Q: What is Heat Exhaustion?

A: Heat Exhaustion is caused by dehydration and low blood sugar on a hot or humid day. It is a progressive disorder of body temperature, or the inability for the body to properly cool down. Strenuous activities and insulated clothing will speed the process. The warning signs include weakness, fatigue, drenching sweats or lack of sweat, nausea, pale or clammy skin, disorientation or vertigo and unconsciousness.

Q: What is Heat Stroke?

A: Heat Stroke is the next step after Heat Exhaustion if proper medical attention has not been received. It has the same symptoms as heat exhaustion, the difference being that the body temperature rapidly climbs to dangerous levels. Unable to properly cool, the person will feel as if they are burning up as their pulse rate begins to race. Vital organs and brain function begin to shutdown as the body literally begins to cook itself. Sweating is usually, but not always decreased, and the skin is hot, flushed (or red) and usually dry. Vomiting, disorientation, unconsciousness, convulsions, circulatory collapse and death are all possible as body temperatures can reach as high as 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42C). Those who survive are likely to have permanent brain damage.

Q: Why does this affect people on the fairegrounds?

A: With constricting clothing made of layered fabrics and heavy performance schedules, including stage combat and street interaction, it is possible to overextend the body?s natural ability to cool itself. Many cast members will move from one venue to the next in quick succession, with little time for a break. Also, conditions for staged fighting in areas such as the Joust Field and the Chessboard are often similar to those on warm day at the beach, with sunlight and heat reflecting off the sand or wooden boards.

Q: Who is likely to have a problem with the heat?

A: Everyone. Those most likely to have problems are the very young, the elderly, those with fair skin and light colored hair, those not in good physical condition or those performing strenuous activities (example: Chess and Joust Fights). But again, anyone can have problems with the heat.

Q: When are problems most likely to occur?

A: Most problems are likely to happen on hot and humid days anytime after 1:00 pm, with chances increasing as the afternoon wears on. Rule of thumb: add the temperature and humidity for the day together. If the result is higher than 160, be careful. NOTE: Sunday afternoons are a higher risk than Saturday afternoons. Often the body will use all it?s reserves on the first performance day, leaving nothing for the second. (A frequently heard comment is "I didn?t do anything different than I did yesterday?.")

Q: Are hot days the only time that problems occur?

A: No. It is possible to have problems like those described above on the cool and/or wet days at the end of the season. The cold air tends to dry the body out in ways similar to a hot day. Also as the days get cooler, people tend to drink less because they are no longer sweating.

Q: Are there any early warning signs that I can watch for?

A: While resting, take a personal inventory of when you last drank and ate. Besidesthe symptoms listed above, a good early warning is how often you go to the bathroom (privy) and the color of your urine. Rule of thumb: If you are drinking water but not using the bathroom, drink more. If you are drinking and your urine is yellow in color, drink more. Both of these signs are indicators that you are sweating out more water than you are taking in. Listen to your body.

Q: What can I do to protect myself?

A: The best defense is to pace yourself. Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, eat small snacks throughout the entire day, try not to overexert yourself and take frequent breaks to rest and cool off. Rule of Thumb: Never be with out water. (Personal Note: I will often walk a circuit of the fairegrounds while I have water in my tankard to drink. When I run out, I will work my way to the nearest stage with a watercooler. In this way I cover a lot of territory yet still am able to take short breaks.)

Q: What is the best thing to drink on a hot day?

A: Water, plain and simple. The human body is composed primarily of water. Replacing it as we sweat is the best way to avoid a problem. Two gallons over the course of a performance day should be considered the minimum. To add a little variety, some people will drink tea or lemonade. Sports drinks, like Gatorade, are also a good alternative. Fruit juices are good, but are a bit harder for the body to digest. It has been strongly recommended that you drink at least two cups of water for every cup of something else, not only for hydration, but to protect the voice as well.

Q: Anything that I should not drink?

A: Carbonated sodas will do more harm than good. It takes more water to digest a soda than you actually get in the soda itself. UNDER NO CIRCUMSANCES should you ever drink an alcoholic beverage. Beer and liquor will actually speed dehydration.

Q: What should I do when someone is in trouble?

A: First and foremost: Send Someone Else To First Aid. Get that person to a cool place out of the sun. Remove any constricting clothing (example: a bodice or tights). Get them to lay down with the feet slightly elevated. Place a cool cloth at the wrists and/or neck. Have a hard candy around for them to suck on. Small amounts of water, sugar water, or a sport drink should be given after resting for about five to ten minutes, or as the person begins to respond. A member of the directing staff or a production staff member with a radio should be informed A.S.A.P.

Hopefully this list will help to prevent problems this season with the "dog days" of August and early September. Any further questions about heat related difficulties will be posted as the need arises. For further information please see the link below.

Heatstroke and Heat Exhaustion