The past couple years have seen unpleasantly hot summers in much of the country, with many states seeing heat waves ― and the blistering temperatures are expected to stick around.
At the very least, this type of weather makes it nearly impossible to hold outdoor events or complete routine activities like a daily run. In the worst cases, though, hot weather can be deadly, especially for older adults who are “more prone to get dehydrated more quickly in excessive heat,” said Dr. John Schumann, the Oklahoma-based executive medical director of Oak Street Health.
But there are a range of heat-related conditions that can impact anyone, like heat cramps, dehydration and passing out from the high temperatures. Another is heat exhaustion, which causes “thirst, fatigue ― you can even have mild changes in your mental status, like a little bit of confusion,” according to Dr. Martin Huecker, an emergency care doctor at UofL Health in Louisville, Kentucky.
“And then when you get to heatstroke, that’s the most significant, the most severe form,” Huecker added. “That’s where you start seeing definite mental status changes, and then what we call a cardiovascular collapse or instability. The vital signs change. The heart rate and blood pressure start to change.”
You should immediately call 911 if you notice confusion in someone who has been out in the heat. You should also call 911 if symptoms like heat cramps, heavy sweating or dizziness last more than an hour, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The U.S. saw the most heat-related deaths ever in 2023, and with more hot days on the horizon, it’s important to stay safe. Below, experts share what they’d avoid doing on hot days when keeping safety in mind.
1. They wouldn’t just look at the air temperature
When extreme temperatures are in town, you shouldn’t assume they’re no big deal. Instead, you should plan ahead and be aware of the weather forecast, Huecker said.
“You can look at UV index and heat index,” he noted, referring to measures of ultraviolet radiation and temperature plus humidity. “Some days the temperature isn’t telling the whole story.”
Many weather apps will give you the “real feel” temperature, which can be higher or lower than the air temperature due to sun, humidity or wind.
When you understand what weather conditions are in store, you can plan appropriately to stay safe from the heat.
2. They wouldn’t let themselves get thirsty
“If you reach the point where you’re actually thirsty, you’re already dehydrated,” said Schumann. “You should be hydrating enough so that you’re not getting thirsty.”
When spending time outside on a very hot day, it’s important to have water or a water-based beverage available, Schumann said. But that’s not the only thing your body might need.
“If you are sweating a lot, you lose more than just water,” Huecker said. “You’re losing sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium. When you replenish, you want to replenish more than just water; you want to add electrolytes to it.”
You can get a lot of your electrolytes through food, Huecker said, so you might not need sports drinks or other electrolyte products.
But “if you’re out walking or exercising, doing a two-hour trip outside, and you just wanted to bring some water with you, that’s where you might want to throw in electrolytes,” Huecker said.
Brands like LMNT, Liquid I.V. and Pedialyte sell electrolyte powders and drinks. Alternatively, “you can get as simple as throwing a little bit of sugar or honey with some sea salt [in your water] — that has a good amount of sodium chloride and some of the other electrolytes,” Huecker said. “You don’t have to get real fancy and spend a bunch of money.”
3. They wouldn’t use alcohol to quench their thirst
It may be common to crack open a cold beer at a summer barbecue or make a frozen cocktail on a sunny day, but Schumann said you should be careful about consuming alcohol when it’s hot outside.
“Moderation is going to be the key. If you’re someone who likes to drink, it can be refreshing. But when it’s this hot out … alcohol will dehydrate you faster than you otherwise would,” Schumann said. “If you could avoid drinking, [that’s] so much better. And stay with something that’s going to keep you hydrated.”
It’s important to seek shade or stay inside on hot days, especially when temperatures peak.
4. They wouldn’t stay outside at the hottest time of day
“You want to avoid the hottest part of the day,” Huecker stressed, adding that temperatures typically peak from “noon to 3 or 4 p.m.”
Try to save yard work or other outdoor tasks for a cooler part of the day — like first thing in the morning or as the sun is setting in the evening.
5. They wouldn’t remain in the sun without taking breaks
If you have to be outside — say, for work or an outdoor event — it’s important to take breaks from the sunshine when possible.
“Getting out of the sun and into the shade, or indoors or air conditioning,” is key to preventing heat-related illness, Schumann said, adding that he personally tries to be in the shade whenever possible.
6. They wouldn’t forget bug and pest concerns
You need to keep more than just sun safety in mind. If you’re taking part in outdoor activities like hiking, you also should be wary of illnesses transmitted by ticks, Schumann said.
And the same goes for mosquitoes. Many people tend to go swimming on hot days, but these insects often linger around bodies of water.
Schumann encourages his patients to use permethrin or other tick repellents on their clothes, and bug sprays with DEET to repel mosquitoes.
7. They wouldn’t skip sunblock
You should always wear sunscreen to protect against harmful rays, but this is especially important on very sunny days. When it’s hot outside, Schumann said he wears sunscreen and a hat to avoid sunburns.
8. They wouldn’t ignore how certain medications react to heat and sun
According to pharmacist Michael Schuh, there are four categories of relatively common medications that can affect your heat tolerance: antidepressants, antihistamines, blood pressure drugs and antipsychotics.
“Those are probably the main drugs one would think of that would cause heat intolerance,” said Schuh, who works at Mayo Clinic in Florida.
These can mess with your brain’s thermal heat regulation and how much you sweat, putting you at higher risk of dehydration, heatstroke and more, he said.
“There are a lot of drugs, too, that will also make people more sensitive to the sun, that will make them burn more easily,” Schuh noted. “Some antibiotics can make people more sun-sensitive, where they’ll burn more easily, maybe even get a rash. … Some diuretics will do it. Some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents will do it ― things like ibuprofen. And some hormones will do it.”
Be aware of any drugs that may prevent your body from regulating its temperature or put you at risk of sunburn. You can look online to see if this applies to your medications, or you can talk to a pharmacist or physician, Schuh said.
And while it’s important to know the possible effects of dangerously high temperatures, this doesn’t mean you have to stay inside all summer.
“I would encourage people to not be completely afraid of the heat and to get a little bit of exposure to it,” said Huecker. “There are a lot of health benefits to sauna and other heat-related environments, and so I wouldn’t avoid at all costs. I would just be smart about it.”