How to combat heat when you’re on holiday!

There are many beautiful places in Southern Africa that are at their best, just when the temperature is at its worst. Places like Northern Namibia, Richtersveld and the Kalahari for example. Stunningly beautiful places, but dangerous with the extreme heat if you don’t take measures to protect yourself. Yes, these places can be deadly – but if you take the right measures to deal with the heat they are some of the most rewarding destinations you can go to.

What are the Dangers?

Sunny, Hot, Dry and windy conditions are perfect for making biltong. However, the human body is not designed to become biltong and still function properly. We are rather more attractive and functional if properly moisturized, both internally and externally.
In conditions like this, it is common to not ‘sweat’ – at least you think you aren’t because you are dry.

BUT

You are still sweating, in fact you are sweating more than you normally do. It is just that due to the heat, dryness and wind, that the sweat is drying up as fast as it is being produced and the body is losing the major benefit of the sweat – namely heat loss!

This creates two dangerous conditions.

a)     You are dehydrating at a very quick rate – this can lead to unconsciousness

b)     Your body is overheating quickly – this can lead to seizures and brain damage

The above two are NOT overstated. It can and does happen regularly. In fact, you have probably suffered from the early stages of both and just didn’t know it.

What are the Signs?

When you start to suffer from the above conditions, you will not be aware of it at first – UNLESS you have prepared yourself to be alert for them. We’ve been conditioned to ‘be tougher’ – but this can be incredibly stupid. You don’t live in these conditions normally, and your body has not been conditioned to deal with them. The human body is designed to operate efficiently at a certain temperature range and moisture content.

So what do you look out for?

For dehydration you check for dry lips, parched throat, feeling thirsty. Dizziness and a headachy feeling are also signs. Lack of appetite, nauseousness, etc. are other indicators as well.

But when you are feeling these things – you are already in the danger zone! This is the body’s way of telling you “GET ME WATER – NOW”

For overheating – in addition to the above, you start to feel blah, sleepy, irritable etc. Again, these signs are indications that you are already in the danger zone! It is the body’s way of telling you “COOL ME DOWN – NOW”

Short tempers, irritability, lethargic behaviour are outward signs that can be recognized by others – if you know what they really are. That person isn’t just in a bitchy mood, they didn’t get up on the wrong side of the tent, they are not a grump. They are overheating and dehydrating.

Groups of people often start to suffer from these symptoms all around the same time as they are exposed to the same conditions for the same length of time. A snaps at B who snaps back and before you know it, an argument breaks out (which takes more energy by the way) and people get upset with each other. Friendships get ruined, people get hurt and the holiday is spoiled.

And it could have been avoided so very, very easily.

It is important that EVERYONE in the group is aware of these signs and what to do should this be found. It can spoil a holiday very quickly if it is not dealt with, and can lead in extreme cases to physical damage to the body and even death. It is important that people look for these signs in themselves!

So how do you deal with it?

First – let’s discuss the emergency measures.

NOTE: Children and older, weaker adults (like grandparents) will very often moan and whine a lot when hot and bothered. Do not ignore them. They do not have the physical reserves to deal with it effectively. Pay special attention to them and watch out on their behalf.

When irritability, lethargic behaviour, sleepiness, bitchiness, etc. is noticed first – and I do mean as soon as it starts to creep in, there are two things which must be done quickly. Waiting too long will just make it worse and can lead to broken friendships, spoiled holidays and physical injury and even death.

If caught early enough – and most people should be still aware at this stage and should take actions to do this for themselves.

1. Get into the shade if at all possible as quickly as possible.
2. Get water into the person. NOT ICE WATER. Cool or tepid water is fine. Even better, water followed by an electrolyte loaded drink.
3. Cool down the body. Wet towels can be used to wipe the face, arms including armpits, groin area, legs, feet, neck and chest. DO NOT DUMP WATER ON TOP OF THE HEAD.

If not caught early enough – and now is when the victim can actually be starting to lose rational thought and may actually fight you, either verbally or physically. Be prepared for this, even if you have to take extreme measures like dumping a bucket of water over their body. NOT THEIR HEAD!

1. Get them into a shower with clothes on as quickly as possible. If no shower available, pour water over their clothes, neck, face, groin area and under the arms. Stuff the male/female politeness at this point. A wet female body which is spitting mad at you for making her wet and potentially embarrassing her is much preferable to a hot, dry and dead female body.
2. Get water and electrolytic loaded drinks into them – quickly – not too much or you can induce nausea and that can aggravate the situation badly.
3. Continue keeping them wet until they start to shiver – they will warm up quickly enough – and shivering is a sign that all remaining overheating danger has gone away.

IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT EVER EVER EVER USE ICE WATER ON A PERSON WHICH IS SHOWING SIGNS OF OVERHEATING. This can lead to seizures and heart failure. In Severe cases, the use of tepid water is preferable to cool water. Cold water is always a no-no.

IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT EVER EVER EVER DUMP WATER, ESPECIALLY ICE WATER, DIRECTLY ONTO THE TOP OF THE HEAD ON A PERSON WHICH IS SHOWING SIGNS OF OVERHEATING. This can not only lead to seizures and heart failure, but can also cause almost instantaneous brain damage, especially in children.

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF A PERSON HAS BEEN BADLY OVERHEATED you should consider examination by a medical professional. Do not ever play god with somebody’s life and if you feel the least bit uncomfortable, get them to medical help or get medical help to them quickly.

It is important to cool a person off externally and internally and to re-hydrate them as quickly as possible to avoid the consequences. Yes, they may be upset with you for a short time because you dunked them with water and potentially embarrassed them. But when rational thought comes back and HAVING DISCUSSED THESE SITUATIONS BEFORE THE TRIP, all will be forgiven and friendships will be stronger – not broken.

So how do you prevent getting into this situation?

There are a couple of very simple techniques which not only prevent the above from happening in the first place, but also make life a lot more comfortable and enhance the total experience.

• Have the correct mindset BEFORE you start the trip.
• Drink lots of water, on a continuous basis – in fact, you should hear calls for “I need to pee” once an hour. If not, you are already starting to dehydrate.
• Avoid alcoholic drinks during the heat of the day. Alcohol raises the body temperature dramatically and just makes things worse. Yes, a nice cold beer is a wonderful thing. Have a beer and then follow it with 2 large glasses of water!
• Tea is better than coffee.
• Avoid sweet drinks like soda’s and such – rather drink a fruit juice or just plain water.
• Turn off the air conditioner and leave it off! Driving with the aircon on will only give a false sense of coolness and when you stop, the heat will be unbearable. Drive with the windows open and get used to the heat. When you stop and crawl into the shade, it actually feels cool and pleasant.
• Keep moist and wear a wide brim hat – ALWAYS.
• Eat light meals for breakfast and lunch. Fruit, salads etc. are perfect. Stay away from heavy meals as in hot conditions, this just aggravates the uncomfortable feeling. Have your main meal after the sun has gone down.
• Lightly salt your evening meal – salt is important to the proper operation of the human body.
• Stay up late at night and get up early in the morning. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it isn’t. 6 hours of good solid sleep is better than 8 – 9 hours of tossing and turning.
• Plan you hectic activities for early morning or late afternoon. Be Spanish during the day and siesta.
• If you are on a driving trip – leave at the crack of dawn – that means getting up in the dark. Then lay up during the hottest part of the day and continue the trip from around 2ish. Plan to stop by 4pm, crawl into the shade and wait for cooler temperatures.
• Related to the above – if the campsite is in the sun and many of them are – park your vehicle where your tent will be. This will shade the ground and will help cool the ground and when you park your tent there at 5:30 – 6:00, the ground will be cooled and your tent will not turn into an instant oven. Don’t put your bedding down until after supper. Trust me on this – it works. The truck can get hot – you’re not using it until the next day anyway.
• Still related to the above – at night, it is cooler out in the open than under a tree. The tree actually traps heat at night, and you being under it are now warmer. Park your tent out in the open, and only set it up just before sundown. You’ll be cooler.
• Have a shower just before you go to bed. You get rid of all the sweat, feel clean and being now tired, sleep very well and wake up refreshed.
• Use proper linen sheets to sleep on and under. They feel good, are light and cool to the skin, any moisture from sweating evaporates quickly and are miles better than the material in a sleeping bag which is hot and yucky when it gets damp with sweat.
• Keep a spray bottle filled with water in your vehicle and close to hand when in camp. Spray a mist onto your face, neck, arms, armpits and legs from time to time. This simulates sweat and cools the body down nicely.
• When you are in camp, take the dish bucket and sit with your feet in cool water – this is a trick that makes you feel like you are in an air-conditioned room! Try it, it works!
• You can keep a bucket (with a lid of course) filled with cool water and a towel which you use to wipe faces and necks, especially those of children.

Using the above, you can change the holiday from a disaster in the making into an experience you will not forget.

Oh, and one last thing, if you have a pet with you, remember that the same applies to them. Lots of water and a dunking during the day will keep your dog happy and safe.

Cheers

Eric Sommer
November 3, 2005