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Keeping your Cool
Hyperthermia or over heating can be extremely dangerous, as
serious as hypothermia. Understanding how the heat can become a problem
will help you to avoid hyperthermia
- Air temperature?
As the air
approaches and exceeds body temperature, it will act like a conventional
oven, cooking you slowly. There's not much you can do about it other than
seek pockets of cooler air, like in sheltered nooks among the rocks, in
caves, under a shade tree or near water.
- Conduction?
Anyone who has
walked barefoot knows only too well that on a sunny day the ground's surface
can be like a hot stove--much hotter than the air temperature. This is
because anything directly exposed to the sun will absorb its radiated heat,
irrespective of the air temperature. To cool down, avoid ground that's been
exposed to the sun for a long time or dig underneath the surface.
- Radiation?
When the sun
shines directly onto your skin, it is actively heating you up, no matter the
air temperature--it's like standing in a microwave oven. Just step out of
the sun into the shade, or wear a broad-brimmed hat and loose-fitting, light
colored clothing to stay cooler. In the high Andes you can broil in the sun
and shiver in the shade, inches away from each other.
- Convection?
A breeze
normally cools you down because it evaporates your sweat more quickly. If
the wind is strong enough, however, it can turn a basic scorcher into a
blast furnace, dramatically accelerating moisture loss. Clothing can help to
reduce the effects of wind.
- Metabolism? As your body
functions, so it generates heat as a by-product. The more work you make your
body do, the more heat it puts forth. Want to cool down? Slow down! It's
worse if the outside temperature is not what you are used to. Your body
needs time to acclimatize if it is not used to being in hot environments. Go
easy until your body adjusts to its new environment--about one week or so.
Taking these
steps may help you avoid overheating:
Stay Hydrated - Drink plenty of water
and electrolytic drinks such as sports drinks. Allow for 1 liter per hour minimum..
A camel pack with a sip hose works the best.
Dress in layers for removal as the temperature rises.
A cotton blend will be cooler than Lycra
Seek shade in the heat of the day.
Save your greatest exertion for the cooler hours of the day.
Urinate
when you first feel the need.
This will keep the sun off the top of you
head while allowing heat to dissipate from the top of your skull.
Going up hills are much more strenuous. When you get to
the top, stop and look around and enjoy the view or even stop
part way up. Fun need not punish you.
See also our page in hiking that goes into
more detail the physical demand place on your body when
exerting. It covers many facets that apply to all sports. Hiking
tips
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