How to Minimize the Risk of a Heat-Related Illness

Do you work outdoors under the unrelenting heat of the sun? Outdoor workers face a unique challenge and that’s the risk of developing a heat-related illness.

Laboring and sweating in high temperatures is not only uncomfortable, but it can also be hazardous to your health. If you aren’t considering this, then you can easily get a heat-related illness by overexerting yourself in extreme conditions. 

Because of this, you need to know what you can do to minimize the risk of developing one. This starts with understanding the symptoms of heat-related illness, which include weakness, severe thirst, fatigue, cramps, sweating, and dizziness.

Beyond that, we’ll explain some other vital tips for preventing a heat-related illness below. 

Constant Hydration

One of the most important things you can do is to maintain constant hydration.

Because your body is made up mostly of water, you need a lot of it during the day to stay healthy. When you’re in hot weather, you expend more water to stay cool.

This means that the heat requires you to drink more water than normal. The daily guideline for water intake is at least 64 fluid ounces, but this is nowhere near enough when the heat gets up there.

To put things into perspective, you’ll want to drink 64 ounces of water for every two hours that you spend in the sun. This is just under the size of a full two-liter bottle, which means that you need to drink a lot of water.

Not only do you need more water, but you need to make your intake constant. You can’t take a break to drink every hour and chug 32 ounces each time. 

Instead, you should be drinking around a cup every 15 minutes or so. Keep your water in close reach and take frequent sips while you work.

Frequent Rest

Another tip for avoiding a heat-related illness is frequent rest.

As we mentioned above, your body expends more water to keep you cool in hot weather. This is because heat strains your body more than in moderate temperatures.

When you’re working in high heat, a heavy burden is being placed on your body. Each minute that you spend working in the sun is far more impactful than a minute on a cooler day.

With this in mind, it’s quite easy to overexert yourself in the heat. You can’t work for hours on end because you’ll exhaust yourself. 

To prevent this, you need to be taking breaks often throughout the day. Consider taking a break every hour or so, spending your time in the shade to cool down. 

Heat Acclimation

You should also go through the process of heat acclimation.

Heat acclimation is the process of slowly exposing yourself to hotter temperatures. This makes your body more resistant to the heat and more effective at staying cool. 

If you live in a location with average temperatures, then you’re acclimated to normal temperature. When you visit a hotter location, it will feel insanely hot and you’ll sweat easily.

On the other hand, the people that live at the hot destination you’re visiting aren’t going to feel this way. This is because they’re acclimated to the heat, with their body adapting to it and functioning to repel it. 

When you need to work outdoors, heat acclimation is essential for preventing heat-related illnesses. It can be hard to know your limits and stay on top of hydration, so it’s smart to have an added layer of protection by being acclimated to the heat.

To do this, you need to slowly spend more time in the sun. Over a week or two, spend more time in the sun each day. 

The first day will include the least exposure and the final day will have the most. By the end of the two weeks, your body will fare much better in the heat.

Wear Loose Clothing

The last suggestion is to wear loose clothing.

If you don’t need to wear a specific uniform, then you should opt for clothing that helps keep the heat away. What you wear can make a big difference in how cool your body is and how comfortable you are.

For hot weather, your best option is loose clothing. This gives you room to breathe and ensures that your clothes don’t stick to your sweaty body.

If you don’t need protection, then consider wearing short sleeves and shorts. Also, wear a hat to keep the sun out of your face. 

At home, you can easily change your outfit. While at a job site, it’s too late and you don’t want to suffer through the day. With loose clothing, you’ll be more comfortable and also reduce your chance of developing a heat-related illness.

Closing Thoughts

If you need to spend time working in the sun, then taking measures to protect yourself against heat-related illnesses is a must. These are ailments caused by spending too much time or overexerting yourself in hot temperatures. 

A few tips for preventing heat-related illnesses include constant hydration, frequent rest, heat acclimation, and wearing loose clothing. All of these will make a big difference in how you feel and how effectively you can work in the sun.

Heat-related illnesses are painful and unnecessary. Don’t learn this the hard way! Take the time to protect yourself against the sun and you’ll never need to deal with a heat-related illness.