You need to sweat it out if you are a runner. Literally.
Sweating is the main way the body loses heat, therefore it's crucial for runners to sweat naturally, said Dr Low Wye Mun, a sports medicine doctor at The Clinic@Cuppage.
Few realise it, but heat exhaustion can occur even when you are not under the searing sun. That means it could happen even if you were running a marathon at night. In fact, it happens any time the body is unable to lose heat during exercise.
'Wearing light and well-ventilated clothing instead of long-sleeves and long pants helps in the cooling process,' said Dr Low.
If you covered up excessively, heat from your body cannot dissipate because sweat will remain trapped under the clothing. Keeping the body well-hydrated is also crucial in preventing heat exhaustion.
Dr Low recommends that a runner drink about 250ml of fluids for every 15 to 20 minutes of exercise. Although water is sufficient for hydration, sports drinks boost performance by replacing the salt and glucose lost during such events.
While heat exhaustion is not life-threatening, it can develop into heat stroke. And if left untreated, complications like brain cell damage, organ failure, collapse, and even death may result.
However, heat exhaustion can be difficult to detect during a run.
According to Dr Lim Jit Kheng, a sports orthopaedic surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, detection of heat injury requires the measurement of the body's core temperature using a rectal thermometer. While available at all endurance events, this is obviously not an option for runners.
'Furthermore, the symptoms for heat exhaustion are also quite similar to normal physical exhaustion, which include lots of sweating and a reduced but still palpable sense of balance, a feeling commonly expressed as 'hitting the wall'.'
Once the body temperature rises above 41degC, heat stroke sets in. The victim stops sweating and the skin dries up. Other signs also include unresponsiveness, tiredness and loss of balance. By then, serious medical attention is needed.
To prevent heat injury, both doctors suggested adequate physical preparation for the endurance event. That means not jumping straight into a 42km marathon when you have not conquered shorter distances.
Also, if slated to run in scorching temperatures, it helps to first acclimatise your body by training yourself progressively in hot and humid conditions.
In essence, do whatever it takes to prevent it in the first place.
But what can you do if you feel the onset of a heat stroke?
Said Dr Low: 'Stop the exercise, move to a cooler place and cool down through the use of cool fluids, fans, and cool wet towels. To paraphrase: its either drink or die.'
