Add in a heat advisory in the area until Thursday, and Grilliot suggests families and coaches who are sending young athletes to camps or musicians to band camp this time of year should take extra precautions.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
A heat-related illness occurs when the body is exposed to extreme heat. Heat stroke is the most serious condition, when the body hits about 106 degrees Fahrenheit within about 10 to 15 minutes.
While the temperature has been in the upper 80s and 90s in late July, Grilliot said in Ohio and the southern states humidity can make heat more dangerous. The human body cools by producing sweat, which then evaporates into the air. If the body is producing sweat that can’t evaporate due to a high amount of water already in the air – also known as humidity - it’s much more difficult for the body to cool off.
Grilliot said families with athletes or kids who will be attending an outdoor sports camp during the heat should first encourage hydration, about 24 to 48 hours ahead of time. He said during a fellowship he completed in New Orleans, it was difficult to get teenagers to understand they need to hydrate well ahead of time, with both water and electrolytes.
“You can’t do it the day before and you can’t do it the day of,” he said. “If you do it the day of, it’s already too late.”
Kids can also wear loose-fitting clothing and stay in the shade as much as possible, he said.
Early signs of heat exhaustion, which is the step before heat stroke, include dizziness and lightheadedness. If an athlete complains of those symptoms, they should be pulled out of practice and into a shaded area and provided with whatever cooling measures are on hand, such as ice packs placed around the body or wet towels. Grilliot said cold tubs can be extremely effective in this way.
Grilliot said an adult should also check the athlete’s body temperature and make sure it’s not in that 106-degree range.
An athlete who starts slurring their words could be experiencing heat stroke, Grilliot said. In that situation, the most important thing to do, even before calling 911, is getting them to cool down rapidly with ice packs or wet towels.
“You need to start cooling them right away because the longer their temperature stays that high, the more potentially damage can be done,” he said.
Dayton Children’s Lora Scott, division chief for sports medicine, advised getting people to try to acclimatize to the heat.
“During the acclimatization period, many athletes are unable to do the intense workouts they can do in cooler temperatures,” she said in a 2022 blog post. “And if you stop exercising in the heat, your body loses these adaptations.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Scott also advised unlimited access to water and electrolytes during a workout.
Grilliot said there is more awareness now than before about heat-related illnesses, especially after high-profile cases in the NFL.
“There’s a lot more awareness in ways they can mitigate some of those issues now, which - it can save lives, because heat stroke can be deadly,” he said.
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