The long string of hot, humid days can be very hard on some bodies. Heat illness prevention means allowing the body to cool down from time to time. Dr. Nicholas Reinhart of the OSF St. Elizabeth Hospital emergency department, says even people who are used to the heat can suffer heat exhaustion or heat stroke. People who must be out in the hot weather need to take frequent cool-down breaks.
The earliest stages of heat illness can be cramps. Heat exhaustion is more serious and can bring headaches, nausea, dizziness, weakness, and thirst.
Heat stroke is the most serious. That’s when a person’s body is out of sweat and the person becomes confused, may lose consciousness, and may even die.