The Heat can Kill

This summer I decided to do a 237 mile bike ride during the hottest time of the year. This was probably not the smartest thing to do when the temperatures hit 110° with the heat index. My friend and I realized this pretty quick.

On the first day only a few hours in, I realized we were not completing the trail because my friend was not feeling well. After around 3 hours we had only completed 20 miles and my friend was already feeling rough. She mentioned some nausea and feeling dizzy so we decided to walk the bikes for a while. By mile 27 her water supply was empty and we still had 3 miles until we hit a big trailhead. At that point we were able to stop and rest on some benches. She laid down and after some time was willing to take some water and Propel.

After that rest we made it to a great trailhead restaurant for a ride to pick us up and return us back to my vehicle.  We took 5 hours to do 30 miles and it was pretty flat. The main issue that complicated our day was 95° temperatures with high humidity that lead to a heat index of 110° that day.

It took 5 large glasses of water for her to feel slightly hydrated. She was lucky that day that her stomach absorbed the water instead of sending it back up. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are real conditions that can be life threatening. Even if you are only working in the yard, you can develop these conditions so it is important to be mindful of the possibility and be prepared.

Heat exhaustion

With heat exhaustion you may start out sweating a lot. Your pulse picks up. You can feel dizzy/lightheaded with a headache. Nausea and vomiting is not uncommon. Your muscles may feel cramped and you just feel miserable and fatigued.

The treatment consists of getting in to a cool place, drinking lots of water, and possibly getting in to a shower or pool that has cool water to help cool you off. Do not take NSAIDs like ibuprofen for your headache until you have been urinating well for a while. NSAIDs while you are dehydrated can make the situation worse and lead to kidney failure. Also, it shouldn’t have to be said, but drink water, not alcohol or caffeinated beverages to get hydrated.

Heat stroke

In the case of heat stroke it is the next step of danger from heat exhaustion. You stop sweating.  A throbbing headache, dizziness and passing out may happen. Your body temperature increases and you can develop confusion, seizure, and even become unconscious. This is a serious condition which requires a hospital visit for hydration and cooling. If this happens, 911 needs to be called and measures should be made to cool you in transit.

Prevention is the first key to all of this. If you do not have to be out during the hottest part of the day, then avoid it. Start out being well hydrated. If you start the day with low hydration it won’t take much to tip you over. Drinking beverages with alcohol and caffeine in them will not help your hydration status. Also medications like diuretics may contribute to dehydration.

Being highly active in the heat should be avoided but as mentioned, even being out in the yard weeding can lead to heat exhaustion if you do not take breaks to drink water and try to stay hydrated. Please be safe during these hot times.

The rest of the biking adventures will be continued in the next post.