“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me
happy,
when skies are gray.
You’ll never notice, how much I love you.
Please don’t take my sunshine away.”
~Johnny Cash
Growing up on St. Simons Island in the
70’s
and
80’s
, I have quite a few memories that take place beginning with that rapturous
moment the school bell rang for the last time, heralding that summer had
officially begun. The days seemed endless, as summers do, but I knew that
sooner than later I would be trudging back to Belk, wasting a precious
summer afternoon to shop for back to school clothes. Therefore, I squeezed
every last enjoyable moment out of the upcoming summer vacation.
Usually
this consisted of getting up much earlier than I ever would for school
and going fishing at Gould’s Inlet. I also spent much of my time
tearing around the island on my BMX bike with friends, only stopping intermittently
at Jack’s mini-mart for a peach Nehi, a sleeve of saltine crackers,
and a tin of BBQ Vienna sausages. Yummy.
At times, we would end up at someone’s house for an all day, sun
up to sun down, shirts vs. skins basketball tournament. Usually, as the
dog days of summer beat down on us pretty hard, we stopped for a water
break. Normally, the outside hose slaked our thirst, although we had to
wait an interminable amount of time ‘til the water ran lukewarm
to take a drink. However, one time my buddy, Marty, decided to press his
luck by asking his mom for cold drinks all around. When she answered the
door, cracking it just enough to see six sweaty, pre-teens, but not enough
to let any of the A/C out, she listened intently then closed the door.
We thanked Marty for an honest effort then made our way to the hose.
Just as we were about to take our first drink, the door opened again, and
Marty’s mom handed him a small tray with six small cups. When I
say small, I mean those diminutive Dixie cups with Star Wars pictures
on them. Each cup held one ice cube and a splash of soda. For a second,
we all just stared at our drinks; if we were older, someone would have
made a toast. Instead, we just slammed back the soda and headed back to
the hose for a long drink before one more game of twenty-one.
Now, during all those scorching summer days, I never really remember the
heat getting to me. If I was hot, I just found some shade and some cold
water out of a hose. For athletes, however, and even older individuals,
the hot humid days of South Georgia can be dangerous. When an individual
works or exercises outside, the body’s temperature is elevated and
the body sweats to cool itself down. During this process, fluid
as well as critical electrolytes
are lost. If the body isn’t replenished with fluids and electrolytes,
dehydration may occur, increasing the risk of heat illness.
During regular exercise, 70 to 90 percent of the energy our bodies produce
is released by heat. Many factors can hinder heat release and perspiration.
These include:
-
Environment. Air temperature and humidity can negatively influence the body’s
ability to release heat as sweat. High humidity prevents sweat from evaporating,
thereby retaining body heat.
-
Clothing. Dark clothing, pads
and
helmets absorb heat.
- Sun Exposure.
-
Fitness level/acclimatization. Before exercising in the heat, the body must acclimate for 7-14 days.
-
Age.
-
Pre-activity hydration status. Individuals that start exercising outside in the heat who are already
dehydrated are at a greater risk for heat injury.
- High body fat.
-
Fever.
-
Medications. Diuretics, stimulants and many other medicines can affect a person’s
hydration status, placing them at increased risk for heat injury.
- Sickle trait.
There are many symptoms that need to be recognized as early red flags of
heat illness. Some of these include:
- Thirst
- Headaches
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Dry mouth
- Chills
One of the earliest symptoms is, of course, thirst. Once you are outside
and start to become thirsty, you are getting behind the eight
ball
. Constant hydration while outside is important to prevent heat illness.
The most effective treatment for heat-related illness is prevention, including:
-
Proper training for the heat. It doesn’t matter if the person outside is a teenage athlete conditioning
for football or a 65-year-old working in the yard.
Proper
time for the body to acclimate to the heat must be given to prevent heat illness.
-
Fluid replacement before, during and after exertion. This means 16-24 ounces of water or sports drink one hour before going
outside and 4-8 ounces every 15-20 minutes. If the event is under an hour,
then water should be fine. An exercise event that takes place longer than
one hour will require a sports drink low in sugar or
pedialyte
to replenish lost electrolytes.
-
Early recognition of symptoms. Any symptoms as stated above are warning signs that indicate the need
to remove the player or one’s self from the heat and into the shade,
get cool rapidly by cold water immersion or spray from a hose, and providing
cool beverages. If medical assistance is needed, call quickly while continuing
to provide cooling techniques
.
Being
that we all live in Southeast Georgia and summer is just around the corner,
these recommendations are for the young and old. Having little time for
home projects, I am as guilty as anyone for staying outside much longer
than I should because I have only one day to get a three-day project completed.
Be cognizant of the time you spend outside and pay attention to any symptoms
you may experience. If these symptoms occur, get out of the heat with
a cold drink (no caffeine or alcohol) until the symptoms subside. I am
a big proponent of sports drinks over water because they replenish electrolytes,
and I think most people are willing to drink more of them because they
taste better than plain water.
Please be careful this summer, and buy your kids the big Dixie cups.