The body temperature of humans doesn’t rise or fall by degrees in normal circumstances. In fact, the body temperature of most people remains fairly constant throughout the day, unless they are doing something really extreme like sweating from exertion or have a fever.
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The body temperature of people suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke will start to rise before the body goes into shock from sweating out too much water and salt from the body. However, this is only in the short run. Once the person has recovered from the heat exhaustion, he or she may still continue to experience the symptoms of the heat exhaustion throughout the day. For example, the person might begin to shiver or stop sweating, and this can also be a cause for concern as the body’s temperature begins to rise.
Over time, when the symptoms of heat exhaustion are not treated, the person could develop some serious medical conditions that can greatly harm his or her health. Heat exhaustion and especially heat stroke are serious conditions that deserve immediate medical attention. Initially the brain sends signals to the muscles to slow down and this is usually experienced as the onset of fatigue symptoms. If cooling down doesn’t occur at this point, the body’s temperature can continue to rise and turn from exhaustion to heat stroke.
Warning signs of heat stroke
When the body overheats and cannot bring its temperature back down, heat stroke can follow. Dehydration is one of the common triggers, and spending long periods outside in high temperatures raises the risk considerably.
The early signs are easy to mistake for something else. Watch for dizziness, confusion, light-headedness, a dry mouth, a headache, nausea and a rapid, pounding heartbeat. A particularly important sign is when a person stops sweating, because it suggests the body is no longer able to cool itself.
Anyone showing these symptoms should get out of the sun straight away and seek medical help quickly. Left untreated, heat stroke can lead to seizures, loss of consciousness and problems with the heart, and in the worst cases it can be fatal. Knowing the symptoms and acting at the first sign is the best protection, especially during a spell of hot weather.