but it can also be plain. However, we do not reach for sweet drinks – they are less effective than water alone and increase the risk of kidney damage – the expert advises.
Sunstroke is a medical emergency
Terminology first. When it comes to heat-related stroke, we can deal with sunstroke or heat stroke. The first is the result of a strong exposure to the sun’s rays of our head without any covering (hat, scarf, etc.). It may then overheat and, consequently, cause brain swelling. It happens, although very rarely, that it is fatal. Sunstroke can go hand in hand with heatstroke, and dehydration and sunburn are often ‘bundled’ too.
Heat stroke, in turn, overheats the entire body. It happens when the core temperature of our body exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. As Mateusz Wawryszuk explains, it is mistakenly identified with sunstroke (these terms are sometimes used interchangeably), and they are two different states of the organism.
– Heat stroke is very often caused by heat, but this is not always the case. It can happen even in winter, for example during excessive physical exertion, mainly in young and athletic people, for example those taking part in a marathon – the expert points out.
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What are the symptoms of heat stroke? Primarily:
- dizziness,
- increasing weakness,
- breathing disorders,
- the occurrence of the so-called spots in front of the eyes,
- speech problems (slurred speech),
- nausea and even vomiting.
Heat stroke can lead to fainting, but also loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest, therefore it is considered a life-threatening condition.
– In such a situation it is necessary to start providing first aid – says Mateusz Wawryszuk. – The casualty should be chilled as soon as possible. According to ERC guidelines we should put a person suffering from heat stroke into a bathtub with cold water, for example (temperature from 1 to 26 degrees C). The victim must be submerged from head to toe. If this is not possible, we can use other forms of active cooling: help this person get into the shower, and when we do not have access, for example, put a packet of ice or frozen bottles around the groin and armpits, cover the person with a towel or sheet lined with ice, sprinkle body with a sprayer – advises the first aid instructor.
Importantly, we constantly monitor the condition of the victim. If he is unconscious but is breathing, we put him in a safe position. If she stops breathing, we start CPR. The right action could save his life.
* Mateusz Wawryszuk is a medical and water rescuer. He works in the ambulance service and deals with education in the field of first aid. He is the owner of the Aesculapa company that organizes first aid training, breaking the stereotype that first aid is boring and difficult.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to self-compassion – a trend that has developed very strongly in the United States, but is still in its infancy in Poland. What is it and how does it affect our daily functioning? You will hear about this and many other issues related to self-compassion in the latest episode of our podcast.