Training in the heat - heat related illnesses

You have taken every precaution when it comes to training in the heat. You scheduled your training as best as you can to avoid the hottest parts of the day, you encourage your athletes to hydrate regularly during breaks, they are wearing light colored and breathable clothes and you have slowly increased training duration and intensity.

Do you just continue now with your training as usual? You shouldn’t! Because as a coach you have to be on the lookout for heat related illnesses.

Today we will cover some of the things that can go wrong and how to treat them.

Monitoring for heat related illnesses

You can take every precaution but there is always the chance that something goes wrong. Does this mean you should avoid training altogether? Of course not! You just have to be vigilant when it comes to monitoring your athletes state during training.

Today we will look into three different stages of heat related illnesses, their symptoms and how to treat them effectively.

Heat cramps

This one is the most harmless of the three, but this still doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Heat cramps manifest themselves in, often, painful and involuntary muscle spasms during intense physical activity, especially in hot environments.

Even though they are considered a mild form of heat related illness, they should be treated as an early warning sign for more sever conditions we will discuss later.

Causes for heat cramps

Heat cramps are usually the result of electrolyte imbalance. While sweating we lose some minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. They help in transmitting impulses from our brain to the muscles and if there is an imbalance, athletes can experience heat cramps.

Treatment for heat cramps

All heat related illnesses should be treated by moving the person into a cooler and shaded place.

When it comes to heat cramps, you should encourage your athlete to drink water or, even better, sports drinks to top up their electrolyte reserves. If possible, avoid salt tablets since they can cause stomach issues in some athletes.

Have the athlete rest and stretch until they feel they are fully recovered.

Heat exhaustion

With heat exhaustion, your athletes body can’t cool itself effectively. This is more serious stage than heat cramps and should be taken care off immediately.

Causes for heat exhaustion

Just like heat cramps, heat exhaustion is a manifestation of intense physical activity and dehydration but now your athletes body simply can’t cool itself and the core body temperature is climbing into dangerous levels.

This all manifests in, among others, heavy sweating, weakness and dizziness, nausea and vomiting, headaches as well as low blood pressure and a rapid heart rate.

If you see one or more of these symptoms, take immediate action!

Treatment for heat exhaustion

Move the person, again, to a cool and shaded place. Encourage them to drink water or sports drinks with electrolytes. Cool them off with a wet towel and let them rest and cool down.

Here it is of the utmost importance that you keep an eye on your athlete and regularly check on their state.

If the symptoms don’t improve withing 30 to 60 minutes or get worse or if their temperature reaches 40°C (104°F) or higher., seek medical attention.

Heat stroke

Heat strokes present a sever and life threatening condition that occurs when your athlete’s body temperature regulation completely fails. Their core body temperature rises to dangerous levels over 40°C (104°F) .

Now it’s time to take swift action and call for medical help because if not treated correctly and quickly it can lead to permanent damage or death.

Causes for heat stroke

Heat stroke is last stage of heat exhaustion where the athletes performed intense physical activities over prolonged periods of time and are completely dehydrated from sweating and not drinking enough.

Your athlete will have a high body temperature, experience some altered mental state like confusion, agitation, seizures, their skin will have a lack of sweat and feel hot and dry to the touch. This is one of the classic signs that you have to take immediate action.

They will also have rapid breathing and a racing heart rate coupled with headaches and nausea.

Treatment for heat stroke

In these situations it’s important that the person is cooled down as much as possible. Take them into a cool environment, remove excess clothing from their body and start cooling them down.

Immerse them in a cool bath or shower, apply ice packs to their armpits, neck, and groin to cool some of the biggest blood vessel in their body and cool the body even further.

If there is no bath or shower available, wet their skin and fan air over their body. Use whatever tool you have available to cool them down.

While doing that, instruct a person to call for medical help and keep cooling the person until help arrives.

Also, it’s important to not give the person anything to drink. Because their level of consciousness is often altered it makes drinking fluids unsafe. It’s better to leave rehydration to be done intravenously by healthcare professionals.

Stay safe

This week we have explored ways to prevent heat related illnesses and teach your athletes bodies to cope with heat and the stresses it carries with it but you also have to be alert and monitor your athletes behaviours during training sessions and competitions.

Keep a cool head and you should have a great experience as much as the conditions allow it.

See you next week!