Athletes Face Heat Related Illnesses.

During hot weathers, athletes must be alert to heat illnesses.  If precautions are not taken they can develop heat related illnesses due to overheating.

Taking precautions to protect one's health from excessive heat is just as important as fitness and exercise.
 
Heat illnesses can be heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke, fortunately there are warning signs. 

Warning Signs of Heat Illness

• Nausea
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Stumbling
• Confusion  

Should an athlete be experiencing signs of a heat illness the following actions should be taken: stop all exercise, find a cool spot immediately and drink plenty of cold fluids.

Preventing Overheating 
The following precautions can be taken to prevent overheating.

• Reduce the intensity of exercise that lasts longer than 15 minutes-
• Drink plenty of fluids 2 hours before start of the event and again 20 minutes before
• Drink fluids every 20 minutes during play.
• For exercise that last more than an hour, drink fluids that contain glycose and electrolytes
• Wear light weight, light colored clothing
• For practice and play requiring travel to a hotter environment take time to allow your body to adjust to the new temperature.

 If you are starting a more strenuous exercise during hot weather, take time for your body to adjust to new conditions.

Acclimatization should take place over 14 days. If there is no time to acclimatize, a limit should be placed on the time spent in practice or at the event.

If you have any tips for athletes, to avoid heat related illness, leave them with your comments.