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7 Signs That Your Body Is Overheating And Ways To Manage It

American football player and former Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III died of heat stroke. According to a copy of the autopsy report obtained by USA TODAY Sports on Monday, the National Football League player was found dead in his apartment.

His death was initially ruled an accident.

Feeling too tired in the sun? Plans of going out in the morning or afternoon to make you squirm? Well, it is normal to feel so because most of us have a safe body temperature level of 37°C, which can cause your body to overheat when exceeded.

Healthy bodies can self-regulate body temperature and prevent the onset of heat illnesses such as heat intolerance. Your body reacts to external and internal temperature, with the body temperature rising when the external and internal temperature increases [1] .

Overheating

After an intense physical activity or on a hot day, it is common to have a higher-than-normal body temperature. However, your body is overheating when the body temperature goes above 38ºC or more.

Hot outside temperatures, intense physical activity, illnesses that cause fever, and certain medications can all cause a high body temperature [2] . When your body overheats, it can result in you fainting or some severe cases, medical attention will be required.

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Overheating is dangerous to your body because it is a prelude to other sun-induced trouble, such as dehydration which can affect your heart health, damage your delicate tissues, affect the nerve cells in the brain and throughout the body - which can lead to confusion, memory impairment, and even loss of consciousness [3] [4] .

Therefore it is necessary that you can detect the signs and symptoms of the body overheating, as it can help avoid severe outcomes.

Here are the body overheating symptoms you should look out for [5] [6] .

1. Tingling skin

According to studies, one of the early symptoms of body overheating includes a tingling sensation in the skin and goosebumps. If you feel any of these signs while in the sun or during strenuous physical activities, head indoors before the symptoms escalate.

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2. Headache

A common sign of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, headaches caused by overheating your body can range from dull to throbbing and indicate that your body is in desperate need to cool down immediately.

3. Nausea

Another common sign of bodily discomfort, nausea, is one of the most common signs that you are experiencing heat exhaustion. If the nausea is accompanied by vomiting, seek immediate medical attention.

4. Fatigue and weakness

When your body starts overheating, your energy levels will be extremely low, causing you to be fatigued and your body to be weak [7] . It can also lead to feelings of confusion, agitation, and anxiety.

5. Change in heart rate

One of the most severe as well as common indications of your body overheating is a change in your heart rate. It can either slow down or speed up rapidly. If your heart rate has slowed, your body is overheating due to heat exhaustion, and the other indicates heat stroke [8] .

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6. No sweating or increased sweating

Sweating exceedingly is never good for your health. When your body starts sweating profusely, it is time to go under shade or get inside your home. However, the severe form of sweating is when you do not sweat at all! Yes, this is called anhidrosis, which effectively shuts down the body's ability to cool itself off, producing no sweat [9] . Medical attention is required in this case.

7. Dizziness

A common symptom of body overheating, dizziness, should not be ignored. Dizziness is a sign of heat exhaustion, which can progress to a heat stroke if it goes untreated.

Ways To Manage Body Overheating

  • Drink cool liquids
  • Go somewhere with cooler air [10]
  • Get in cool water
  • Apply cold to key points on the body (such as wrists, neck, chest, and temple)
  • Wear lighter, more breathable clothing
  • Take heat-regulating supplements (ask your doctor)
  • Elevate your legs
  • Increase air circulation (such as sitting in front of a fan)
View Article References
  1. [1] Pilch, W., Szygula, Z., Tyka, A. K., Palka, T., Tyka, A., Cison, T., ... & Teleglow, A. (2014). Disturbances in pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance after passive body overheating and after exercise in elevated ambient temperatures in athletes and untrained men. PloS one, 9(1), e85320.
  2. [2] Swingland, I. R., & Frazier, J. G. (1980). The conflict between feeding and overheating in the Aldabran giant tortoise. In A handbook on biotelemetry and radio tracking (pp. 611-615). Pergamon.
  3. [3] Lushnikova, E. L., Nepomniashchikh, L. M., Klinnikova, M. G., & Molodykh, O. P. (1993). A quantitative tissue analysis of the rat myocardium in whole-body overheating. Biulleten'eksperimental'noi biologii i meditsiny, 116(7), 81-85.
  4. [4] Onozawa, S. (1994). U.S. Patent No. 5,282,277. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
  5. [5] Gravelle, G., & Nossey, D. (2013). U.S. Patent Application No. 13/481,902.
  6. [6] Torres Quezada, J., Toshiharu, I., Coch Roura, H., & Isalgué Buxeda, A. (2018). Predominant factors on Multi-housing overheating interior conditions and body temperature: a field study in Japan. In International Conference on Smart, Sustainable and Sensuous Settlements Transformation (3SSettlements) Proceeding (pp. 163-168). Technische Universität München.
  7. [7] Martin, A., & Ceranic, B. (2018). A critical review of the impact of global warming on overheating in buildings.
  8. [8] Ucci, M., Gauthier, S., & Mavrogianni, A. (2018). Thermal Comfort And Overheating: Assessment, psychosocial aspects and health impacts. In A Handbook of Sustainable Building Design and Engineering (pp. 226-240). Routledge.
  9. [9] Pilch, W., Szygula, Z., Tyka, A. K., Palka, T., Tyka, A., Cison, T., ... & Teleglow, A. (2014). Disturbances in pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance after passive body overheating and after exercise in elevated ambient temperatures in athletes and untrained men. PloS one, 9(1), e85320.
  10. [10] Sun, Y., Jin, C., Zhang, X., Jia, W., Le, J., & Ye, J. (2018). Restoration of GLP-1 secretion by Berberine is associated with protection of colon enterocytes from mitochondrial overheating in diet-induced obese mice. Nutrition & diabetes, 8(1), 53.

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