Newswise — Before you head outside this summer, you might want to check more than just the thermometer to be sure you'll be safe.
Dr. Gary Reed, chief of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, warns that humidity and how adjusted your body is to the heat can also play a role in heat-related injuries.
"Physical activity in a hot environment with no wind movement and 100 percent relative humidity is very dangerous and leads to many heat-related illnesses seen in the United States every year," he says. "However, it is well known that many persons are able to work outside in a very hostile environment with high humidity and hot temperatures without suffering significant heat illness."
Reed says this is due to a process called acclimatization, whereby the body adapts to the heat. If temperatures rise slowly over a period of time, Reed says, heat strokes are less common because people have adjusted. In a sudden heat wave, however, heat-related injuries are more common because there is not sufficient time for bodies to adjust.
During hot weather Reed suggests that people drink plenty of fluids, have fans or some other means of creating air currents available and avoid strenuous physical activity.
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