The National Weather Service has been telling us about a heat advisory almost daily. The heat index has reached between 107 and 112 degrees for the past week. Officials in the City of Sebastian and Indian River and Brevard Counties take this heat advisory very seriously.
This week, we’re going to have the usual afternoon thunderstorms. The temperature will get as high as 95 degrees on Monday and Tuesday. But the temperatures will be 89 and 90 degrees from Wednesday to Sunday. The overnight lows will stay between 75 and 77 degrees.
Many people who go boating in Sebastian may drink more alcohol than water. Alcohol makes you urinate more because it stops the release of a hormone called vasopressin. This hormone tells your kidneys to keep fluid in your body. Because of this, drinking alcohol makes you lose more fluids.
Adding a pinch of salt to your water can help you rehydrate or get more water back into your body. It can also replace the minerals and salt you lose when you sweat. Some people drink mineral water after spending time on a boat in hot weather.
Drink a lot of water if you’re outside during a heat advisory. Your body needs to take in as much water as it can.
Heat Exhaustion
Being outside during a heat advisory can lead to heat exhaustion. The illness occurs when the body gets too hot, a person starts to sweat a lot, and a rapid heartbeat follows.
Hot weather can make people sick, especially if there’s a lot of humidity while doing physical activity. If you don’t treat heat exhaustion fast, it can turn into heatstroke, which is very dangerous.
Some signs of heat exhaustion include “goose bumps,” heavy sweating, faint or dizziness, fast heartbeat, low blood pressure, muscle cramps, nausea, or a headache.
Heat Stroke
Heatstroke is a severe condition. It happens when your body can’t control its temperature anymore. Your body gets hot fast, and you can’t cool down by sweating.
Heatstroke can happen in 10 to 15 minutes if your body temperature reaches 106 degrees or higher. If you don’t get help immediately, heatstroke can cause a disability or death.
Hydration
Not long ago, we published an article about how to stay hydrated in the hot summer weather. It’s a good read, and it gives easy tips on how to stay hydrated.