How Overheating Can Be a Serious Sports Injury

Overheating and Dehydration

Competing under extreme weather conditions is one of the most difficult things for an athlete to do because the athlete cannot regulate their body temperature. In hot weather the body also generates a lot of heat and all too often the athlete will produce more heat than the atmosphere will allow him or her to dissipate. In addition to this, the atmosphere may also make an athlete's body temperature to rise.

When someone is suffering from overheating immediate action is required. This is one situation where waiting is not advised. Overheating can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which can prove fatal. The important thing to remember is that the body's core temperature must be brought down as soon as possible. Get the person into the shade, or put them into a pool or tub of cold water if one is available and call an ambulance. You must do everything you can to drop their body temperature as quickly as possible.

The best way to treat the above conditions is, of course, to avoid them all together. If you simply have to be physucally active on a really hot day, maker certain that you are very well hydrated prior to you starting out. That means drinking plenty the day before your activity. If you are a runner, plan your daily exercise to be done early in the morning or late in the evening when you won't be exposed to the punishing heat of the direct sunlight. Wear clothing that allows your sweat to evaporate freely.

What this is your own bodies specific cooling mechanism, and if you don't give it the chance to breath then it will not work properly. A well liked practice within the athletic community who are attempting to create a specific weight prefer to do their workouts in clothing that is made of plastic or even trash bags since they think they feel like this results in them creating additional sweat as well as losing additinal weight in a quicker way. This is a very bad idea. You sweat the same amount that you do when you are working out in normal clothes, you simply do not realize it since it is evaporating and accomplishing its task of keeping you cool. If you prevent this process by wearing clothing that keep the moisture in, then you aren't allowing the sweat to evaporate, but are instead holding it in, along with the heat that your body is producing. You are essentially steaming yourself like a vegetable. This is a dangerous habit.

In extreme weather, listen to what your body is telling you. If you feel that the sun is too much and you need to get out of it, find some shade, sit down and drink some water. Relax and cool down. Monitor your body's temperature and when you feel better, resume your activity. You are not invincible, do not let your situation go unchecked, if you do, you might end up in some serious trouble.

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