When to Go Inside When It’s Very Hot? It Depends on Your Age

livemint.com:

How long you should be out in the heat depends partly on your age. A prolonged heat wave is forcing a rethink of outdoor safety. Being outside reduces the risk ofCovid transmission, and nature has a host of benefits for mental health.

But when temperatures soar, people need to balance those positives against heat-related health risks, doctors say. People at either end of the age spectrum—kids under 4 and adults over the age of 65—are at the highest risk of heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke, because they can’t regulate their core body temperature as efficiently, doctors say. A person’s risk depends on many factors, like medical conditions, acclimation to heat, and medications, so doctors are reluctant to give blanket guidance.

Anyone experiencing symptoms of heat-related illness should seek medical attention if efforts to cool down, such as by moving into an air-conditioned space, drinking water, shedding clothing or sprinkling cool water onto the body, don’t improve symptoms within a half-hour, doctors say. Here’s how to assess heat risk by age. Babies and children under 4 years old are at high risk when it’s hot.

Just because you’re not overheating doesn’t mean they aren’t: Children’s bodies heat up more quickly than adults’ and have a harder time dissipating heat because they don’t sweat as efficiently, pediatricians say. Young children are also at greater risk of overheating because they can’t take off clothes to cool themselves down or communicate their discomfort to adults. Parents should look for signs of dehydration or heat stress on hot days, including if a young child is crying with no tears, goes a longer time than usual without a wet diaper or has a dry mouth or tongue, says Dr.