MIDLAND, Texas — As Summer peeks through right here in West Texas, locals are no stranger to the blazing heat that comes with it.
To ensure safety in the triple digit heat, medical professionals urge people to beware of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Signs of heat exhaustion may include feeling faint, excessive sweating, clammy skin, nausea or muscle cramps.
And on top of that, heat stroke is even more dangerous.
“Heat stroke is a little bit more severe, but they’ll have a throbbing headache, they can have some confusion," said Sirena Watts, Trauma Outreach and Injury Prevention Coordinator with Medical Center Health System. "This one's a little bit different though. There’ll be no sweating and a high body temperature, it can be 103 or above, which could be dangerous."
This is why Watts stressed the importance of staying hydrated with water.
"Hydrating before work, during work, after work, it’s all day long not just while you’re in the hot sun," said Watts. "This basic water bottle, this one is 16.9 ounces and so you would want to make sure you drink at least 8 ounces, so that would just be half of that bottle every 30 mins."
As you're enjoying your summer parties, watch your alcohol consumption.
"I don’t recommend drinking alcohol 24 hours prior to being in the sun for long periods of time," said Watts.
Also limit the amount of time you spend in the Sun and keep cool.
"You can go inside to a cool place and cool down and rest, cool yourself with cool water, whether that be cooling towel, water hose, cool shower," said Watts.
Be mindful of your body because if you get too hot, it can become dangerous.
"If they’re in and out of consciousness, if symptoms aren’t going away in one hour, I would definitely seek medical attention," said Watts.