September 4, 2018 – Body Clues and Heat

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Anchor lead: How can you tell if your body isn’t responding well to high temperatures? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Using a fan when outdoor temperatures are high may actually be harmful if it’s also very dry, a recent study found. That’s because you may not be aware that your body isn’t cooling off since you feel air moving. Matthew Levy, an emergency medicine expert at Johns Hopkins, says when weather is hot, paying attention to body clues is important.

Levy: One of the most important things that we want people to be aware of is how their body, when they’re in high heat conditions, is how their body is going to respond to it, and markers of hydration, or dehydration. And those often times start off with subtle clues. One of the first ones being thirst. Another one being a headache or a mild headache. Or a generalized just not well feeling. Those are just some of the body’s early indicators that it might be feeling the stress or the negative effects of the heat.  :30

Levy says fans are usually okay if it’s hot but also humid, since the body doesn’t become dehydrated. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.