Heat stroke, heat stress and sun stroke, warnings, signs and tips.

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It's summer time, and with this season comes unbearably high temperatures for most of it. If you've never had sun stroke, heat stroke, or heat stress, you really don't want to suffer from any of these. The key things to remember on an extremely hot day is to stay hydrated and keep out of the heat between 11am and 4pm when the sun is hottest. I suffered heat stroke 3 times in the summer of 2005. I have now figured out why this happened when I was working in an air conditioned building for most of the day. Cooling centers are vital during these hot summer days, or air conditioning at home. But, repetitively going in to cool and coming out to hot will take a toll on your body. That's what happened to me. For an 8 hour shift, I was rotated inside and outside all day. Each rotation was about an hour and a half, and for 3 hours at a time, I'd be outside in the heat or even the sun. Rotating inside was nice, but it became a shock on my body and I suffered as a result. The people I worked for clearly didn't understand what was happening, considering the fact that they allowed it to happen 3 times. Now I don't tolerate the heat as well as I used to prior to that summer. While heat stress isn't as harsh as heat stroke, it's still something to worry about, and can have the potential to turn deadly, as can heat stroke and sun stroke. The reason why you are urged to seek cool temperatures when you're showing signs of heat illness is because the high temperature outside is heating up the inside of your body. The average human body temperature is 98.6F, and anything over 99 is considered to be a fever. Anything over 105 can prove to be fatal if not decreased as soon as possible. Your organs start to heat up to the point that they can shut down. Brain cells can be fried due to the heat, and your blood could get to the point that it literally can boil. Once you've hit this point, it's hard not to suffer permanent damage as a result. Here are some tips to keep you cool this summer and try to prevent heat related illnesses, and signs that you have one. First, some of the signs: -Dizziness -Excessive thirst -Shivering even though you are sweating and hot -Vertigo- the feeling of passing out -Sleepiness If you feel any of this, you need to get somewhere cool, drink plenty of water, always water, not juice or alcohol as these will only dehydrate you further. Do not constantly go inside and then outside, this will only make things worse. If you see someone with these symptoms, do the same thing for them. Keep them cool and hydrated. If their condition is worse, or yours for that matter, obtain emergency aid as things will get worse before they'll get better. Keeping yourself cool is very important. If you cannot get inside where it's cool, then find a towel and soak it in cold water. Place it on your head or neck and replace when it gets warm to the touch. Do not take a cold shower, this can further cause shock to your body. Instead, take a warm shower, and when you get out, things will feel cooler to you. Heat illnesses are no laughing matter, they can kill you quickly if you ignore them. Stay safe this summer and enjoy it.