Over-Heating: Why It Happens & How to Spot and Treat It
By Michael M. Wilkinson, MS, ATC
Director of Outreach Services at Mississippi Sports Medicine, Jackson, MS
Young, pre-pubescent-to-early-teen athletes are prone to heat problems due to over-exertion.
Their bodies don’t act or respond to heat as consistently as older teens or adults.
Why are they at a higher risk?
- Their sweat mechanism is not as developed and so doest not produce enough sweat, possible leading to abnormally high body temperature.
- Children tend to have a higher metabolic rate than adults.
- Children take a longer time to acclimatize to the heat.
- Most children don’t respond to their thirst mechanism.
- Children tend to have more frequent colds and illnesses. If they are just getting well or coming off certain medications, that can increase the risk of heat problems.
Why is this issue important?
The body has several methods of cooling itself. “Evaporation” occurs when sweat is absorbed by air into the atmosphere, letting the skin cool. “Convection” then takes over and lets the heat on the skin’s surface move into the cooler air. However, once the air temperature gets into the mid to upper eighties and the humidity gets into the sixties or higher, many of these methods become ineffective. The air becomes saturated with moisture (high humidity) thus the sweat falls off of the body instead of evaporating. Convection is limited since the skin surface is covered in moisture.
The only way many athletes in Mississippi can cool themselves in our “typical” heat is to drink cool fluids (conduction) and extra rest periods to allow the body temperature to return to normal.
How do you help prevent heat problems?
- Make sure your children begin their activity well hydrated, preferably sports drinks or water. Soft drinks and energy drinks are discouraged because of their high sugar and caffeine levels.
- If possible, encourage activity in the cooler parts of the day.
- Encourage and monitor their fluid intake; a minimum of 8–16 ounces every hour of activity.
- Encourage rest in a shady location between contests.
- Bring dry clothes if theirs gets soaked. (hard to get air through water)
- Make sure they don’t skip meals. The natural salts in food will help prevent heat problems.
How can you recognize heat problems?
Watch your child for irritability, thirst, or dry mouth. They may experience mild leg, arm or stomach cramps or complain of headaches or unusual fatigue. Watch out for excessive sweating or pale skin.
If you note any of the following, then how do you treat heat problems? The answer:
- Get them to a cool shady environment and encourage rest.
- Drink fluids as tolerated, preferable sport drinks.
- Rub cool, damp towels over their skin.
As always, if you suspect a more serious form of heat illness, err to caution and take then to a physician for an evaluation.