Australian Summer Heat Safety: Heat Exhaustion, Heatstroke and Sun Protection

Photo: Dietmar Rabich / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.

Australian summer heat safety matters because heat is one of the most common health risks of the season. This is general information drawn from healthdirect, Australia’s government-funded health advice service, and from Cancer Council Australia. It explains the difference between heat exhaustion and heatstroke, who is at higher risk, how to keep cool and how to protect your skin. It does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist, and anyone who is unwell or has a long-term condition should ask a clinician about their own situation.

Heat exhaustion: the early warning

According to healthdirect, heat exhaustion happens when the body loses too much water and salt through sweat. Symptoms include a normal or raised body temperature, thirst, muscle weakness or cramps, anxiety, headache, dizziness or fainting.

The advice for heat exhaustion is to move to a cooler place, lie down on your back and drink an oral rehydration solution. Healthdirect warns that untreated heat exhaustion can progress to heatstroke. It also says heat cramps that last longer than an hour need medical attention.

Heatstroke is an emergency

Heatstroke is the most severe heat-related illness. Healthdirect’s heatstroke page describes it as a life-threatening emergency in which the body overheats and can no longer cool itself. The signs include:

• red, hot skin, with little or no sweating
• confusion, poor coordination or strange or aggressive behaviour
• nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea, and thirst
• seizures or loss of consciousness

If you suspect heatstroke, call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance straight away. If the person is not breathing, start CPR. Healthdirect says anyone who is very unwell and does not respond to cooling and rehydration within 10 minutes should also be treated as an emergency. The two healthdirect pages give slightly different body temperature thresholds (above 39°C on one, above 40°C on the other), so rely on the symptoms and the 000 call-taker rather than a thermometer reading.

First aid while waiting for help

Healthdirect lists these steps for heatstroke while an ambulance is on its way:

• Move the person to a cool or shaded place and loosen or remove extra clothing.
• Cool them down with cool water, damp cloths or spray, fan them, and put ice or cool packs on areas such as the armpits, groin and neck.
• Offer cool drinks only if they are fully conscious and able to swallow.
• Do not give aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen, because they do not lower body temperature in heatstroke.
• Do not leave the person in the heat. They need hospital care even if their temperature drops.

Never leave a child or an animal alone in a parked car, even with the air conditioner on.

Who is at higher risk

Healthdirect lists adults over 65, babies and children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with heart or lung disease, diabetes or other long-term conditions, and people who take certain medicines. People who work or exercise outdoors, people who live alone or are socially isolated, and visitors who are not used to the heat are also at higher risk. During a heatwave, which healthdirect defines as three or more consecutive days of unusually hot weather, check on relatives and neighbours who fall into these groups.

How to stay cool

• Drink water regularly, before you feel thirsty, and carry a bottle. Healthdirect suggests checking your urine colour as a guide to hydration. Our guide to how much to drink covers general fluid guidance from the NHS.
• Plan outdoor activity for early morning or evening and avoid the hottest part of the day. Healthdirect gives 11am to 3pm as the part of the day to plan around.
• Wear light, loose clothing and a hat. Limit alcohol, caffeine and sugary drinks.
• At home, close curtains and blinds during the day and use fans or air conditioning. If your home is too hot, spend time somewhere cool such as a library, shopping centre or cinema.

Sun protection

Cancer Council Australia’s sunscreen guidance recommends a broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 50 or SPF 50+ sunscreen. It says an adult needs about seven teaspoons for the whole body, applied 20 minutes before going outside and reapplied every two hours, and after swimming, sweating or towel drying. Sunscreen is meant to be used with other protection when the UV Index is 3 or above. The Council’s Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide message means a shirt, sunscreen, a hat, shade and wraparound sunglasses. For how to read labels, see our guide to sunscreen labels.

When to get advice

For non-urgent advice, healthdirect’s nurse line is 1800 022 222, open 24 hours. In an emergency in Australia, call 000. Readers outside Australia should follow their own local guidance, as emergency numbers and health advice differ by country.

Sources

• healthdirect: Hot weather risks and staying cool
• healthdirect: Heatstroke
• Cancer Council Australia: Sunscreen basics
• Cancer Council Australia: Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide

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