The symptoms of heatstroke are not just headache, fever, and vomiting! Doctors teach you what to drink to prevent heatstroke!

Heatstroke is one of the most common health hazards that occur every summer, and it is possible for any age group to experience it. The symptoms of heatstroke may vary depending on the degree of heat injury


Heatstroke is one of the most common health hazards that occur every summer, and it is possible for any age group to experience it. The symptoms of heatstroke may vary depending on the degree of heat injury. Mild heatstroke may cause symptoms such as headache, vomiting, and fever. However, in severe cases, people with heatstroke may not be able to sweat, lose consciousness, and have disordered behavior. If not treated in a timely manner, the mortality rate is more likely to exceed 30%!

Therefore, we need to understand more: what should we do if we really suffer from heatstroke? When heatstroke occurs, besides resting in a cool place to cool down, can drinking a lot of water and scraping really alleviate symptoms? In addition, the places prone to heatstroke are not only outdoors in the bright sun, but also seemingly cool indoors and even at night. It is important to remember the methods of hydration to prevent heatstroke!

Symptoms and causes of heatstroke: Headache and vomiting are common! Have you quickly tested yourself for heatstroke with a chart?

When the weather is humid and hot, and mild discomfort symptoms such as headache, vomiting, and diarrhea occur, many people will wonder: Have they suffered from heatstroke? How did these thermal injuries occur? In fact, when there are abnormal conditions such as headache, vomiting, faster heartbeat, and excessive sweating, it is very likely that one has entered the stage of heat exhaustion, the precursor of heatstroke. If one does not cool down quickly at this time, it will worsen into true heatstroke and require medical attention. Therefore, one should not be careless!

When the external temperature is high, heat is generated during exercise, or the body temperature rises due to metabolic changes, the mechanism of maintaining a constant body temperature will help the body cool down by increasing blood circulation and sweating. If the cooling mechanism fails, it will cause heat injury commonly known as "heatstroke", and the uncontrolled rise of body temperature can cause damage to various functions of the human body, and in severe cases, it may even cause sequelae such as shock and death!

From this, it can be seen that in order to prevent heatstroke injuries, "temperature" and "sweating" are the most important factors. In addition to excessively hot environments, if the external humidity is too high, it will also make it easier for the human body to sweat, and the mechanism of reducing body temperature through sweat will also malfunction.

Thermal injury can be divided into four main types based on the cause, severity, and symptoms:

When exercising or performing physical work in a high temperature and humidity environment, the body sweats heavily and loses water and electrolytes, or does not replenish enough electrolytes while replenishing water, resulting in an imbalance of electrolytes in the body. This can cause involuntary muscle contractions and symptoms of cramps and spasms. It usually occurs in areas such as the thighs, calves, arms, and abdominal muscles.

In order to allow the body to expel heat smoothly, blood vessels will relax, expand, and distribute blood to the limbs. When the space in the blood vessels increases, blood is easily trapped in the lower body. If you stand for a long time in a hot environment or sit for a long time to get up, there is insufficient blood flow to the brain, which can lead to temporary fainting.

When the human body loses a lot of water in order to effectively dissipate heat and sweat, and does not timely replenish water and electrolytes, it will lead to insufficient blood flow and lower blood pressure, which will lead to dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, heartbeat, Tachypnea, wheezing easily, general weakness, pale face and other symptoms. If not cooled down in a timely manner, it will worsen into a true "heatstroke"!

Traditional heatstroke: high heat environment+poor sweating ability

Likely to occur in elderly people with poor heat removal ability, infants, chronic disease patients, alcoholics, and populations with poor cardiopulmonary function due to physical function

Labor induced heatstroke: high heat environment+intense activity

It is more common for young people, athletes who exercise vigorously in humid and hot environments, or for soldiers, farmers, and manual workers who need to work in hot environments for a long time.

A table to check if you have heatstroke

What are the symptoms of heatstroke? You can first examine yourself or someone who is uncomfortable to see if there are 7 heatstroke symptoms listed in the table below in their current physical condition; If most of them match, there is a possibility of heatstroke! At this point, don't force yourself to move around anymore. You should quickly rest in a cool and ventilated place, replenish water and electrolytes. If necessary, seek help from nearby people or shops, or even call 119 for first aid to avoid more serious heat injuries.

Severe complications of heatstroke: Be careful of liver and kidney failure, Striated muscle tissue, and even death from shock!

