It’s finally summer festival season – and the heat is on!
Hopefully, the warm weather’s what you wanted – we all know it’s miserable getting stuck in a cold, wet field, watching your wellies slowly sink into the mud.
Mud permitting, festival life can be phenomenal – but it’s not without its dangers. That classic festival combo of too much booze and sun can lead to more than just dehydration and an absolutely banging hangover the next day.
So, if you’re off on a festival adventure this summer, here’s a bit of advice from your friendly GP anatomist.
Consider a trip to Glastonbury as you would an expedition to the Gobi desert: festival goers can be exposed to a whole range of temperatures, even in summer. While a full sun can send temperatures skyrocketing during the day, by nightfall temperatures can plummet.
Heat exhaustion has a whole range of associated symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, headaches, weakness and more – in conjunction with a high temperature. If you start to experience any of these symptoms, stop and think. It’s possible to turn things around once you’ve recognised you’re overheating.
Seek shelter, drink plenty of fluids and cool down by whatever means available: strip off, apply cold packs and sit in front of a fan, if possible.
Read more: The best way to cool down quickly and safely in a heatwave
Heatstroke can develop from heat exhaustion. This is not a trivial condition. It is a........