Heat exhaustion
The symptoms of heat exhaustion can develop rapidly. They include:
- your skin feeling very hot and flushed,
- heavy sweating,
- dizziness,
- fatigue,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- tachycardia (a rapid heartbeat),
- mental confusion, and
- urinating less often and the colour of your urine being much darker than usual.
Heatstroke
The symptoms of classic heatstroke can develop over several days if you are spending a long time somewhere hot. The symptoms of exertional heatstroke can appear more quickly, usually after physical activity.
Symptoms of heatstroke include:
- high body temperature: having a temperature of 40°C (104°F) or above is a major sign of heatstroke,
- heavy sweating that suddenly stops: if the body is unable to produce any more sweat then this is a big warning sign that the body has become over-heated and dehydrated,
- tachycardia (a rapid heartbeat),
- hyperventilation (rapid breathing), and
- muscle cramps.
The extreme heat that causes heatstroke also affects the nervous system, which in turn can cause other symptoms such as:
- mental confusion,
- lack of co-ordination,
- seizures (fits),
- restlessness or anxiety,
- problems understanding or speaking to others,
- hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not real),
- loss of consciousness.
Heatstroke is a medical emergency. If you are worried that you or someone you know may have heatstroke symptoms, dial 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.