What are the complications of heatstroke if it really occurs? When a person's Thermoregulation function is completely disabled, it will affect various organs and tissues of the body in succession, including liver and kidney failure, brain mental function damage, Pulmonary edema, diffuse intravascular coagulation, myocardial injury, Striated muscle tissue, and even shock and death. The probability of death for patients with heatstroke can reach 30-80%!

What to do with heatstroke? How to give first aid to people with heatstroke? Can scraping relieve heatstroke? Doctor and Expert Instructions

What can I do to relieve the heat stroke crisis when I feel like I have started experiencing symptoms such as headaches, vomiting, weakness, or signs of heat stroke in someone around me? Since heat stroke is caused by the environment and body function, which prevents heat from being expelled through sweat, the most important way to improve heat stroke is to "cool down"! Therefore, when encountering heatstroke in oneself or others, methods that can assist in handling include:

  • Shading: Move heatstroke patients to a cool and ventilated environment, such as under trees or arcades with shelter, while paying attention to the surrounding environment and the crowd to avoid affecting the ventilation effect, in order to help heatstroke patients dissipate heat.

  • Stripping: Remove clothing that affects heat dissipation from heatstroke patients, helping them alleviate heat damage.

  • Cooling: spray water mist on the patient with a watering spray, and use an electric fan for cooling; Alternatively, using an ice towel or ice bag to compress the neck, armpits, and groin area where the arteries pass through can help lower the body temperature of heat stroke patients.

  • Drinking water: If the patient is conscious, they can provide moderately salty cold water or electrolyte drinks to help replenish water and balance the body's electrolytes.

  • Send for medical treatment: When the degree of heatstroke does not slow down or exceeds the ability to handle it, the patient should immediately call 119 for emergency medical treatment; While waiting for rescue, it is also important to continue helping heatstroke patients cool down.

Three NG cooling methods during heatstroke

It is particularly important to note that although the improvement of heatstroke patients requires cooling, it is not recommended to soak in ice water or wipe with alcohol, nor to take Antipyretic!

  • Soaking in ice water: Soaking in too cold water will make heatstroke patients tremble, and skin Vasoconstriction shrink, but it is more difficult to dissipate heat.

  • Alcohol wiping: alcohol will make Vasoconstriction constrict, which is not conducive to the body cooling through blood circulation.

  • Antipyretic: heatstroke temperature rise is due to the failure of the mechanism of regulating temperature, which is different from the mechanism of fever caused by infection and inflammation. Therefore, the use of Antipyretic not only cannot alleviate heatstroke, but also may increase the risk of heatstroke complications such as acute renal failure, liver and kidney failure, and abnormal blood coagulation.

What to drink for heatstroke? Plain water is not the only option, but don't drink ice drinks to relieve heat stroke!

Can I eat something during heatstroke? When the human body suffers heatstroke due to difficulty in sweating and loss of Thermoregulation, it is necessary to help the patient cool down and replenish water. And besides plain water, what other options are there?

  • Salted boiled water: The body needs to replenish water to make sweat to help dissipate heat, but if only a large amount of water is replenished, it is easy to cause Electrolyte imbalance in the body. It is recommended to add 10 grams (2 teaspoons) of salt to 1 liter of boiled water for patients to drink.

  • Tofu: Traditional tofu ingredients include calcium sulfate and brine, which are rich in minerals that help the body relieve heat and maintain electrolyte balance. It is suitable for heat stroke patients with obvious fever, and the water in boxed tofu can also be consumed together. It should be noted that egg tofu and soybean milk without gypsum or brine are not suitable for relieving heatstroke.

In addition, people who feel dry and thirsty can use dark plum juice or Suanmeitang; People with obvious restlessness can use honey water.

However, there are also NG dietary items that cannot be used to relieve heat and replenish water during heatstroke! For example, ice cold mung bean paste is too sweet and too cold, which can actually make the body's heat unable to dissipate; Alcohol and coffee that have stimulating or diuretic effects can accelerate water loss in the body, and are not suitable for heatstroke patients who need to replenish water to prevent dehydration; Sweetened beverage concentrate blood into the digestive tract, but cannot be transported to the body surface to help dissipate heat.

