With temperatures expected to reach the 100s several days this week and the hottest month of the year just around the corner, it’s important to remember to keep hydrated and avoid overexerting oneself to avoid heat exhaustion, dehydration and other heat-related issues.
Heat-related death and illness are expected to rise due to climate change and the more frequent and extreme periods of warmer temperatures it brings with it.
Some questions that often arise about heat-related illness such as heat exhaustion are how do you avoid it, know if you’re experiencing it and how to recover from it afterward.
How do you avoid it?
Robin Withrow-Wong is a licensed dietitian nutritionist in Yolo County and believes the best way to address heat exhaustion is by preventing it. The best way to do so is by drinking lots of water, but Withrow-Wong argues that eating fruits and vegetables rich in water would not only keep people hydrated but also provide bodies with nutrients and vitamins vital to bodily functions.
“It’s like putting good fuel into your car,” she explained. “You need to put really good fuel into your body to get the best out of it and to prevent having this heat exhaustion.”
While recommendations vary, women 19 or older should be drinking 11 eight-ounce cups of water a day while men 19 or older should be drinking 15, according to Withrow-Wong. Some fruits that have a good amount of water in them are cucumber, watermelon, apples, kiwi, melon and citruses.
Withrow-Wong recommends avoiding caffeinated drinks — soda, coffee, tea — and alcohol if you are going to be outside in the heat for long periods of time because of how dehydrating they are to your body. If you do drink a caffeinated beverage, she recommends staying below 300 mg of caffeine each day.
There’s roughly 100 mg of caffeine in an eight-ounce cup of coffee, so no more than three cups a day.
“If you’re drinking a cup of coffee and then asking your body to go out work in the field in the heat for eight hours, that’s hard,” she explained.“Your body will respond well for the most part, but it will take its toll, even if you don’t get heat exhaustion. It stresses it.”
She also recommends avoiding processed foods and eating more whole foods.
“Not only is it better for your body, it’s less expensive and gives your body all of the fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants you need,” she emphasized. “All the things your body needs to thrive.”
How do you know you’re experiencing heat exhaustion?
Withrow-Wong argues that preventing heat exhaustion starts with avoiding dehydration. She listed several signs of dehydration that people should be aware of:
- Dry mouth
- Feeling tired or dizzy
- Having less or darker urine
- Headaches
- Dry skin
A dehydration fact sheet created by the Department of Environmental Safety, Sustainability & Risk says dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluid than it takes in. This could then disrupt metabolic processes and normal body functions.
The department recommends consuming at least one liter per hour of activity or work and taking frequent water breaks to prevent dehydration.
Dehydration is caused by a lack of sufficient water during strenuous outdoor activities, so anyone working outside — field workers, landscapers, farmers, etc. — should make sure to know all these signs to avoid dehydration.
While drinks like Gatorade that offer electrolytes — essential minerals such as sodium and potassium — are often recommended for replenishing your body after exercise or long days in the heat, Withrow-Wong doesn’t believe they’re the best option for getting electrolytes in your body.
Drinks like these should be drunk in combination with water, but most people aren’t aware of this and, therefore, don’t do that.
However, Withrow-Wong said that foods with some salt would also help replenish all the vitamins and minerals lost through sweating if not drinking electrolyte refreshments.
How do you recover?
A study in restoring fluid balance after exercise-induced dehydration recommends drinking fluids or eating foods with sodium and potassium after experiencing dehydration.
Sodium and potassium help your body regulate fluid levels, so drinks with electrolytes will help you stay hydrated longer than plain water. Withrow-Wong also recommends coconut water or citrus fruits such as lemons and limes because they have a lot of electrolytes.
Withrow-Wong recommends a couple of electrolyte replenishing drink recipes that don’t add unnecessary sugars that most electrolyte drinks have.
Electrolyte Water (Two eight-ounce servings)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- 1 1/2 cups coconut water
- 2 cups cold water
There are only three steps to making this drink; combine salt, lemon and lime juice, agave nectar or honey in a large measuring cup or bowl; stir in coconut water and cold tap water; pour over two glasses filled with ice.
Hydrating Cucumber Lemon Mint Water (10 eight-ounce servings)
- 10 cups water
- 2 lemons, sliced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 10 mint leaves
- 1-2 cups ice cubes
This recipe just requires you to throw all the ingredients in a pitcher together and serve.
Woodland Communications Manager Spencer Bowen said the city is currently not offering a cooling center but explained the conditions that would lead them to provide one.
“We mirror the county’s guidance on cooling centers – if there are three consecutive days above a high of 105 F and a low of 75 F, we offer cooling center availability,” Bowen stated in an email. “We collaborate across departments, including police, fire, community services, and more, to monitor forecasts and prepare staff and community volunteers to offer a cooling center.”
Although weather predictions for the next week do see several days of 100-degree weather or more, it seems unlikely that cooling centers will be provided given county guidance.
That means it is important for Woodland residents and workers out in the heat to make sure they stay hydrated and cool as best as possible to limit any harm to their bodies.
