As band students and student athletes begin their twoa- day practices, it is important to emphasize safety as temperatures remain in the 90’s.
Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet more than 700 people die from extreme heat every year in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Doing physical activities in hot temperatures can lead to heatrelated illnesses, so it's crucial to prioritize safety and prevention. This includes staying hydrated, wearing appropriate clothing, taking frequent breaks, and being aware of symptoms of heat illness.
Coaches and instructors should also take steps to protect students, such as providing access to shade and cool areas. It is encouraged to limit outdoor activity, especially midday when the sun is the hottest; pace activity while starting activities slowly and pick up the pace gradually. Muscle cramping may be an early sign of heat-related illness.
If someone is playing a sport that requires practice during hot weather, protect one's self and look out for teammates. Schedule workouts and practices earlier or later in the day when the temperature is cooler.
Monitor a teammate's condition and have someone do the same for everyone. Seek medical care right away if a teammate has symptoms of heatrelated illness. Make sure they are drinking plenty of fluids. Stay away from really cold drinks or drinks with too much sugar.
Everyone should take steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and death during hot weather. Check the local news for health and safety updates.
Signs of heat stroke include high body temperature of 103 degrees or higher; hot, red, dry or damp skin; fast, strong pulse, headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion and loss of consciousness.
To remedy those symptoms, individuals can call 911 right away as a heat stroke is a medical emergency, move the person to a cooler place, help lower the person's temperature with cool clothes or a cool bath and do not give a person anything to drink.
In regard to heat exhaustion, symptoms include: heavy sweating, cold, pale and clammy hands, fast or weak pulse, nausea or vomiting, muscle cramps, tiredness or weakness, dizziness, headache and fainting.
Individuals can combat heat exhaustion by moving to a cool place, loosening clothes, putting cool, wet clothes on the body or taking a cool bath and sip water. People are encouraged to seek medical attention if throwing up, symptoms get worse or they last longer than one hour.
Heat cramps may happen if an individual is sweating heavily during intense exercise and muscle pain or spasms may be apparent.
To remedy those symptoms, stop physical activity and move to a cool place, drink water or a sports drink, wait for cramps to go away before doing any more physical activity. Medical attention may be needed if the crams last longer than an hour, on a low-sodium diet or have heart problems.
Being in the sun with intense heat may result in sunburn which can be identified if an area of the body is painful, red, has warm skin or there are blisters on the skin.
In turn, stay out of the sun until the sunburn heals, put cool clothes on sunburned areas or take a cool bath, put moisturizing lotion on sunburned areas and do not break blisters.
Heat rash can be identified by red clusters of small blisters that look like pimples on the skin. Heat rash usually occurs on areas of the body such as neck, chest, groin or in elbow creases.
Individuals are encouraged to stay in a cool, dry place, keep the rash dry and use powder such as baby powder to soothe the rash.