heat waves are happening more often<\/a> and reaching higher highs. In fact, scientific consensus is now that climate change has played a role in making almost every heat wave more intense. And yes, even in years that experience extreme cold weather, the average overall temperature is rising. Other factors can amplify the warming effects of climate change, like the naturally occurring El Ni\u00f1o weather pattern, driven by high ocean temperatures in the Pacific. The hottest years on record tend to happen during El Ni\u00f1o. The term heat wave generally describes any period of unusually hot weather. But some of the most dangerous heat waves are caused by what\u2019s known as a heat dome. In a heat dome, a high-pressure system traps hot air in one region, making the heat more intense the longer it stagnates in one place. Humidity makes heat even more dangerous. Any type of heat can be dangerous when your body can\u2019t pump out sweat fast enough to stay cool. But heat and humidity play together to affect your ability to cool off. Higher humidity makes it harder for sweat to evaporate, reducing your body\u2019s ability to cool itself naturally. That\u2019s why you may hear not just about temperature, but about something called \u201cwet bulb temperature,\u201d a measure that includes both heat and humidity \u2014 essentially the temperature we experience after sweat cools us off. When the wet bulb temperature crosses 95 degrees Fahrenheit, the body can no longer cool itself \u2014 a threshold that has already been breached more than a dozen times, mostly in Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula. But stress on the body can start much lower than that. Even healthy young adults can experience health effects at a much lower threshold.<\/p>\nHow Heat Affects Your Body<\/h2>\n
Exposure to high heat has immediate health effects. Extreme heat forces the heart to pump more blood per minute to cool the body. That can lead to dehydration, which makes blood thicker and harder to circulate, and worsen into heat exhaustion or heatstroke, or lead to heart failure. On particularly hot days, burns from hot pavement are common. Each year, many people end up in the emergency department due to heat illness and related cardiovascular, respiratory, and kidney issues.<\/p>\n
What to Watch For<\/h3>\n
The first symptom of severe dehydration is typically cramps, which might feel like normal workout cramps. Other symptoms include muscle aches or cramps; headache; excessive sweating and thirst; feeling lightheaded or dizzy; nausea or vomiting; and pale, cool, clammy skin, especially on the extremities. To combat heat exhaustion, bring down a person\u2019s body temperature by removing heavy clothes, drinking water, and moving to shade or AC. Laying them down with elevated legs and applying damp cloths or misting with water can also help actively cool the body. Save this quick tip sheet. Adapted from heat.gov.<\/p>\n
Heatstroke Symptoms<\/h3>\n
Heatstroke occurs when the body loses its ability to cool itself and body temperature rises to dangerous levels. It can result in permanent brain injury or loss of life. Look out for symptoms like confusion, irritability, or unresponsiveness; severe fatigue; a fast pulse; nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; lack of sweat (though sweating is possible too); and hot and dry skin. Call 911 if you think someone is experiencing heatstroke, then dunk them in cold or iced water, or apply ice on areas near large blood vessels, like the groin, armpits, neck, and core. Save this quick tip sheet. Adapted from heat.gov.<\/p>\n
Heat\u2019s health effects also reach much deeper. Exposure to extreme heat affects us in all sorts of other ways that doctors and scientists are just beginning to understand. For example, heat has been shown to increase rates of violent crime, and has been linked to worsening mental health including suicide. Long-term exposure to heat increases the risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease. Outdoor workers in some of the hottest parts of the world are developing an unusual form of chronic kidney disease linked to extended dehydration and heat stress. Heat affects all of your body systems. Nighttime heat is a particular driver. Nighttime temperatures are increasing faster than daytime temperatures in much of the world, eliminating a crucial window for cooling down. We also sleep less, already losing 45 hours of sleep per year due to the heat.<\/p>\n
Ways to Prepare<\/h2>\n
Your house makes a big difference. If a heat wave is headed your way, dehumidify your house to get the indoor humidity down. Seal off openings around windows and doors to prevent hot air from entering. Cover windows to prevent the sun from heating up the indoors \u2014 blackout shades, blinds, or even DIY solutions work. In a low humidity environment, you can even use a fan to cool off. Keep water, electrolytes, and ice on hand, at home and at work, and identify cool places to go, like a public library. This isn\u2019t just useful to ease boredom \u2014 heat can place additional strain on the electricity grid as everyone runs their air conditioners, sometimes resulting in power outages. In the long term: Retrofits like reflective roofs, window overhangs to block the sun, and better insulation can provide more relief. And as you\u2019re preparing, don\u2019t forget to check on your neighbors. Grist has even more advice for safety and preparedness. Go deeper on community readiness and workplace safety. And more tips on emergency preparedness, including for heat and power outages. Stay safe out there (or, better yet, inside where it\u2019s cool).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Understand the risks associated with extreme heat and what to do during a heat wave. Heat deaths have risen 23% since the 1990s. Learn symptoms and prevention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":820,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631\/revisions\/820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test2.cryptofinancewire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}