Sweltering summer heat deserves your respect. Intense heat exposure can leave you weak and exhausted, lead to dangerous heat stroke and turn a car interior into a lethal trap for kids.

You can take steps to minimize heat exposure and avoid unhealthy effects. Here’s what to know about hot-weather hazards and how to keep yourself and your family safe.

Overexposure to heat can create these health issues:

Dehydration is when your body uses or loses more fluid than it takes in without it being replaced.

Simple dehydration is likely the most common cause of health problems from intense summer heat, says Dr. Samuel Keim, a professor and head of the department of emergency medicine at the University of Arizona.

“When the temperature is over 90 degrees, the body tries to keep cool through protective mechanisms,” says Keim, who is also affiliated with Banner University Medical Center in Tucson. “The most important is probably sweating.” As you sweat, you need to replenish that fluid.

Heat Exhaustion vs. Heat Stroke

Heat exhaustion is the “I feel weak, dehydrated, heat cramps and even passing out” condition, Ferrigno says. Heat stroke, by contrast, involves a whole-body reaction from your brain to the rest of your vital organs.

“Heat stroke, which is a high body temperature plus brain dysfunction, is very deadly,” says Keim, who has conducted research on the condition for about two decades. “A heat index over 100 degrees is a high-risk environment for heat stroke.”

Also called exertional heat stroke, exertional heat injury is the most common cause of death among pediatric athletes, Ferrigno says.

The point where you should seek medical treatment is not always clear-cut. “It’s certainly an easy decision if someone collapses or passes out,” Ferrigno says. “But heat exhaustion and heat stroke can often sneak up on you. Be aware, and if you are feeling poorly or acting oddly, then get out of the heat. Spray yourself with water while a fan blows on you – this can really make a difference.

Don’t brush off early signs like fatigue and thirst, Keim cautions. “These should result in a decision to get out of the heat,” he says. “That behavioral response is key. Once an individual approaches heat stroke, the cognitive ability to reason decreases.”

If it’s hot out and you’re feeling poorly – respect that feeling, says Dr. Rockman Ferrigno, chair of emergency medicine and associate chief medical officer at Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health.

Pay attention to heat-exhaustion symptoms like these:

Seek immediate treatment for yourself – or anyone else – for symptoms like confusion or fainting. However, Keim says, you should always try to start the cooling process immediately, even before EMTs arrive.

Use proven methods like these to keep your core body temperature under control:

Don’t try to complete strenuous outdoor tasks in one fell swoop. “Push-mowing the grass is a classic,” Ferrigno says. Set up a planned break or two to come inside and make sure you get cooled off, he suggests.

Keep these fluid and hydration pointers in mind:

Taking in fluid is crucial if you’re feeling symptoms of heat illness. If someone cannot drink because heat illness is so severe, they must immediately seek care at an emergency department, Ferrigno emphasizes.

Heat index is the combination of ambient (surrounding) air temperature plus humidity. A heat index over 90 degrees puts people at high risk with any activity, Keim says.

“Higher humidity adds to the thermal load the body must try to compensate for,” Keim says. When the heat index is high, hydrate yourself throughout the day and exercise only in the early morning.

Dry heat really does make a difference, Ferrigno says: “The lower the humidity, the more heat one can tolerate.” However, low humidity isn’t a magic buffer.

“When a dry heat exceeds 100 degrees, with a humidity under 20%, it is still a dangerous condition,” Keim says. “We find that visitors to Arizona who come from humid climates frequently don’t perceive the true temperature. They tend to go for hikes, golf or other sports activities when it is actually dangerous.”

Older Adults and Medical Conditions

As you get older, you need to take extra care as temperatures rise. By age 70, the ability to compensate for high-temperature environments decreases, Keim explains. Thirst mechanisms also become less efficient with age, so people are less likely to feel thirsty or realize they’re getting dehydrated.

“Intense summer heat causes havoc with our respiratory patients, our elderly and patients who have preexisting medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart conditions,” Ferrigno says.

Medications can disrupt your natural reflexes and reduce heat tolerance in different ways, such as these drug classes:

Infants and younger children need extra protection from heat exposure. One frightening reason is they can’t always escape a hot environment like a car.

“Tragically, we have deaths each year related to children in cars,” Ferrigno says. “Nothing can console the grief of a parent who has inadvertently left their child in a car – absolutely one of the most tragic scenarios we encounter.”

His suggestion: “If you have an infant in a car seat, put your wallet or purse in the back seat with them. This will make it less likely for you to leave your car without your child.”

Summer in the city can be dangerous, as “heat islands” result. Climate change is expected to further increase death rates from heat exposure in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Philadelphia, according to a June 2019 study in the journal Science Advances.

Dense concentrations of concrete and asphalt combined with a lack of vegetation reduce the cooling capabilities of evaporation, explains Danielle Rhubart, a postdoctoral fellow with the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Although it may seem surprising, the most rural U.S. areas have the second-highest rates of heat-related morality. Higher rates of poverty and preexisting conditions, combined with less access to health care, may account for this rural disadvantage, Rhubart explains.

COVID-19 and Health Disparities

With the pandemic, physical distancing restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading mean there are fewer public places – like pools, cooling stations, libraries and indoor shopping malls – for people to go, Rhubart points out in a July 1 research brief.

Hot-weather standbys people have previously taken for granted – like water fountains – are missing.

Social determinants of health – like income, housing and location – contribute to heat exposure risks and prevention. Air conditioning may be an unavailable luxury for some people working from home, or who find themselves essentially confined to home for health reasons.

If you lack access to air conditioning, protecting yourself from the heat is more challenging. The Global Heat Health Information Network offers these for creating a cooler indoor environment:

Exercise, Athletes and Heat

Whether you play team sports or exercise on your own, don’t try to power through in extreme heat. Instead, take sensible precautions:

When it comes to exertional heat injuries, Ferrigno says, the pandemic may actually help matters in terms of having fewer organized sports during the current summer and fall.

Kids flock to swimming pools in the summer heat. This year, many families are turning to backyard pools at home. As their use increases, Ferrigno shares these safety tips:

Public health strategies to protect people from heat-related illness and fatalities should include the following actions, according to Rhubart: