Whenever the temperature increases,
you know, there's a lot
of what we call insensible fluid loss,
you sweat more than you normally would.
And part of that is, is
just to kind of help your body self
regulate your temperature.
You know, there's a certain point
where, you know, your body is unable
to accommodate the increase in heat.
And so even though you're sweating more,
you're not able to effectively kind
of regulate your own temperature.
Part of the trick is that
you may not really feel that,
you know, really
you don't be on the lookout, though,
for kind of excess thirst
where you feel like you're
you're needing to drink a lot,
that you're feeling
a little bit weak or dizzy.
Especially for people
who are a little bit older,
feeling weaker, dizzy.
You know, if it gets more extreme,
you might see people
acting more confused.
People who are older
are inherently at higher
risk for heat exposure in particular,
that they may be doing the things
that they normally do.
And just by virtue of the fact
that they sweat less
and that they oftentimes
start at the beach,
they might be a little bit more
dehydrated at baseline.
You know, they're just at higher risk
for kind of feeling the
or being affected by high temperatures.
I would say, you know,
even if you hadn't planned
on stopping by to say hi,
you know, you should at least
give them a call, check in on in
and make sure that they're doing OK,
because they are the ones
that historically are kind of
the ones that feel
the brunt of heat exposure
whenever it gets bad like this.
A lot more water than you normally would.
I mean, that's the big one, right?
Like you need to help
your body take care of itself
in the way that itself
regulates temperature primarily
is just through sweating.
I would also kind of caution
against like doing those things
he normally would on the weekends
and just being at least kind of cognizant
of the fact that they may
carry a higher risk.
So maybe choose a hike
that's a little bit sadier,
you know, maybe stay off of areas
that are very sun exposed
on top of carrying more water.
Choose your adventures wisely.
Also, kind of a caveat to that.
Everybody likes a summer beer
or a beer on the water.
Just be mindful
that these are also things
that are going to
contribute to dehydration
and so prolong periods out in the sun,
drinking alcohol.
Those are things that carry excess risk.
If you're feeling really weak,
if you're feeling dizzy,
if you see that somebody is confused.
Those are all signs
that you need to call nine one
one and seek help.
Keys to staying safe
are kind of avoid
activities that you don't need to
to do in the middle of the day
, in the middle of the heat
seeking shade.
You know, the coolest place in your house
is going to be your basement.
If you need to hang out in the afternoon
in the basement, you know, do that.
So especially right now
when everybody's trying to stay cool,
I would imagine
a lot of people are going
to head toward the water.
And to be honest,
you know, as always,
people need to be careful.
And so if you're getting
out into the water,
certainly I would advise
if you're on the boats
wearing a life jacket.
Be very careful combining
alcohol and water.
We see, unfortunately, a number of people
every year here at Harborview
who have had drownings,
who are getting CPR.
And, you know, those are all avoidable
injuries, right?
Those are all people who kind of with
simple kind of safety
mechanisms are people that didn't need
to, you know, didn't need to die
in some of the creeks
or faster running water.
Just be aware that there are going to be
underwater hazards,
that there are kind of risks
of jumping into water.
So please be mindful
of the risks that are involved.
Also, so you can stay out
of my emergency department this weekend.
Well, listen, we're always ready, right?
Like we will take care of
anybody that comes to our door.