Heatwaves Side Effects: 7 Dangerous Things They Can Do To The Body

What happens to your body when you expose it to the extreme hot temperature? Scroll down to read and know everything.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heatwave alert in India. According to the reports, some parts of the country are expected to face the wrath of high and scorching heat. At this point, experts have cautioned everyone to take proper care of their bodies, as these heatwaves can damage the body severely from the inside, leading to the onset of chronic health conditions.

From acute dehydration to stroke, bodies exposed to heatwave can get damaged to a level where it can become extremely difficult for the person to survive the condition. We spoke to Dr Anant Katkar, Neurosurgeon Consultant DNB, MS, MBBS, Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune, to understand the various ways in which the body gets affected when it gets exposed to extremely high temperatures.

What Is A Heatwave?

Some people might like it hot, but not everyone knows how extreme heat can overpower the human body. In this article, we explore the possible things that the body may face when it is exposed to high temperatures. But before we dig out the harsh effects of high temperatures on the human body, let us clear the air around heat waves.

What exactly is a heatwave? Heat waves occur when the temperature rises by 4 degrees Celsius over the yearly normal and last for three days or more.

1. If the place is near the coast, the temperature is above 37 degrees Celsius.
2. The hilly area was hotter than 30 C.

What Happens To The Body During Heatwave?

Now that we know what heat waves are, let’s take a look at how the body reacts to such extreme weather conditions during the summer. What kind of impact does extreme, sustained heat have on the human body? According to Dr Katkar, when a person is exposed to heat waves (extremely high temperatures during the summer season) for a very long time, the first thing that happens is the shutting down of the body’s ability to sweat. What happens when the body is not able to sweat properly? When perspiration is dried by the air there is a cooling effect on the body. Once a person stops perspiring, in very short order a person can move from heat exhaustion to heat stroke.

When the body stops sweating, it becomes very hot from the inside. This is the time when the boy gets affected the most as eventually this leads to a condition where the brain starts getting affected, and that’s when people begin to get confused and can lose consciousness.