Periods of hot weather can affect anyone, but some people run a greater risk of serious harm. Experts recommend that those who may be more vulnerable - such as older people and babies and young children - should take extra precautions. As the body gets hotter, blood vessels open up.
This lowers your blood pressure and makes your heart work harder to push the blood around the body. This process can cause mild symptoms such as an itchy heat rash or swollen feet. At the same time, sweating leads to the loss of fluids and salt and, crucially, the balance between them in the body changes.
This, combined with the lowered blood pressure, can lead to heat exhaustion. Symptoms include: If blood pressure drops too far, the risk of heart attacks rises. How does sunscreen work, and how much do you need to use?
Staying safe in water when the weather's hot Our bodies strive to keep a core temperature of about 37C whether we are in a snowstorm or a heatwave. That is the temperature at which our bodies have evolved to work. But as the weather gets hotter, it is harder for the body to keep its core temperature down.
It opens more blood vessels near the skin to lose heat to our surroundings and starts sweating. As the sweat evaporates, it dramatically increases the heat lost from the skin. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recommends looking out for those who may struggle to keep cool, such as older people, those with underlying conditions and those who live alone. staying cool indoors by closing curtains on rooms that face the sun drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding too much alcohol keeping out of the sun between 11:00 and 15:00 when the sun's rays are strongest staying in the shade, using sunscreen with a high SPF and UVA rating, and wearing a wide-brimmed hat avoiding physical exercise in the hottest part of the day Anyone tempted to cool off in rivers and open water should consult local warning signs and consider any hidden dangers, external.
No one - especially babies, young children and animals - should ever be left in a locked vehicle. Six ways to keep your home and yourself cool in hot weather If you see someone you think has heat exhaustion, the NHS says you should:, external get them to lie down and raise their feet slightly get them to drink plenty of water - sports or rehydration drinks are also OK cool their skin - spray or sponge them with cool water and fan them. Cold packs around the armpits or neck are also good If they can be cooled down within half an hour, then heat exhaustion is not normally serious.
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