New York City has broken a record high temperature that’s stood since a few months before Jack the Ripper stalked Whitechapel, East London, in the fall of 1888.
In Baltimore, the high reached 104°F. I didn’t bother to pay attention to the heat index.
In heat this intense, (temperatures on par with Death Valley) you need air conditioning. You need water. Lay off the coffee, tea and sodas. Caffeine is a diuretic that makes you shed water, which you need more than caffeine or alcohol.
If you have to, beat back vanity and carry canteens or something else that holds water (stainless steel canteens are superior to plastic ones; I’ve never had water from a plastic canteen that didn’t smell or taste of mold or mildew). You can find carriers for bottled water for your belt or whatever else you need on Amazon.
If you’re outside or in the heat, even warm water from a canteen helps. Don’t forget to pour some over your head. Don’t take salt pills without consulting with a doctor. If you or anyone close to you gets too hot, feels dizzy or disoriented, becomes weak, call 911.
Remember that this heat is extremely dangerous and your best defense is staying hydrated. If you have to rehydrate, you probably already need EMS (Emergency Medical Service). Do it.
I’ve been in the ER when they had to stick two IVs in me, a bag for each arm. Once you’ve had a heat injury, you’ll get it again at even lower temperatures.
And forget sugary drinks like Gatorade. You need water, so drink it. Doctors get paid to determine your blood glucose and sodium levels.*
REMEMBER: if you’re overheated, do not gulp water, but sip it slowly. If you guzzle it, you’re giving your body a shock. You’re likely to vomit, and that doesn’t help. At all. Also, in that situation, tap water or cool water is your best go-to. Cold water will not sit well. Splash some on your face and head, but let the water warm a bit before you sip it; it will still be effective to cool your temperature.
Loosen your belt, shoelaces and anything else that can inhibit proper circulation and cooling. This is your LIFE. Drop your pride.
Be careful out there. PLEASE be careful.
*In some cases, if you’re continuously in extreme heat, I do recommend salt pills, but take it easy, and remember that in such cases, you should already be getting to an emergency cooling center or a neighbor’s house where there is air conditioning. Barring that, also note that even while trying to sleep, the air temperature in heatwave conditions are still unsafe after dark. Window fans do not remedy that. Air quality is no help, as it too poses a threat.
And finally, if there’s any doubt, any at all, activate your EMS Dial (911) in the United States. The time for progression from being overheated to heat exhaustion and heatstroke is dependent on temperature, humidity, state of physical health, and cannot be calculated. Each individual will be different. So no heroics. No tough guy bullshit. No “sticking it out.” Even the military has heat protocols, which you can consult if you like. When it got to 90°F, we were promptly ordered to shed our fatigue shirts, unblouse our boots, drink a full canteen and refill it (the water on your hip was never cold) and untie our boots. They didn’t play, either. I know this from personal experience; their saying was that a soldier who was careless in the heat was already a casualty.
That’s the truth.
Memoirs of an American Asshole 