Heat stroke and scraping are not something that everyone can do! Relieve Yin and Yang Heat and Teach You 4 Acupoint Massages

When it feels like they have a bit of heat stroke, many people also try to use traditional "scraping" to scrape out the hot air. Is this method really effective? From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, heatstroke can be divided into two types: "yang heat" and "yin heat". Yang heat is caused by exposure to the sun, excessive heat, and high body temperature, which can be relieved through scraping; Yin heat stroke is affected by cold air or cold drinks, causing the body's blood vessels and pores to contract, causing the heat in the body to be blocked and unable to dissipate. Therefore, it is not advisable to use scraping to relieve heat stroke.

So, besides scraping, how can traditional Chinese medicine also suggest eliminating heat stroke and heat exhaustion? Let's take a look at the acupoints that help improve heat stroke symptoms:

  • Yin heat: Neiguan acupoint, Shenmen acupoint

Preventing heatstroke, maintaining coolness, and regularly replenishing water are the most important! Four high-risk groups should be cautious in preventing heat damage

The main factor affecting heatstroke is the external temperature and the body's ability to expel heat. Therefore, in order to prevent heatstroke, the most important keys include:

Environment: Except on days when the temperature is too high, things like the rooftop of a house are prone to direct sunlight and heat, and cement houses are prone to heat storage; If the air conditioning is not turned on inside the car, the temperature is more likely to skyrocket! Therefore, in summer, it is even more important to pay attention not to let children and elderly people stay alone in air-conditioned cars. At home, insulation curtains can also be used to help prevent the infiltration of hot air.

  • Supplies: For example, hot baths, hot springs, Electric blanket, etc., which can continuously heat the body, may cause heatstroke even if they are not in the hot summer.

  • Wearing: Wearing a Sun hat or parasol, and wearing loose and breathable clothes can help the body dissipate heat effectively and avoid heat stroke caused by excessive heat absorption.

  • Hydration: The body needs to dissipate heat through sweating, so there must be sufficient water in the body to effectively maintain blood circulation and sweat secretion. It is recommended to drink at least 1500cc of plain water every day. You can also help remind yourself to drink water by getting up with a glass of water, pairing it with a glass of water during meals, and bringing water when going out. Don't wait for thirst to start drinking water; If you feel the plain water is too monotonous, you can also add fresh fruit or make Cold brew tea.

The following ethnic groups also need to pay special attention to preventing heatstroke due to physical function issues

  • Elderly people, children, and patients with chronic diseases may be at risk of dehydration and heatstroke due to their weak body temperature regulation function or their insensitivity to external temperatures. People with cardiovascular diseases, hyperthyroidism and other diseases should also pay special attention to the possibility of heatstroke.

  • Outdoor workers and athletes: In a scorching sun exposure environment, excessive physical activity can lead to neglect of sun protection, excessive heat load on the body, as well as neglect of hydration and dehydration.

  • Obese individuals: Those with a BMI of more than 24 are more likely to accumulate heat in the body due to the blocking of heat dissipation caused by subcutaneous fat in the body, and the increased amount of heat generated by basal metabolism, leading to heatstroke.

  • Other physical conditions, such as insufficient sleep, colds, diarrhea, etc., can lead to decreased physical strength and blood circulation, or the loss of water in the body that affects sweating ability, increasing the probability of heatstroke. In addition, drinking alcohol or taking some medications may also affect the body's sweating effect, and it is also necessary to pay more attention to the risk of heatstroke.

Do you also experience heatstroke at night?

If the water lost by the body during the hot day is not replenished, and the radiation heat absorbed by the house during the daytime sun exposure, it will continue to be released indoors at night. Staying indoors without proper heat dissipation, coupled with low heat dissipation function of the body, there is a possibility of heatstroke at night.

Shirtless/sleep on the floor? Playing by the stream is more likely to cause heatstroke?

When the weather is hot and people want to save on electricity bills, many people will want to wear less or go shirtless, or simply sleep on the floor to relieve heat and prevent heatstroke. Being shirtless in the scorching sun not only causes sunburn, but also makes it easier for water to evaporate, which can lead to heatstroke; The cold and hard cement floor can accumulate moisture, which can invade the human body while sleeping, making it easy for people to catch a cold and often feeling back pain when waking up.

On the other hand, valleys and beaches are also good places for summer heat dissipation and play. The rocks and dry ground by the creek are easy to absorb a large amount of heat, causing the surrounding environment to heat up. If you stay on the shore for a long time, there is a possibility of heatstroke; The refreshing feeling of playing with water in the stream can easily make people forget to drink water to replenish their hydration, which can sometimes lead to dehydration and heatstroke. It is also important to prevent the risk of heatstroke from landmine situations!


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