What Happens 10 Minutes Before A Heat Stroke?

Written by Jyotsana Rao, BE  • 

It’s a hot summer afternoon and you’re on your way to the office. Unfortunately, you do not have the luxury of an AC car, so there you are, sitting atop your bike, waiting for the signal to turn green. Just as it does, you suddenly feel weak and jittery, your muscles tighten and cramp, and your body temperature shoots up. You start feeling faint and your vision gets blurred. The incessant honking panics you, but your body stops responding – you just cannot move a limb! Your throat suddenly feels parched, and yet you are unable to swallow. What’s happening to you?

What you are experiencing is a heat stroke. This occurs when the temperature of your body rises above 1040F (400C), and because of the hot, humid climate around you, your body is unable to cool itself down fast enough. Heat strokes can occur either due to extreme physical exercise or hot weather. The symptoms of a heat stroke could include high fever, dizziness and fatigue, nausea and vomiting, increased heart rate, severe headache, lack of sweat, seizures, feelings of disorientation and confusion, muscle weakness and cramps, and flushed appearance of the skin.

Image: Shutterstock

The best way to deal with an oncoming heat stroke is to immediately get out of the sun and try to cool yourself down as soon as possible. Take off any unnecessary clothing, such as a scarf or a jumper, and splash water onto your face, neck, underarms, and any other exposed body part. This helps accelerate the cooling down of your body. Do this until all the symptoms have died down. This should take about 20-30 minutes. If the condition still persists, you must visit a doctor.

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