Heat illness a concern for athletes
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Here in Mississippi, we take hot weather for granted. We know that come June, July and August — and well into September the temperatures are going to creep into the upper 90s and maybe even the low 100s. It is just a part of living here.
Summertime is a time of outdoor recreational and sports activities, especially for kids. Kids are participating in baseball and softball tournaments, playing tennis and golf, and a variety of other activities. In just a few weeks — believe it or not — fall football practices will begin — high temperatures notwithstanding.
I sometimes worry that we tend to dismiss the risk of exercising in the heat. We should not, especially when it comes to the kids. Children — especially younger kids — do not regulate heat as well as adults, and require extra monitoring and, in these days of air conditioning, many kids may not be as acclimatized to high heat and humidity as in years gone by.
Therefore, I think it is probably a good time to think a little bit about heat illness and how to prevent it, especially with kids.
First of all, how dangerous is heat illness? Extremely dangerous. I can just about guarantee you that sometime in the month of August there will be a news report of a kid somewhere in this state or nearby who will die because of a heat stroke at football practice. For every fatality, I also guarantee you that there are scores of instances where kids became seriously ill due to heat exhaustion or heat stroke … and those don’t make the papers.
Are there things we can do to prevent these types of illnesses? There are some simple steps to follow that can help.
The first and most important is of course hydration. The amount of fluid that a kid loses while exercising in the heat is amazing. According to research, a person may lose as much as three liters per hour of water during exercise in the heat, and may lose as much as 12 liters (26 pounds of water) on a daily basis. If you are not up on the metric system, think about a 2-liter coke bottle. You are talking about one and a half of those — per hour.
Fluids should be replaced as they are lost — and the best replacement fluid is plain old water — not sports drinks. Some sports drinks have such a high sugar content that they can actually retard fluid absorption.
It is also better if the fluids are cold … this actually helps reduce body core temperature. The old myths about cold water being bad for you are just that … myths.
We also need to realize that just because a kid is well hydrated doesn’t mean they are no longer at risk for heat illness.
You need to realize that sweating doesn’t actually cool the body. Only the evaporation of sweat causes cooling. What happens is that the body redirects blood from the core areas of the body to the skin, carrying heat with it. The sweat on the skin evaporates, and carries the heat away with it, thus cooling the blood.
This means that for effective cooling, as much skin surface area as possible should be exposed to the air. If a child is covered up completely with clothing, tape, elastic or — heaven forbid — plastic, the sweat cannot evaporate and cooling cannot take place.
This also means that when the humidity is high, sweat does not evaporate as readily, which increases the risk of heat illness.
Thankfully, the days of forcing kids to practice in the heat without water have just about gone by. Coaches today are more knowledgeable regarding heat stress, and they know how important it is to keep kids hydrated. More and more teams have athletic trainers on staff who understand the risks and signs of heat illness and can intercept these problems before they occur, and many sports leagues have established rules for water breaks to help protect the children.
However, during activities where there are no professional coaches or athletic trainers, it is up to the parents to monitor their own kids for signs of heat illness. It just might save their life.
Washam is professor and chair of the Mississippi College department of Kinesiology.
