This Is How A Heatwave Impacts Your Body

Parents editor at HuffPost UK

A rare ‘red’ extreme heat alert has been issued ahead of soaring temperatures in south-east England this week.

Temperatures are expected to reach 37°C, with the Met Office saying “there remains a chance of this being exceeded in places”.

Under the previous amber alert (which has since been upgraded to red) elderly people and those with underlying health conditions were flagged as most at-risk from the warmer temperatures.

However the red alert now indicates “a risk to life for even the healthy population”.

We looked into exactly how such high temperatures can impact the body – and why it’s so important to try and stay cool.

When it’s hot for an extended period of time, the body’s internal temperature may rise, making your heart rate increase and vessels expand to bring more blood to the outer layers of skin, where the heat is then released.

If this heat isn’t released fast enough or the surrounding air is warmer than the body, your sweat glands will try to cool you down.

This is all well and good, but Dr Luke Powles, associate clinical director of Health Clinics Bupa Global and UK, told HuffPost UK sweating means a loss of fluid.

“This can lead to a drop in blood pressure,” he explained, “causing the heart to beat more rapidly, making the heart work harder to maintain a cooler body.”

“People with heart conditions and other underlying medical problems, and those on certain medications, can be particularly sensitive to increasing temperatures and therefore at a higher risk of becoming unwell in a heatwave,” he said.

This is why it’s imperative to stay hydrated, and keep cool where possible.

Part of the brain called the hypothalamus controls our core body temperature........

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