Sunstroke: The Dangers and What To Do if You Have Been Affected

28 octobre 2025

3 min de lecture

Ouvrir le guide Ouvrir la collection Ouvrir la série

The membranes of the brain swell, and blood pressure rises. The work of the nerve centers responsible for vital functions is disrupted. These sound like symptoms of a rare fatal disease, right? The above is a description of what happens in the body during a sunstroke.

Points clés

The membranes of the brain swell, and blood pressure rises.
What is it and why does it happen?
What should you look out for?

Pour qui

Ceux qui explorent Healthy lifestyle à travers headache, sunstroke.

Pourquoi c'est important

Cet article vous aide à vous orienter rapidement, puis à passer à une collection ou une série si vous souhaitez aller plus loin.

Auteur de l'article

Dr. Helga

General practitioner

What is it and why does it happen?

Sunstroke differs from heatstroke in that overheating does not occur in the entire body, but only in the head due to prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Most often it happens in the middle of the day when the sun is most active.

Doctors recommend that during this period, you should try to stay in the shade, drink water, and wear a hat. People suffering from heart diseases and obesity should be especially careful in the heat, while children under the age of 3 should not be exposed to the sun during the daytime.

Do not drink alcohol in the heat, because its effect on the body gives symptoms similar to sunstroke, and it is easy not to notice the first signs of overheating. It is important to note that not everyone feels unwell at the same time. In some cases, a person may feel ill a few hours after exposure to the sun, while in children the symptoms appear much faster than in adults.

What should you look out for?

You should first look out for sudden weakness, lightheadedness, and nausea. Most people think of these symptoms as signs of food poisoning, fatigue, or the initial stage of an acute respiratory infection.

However, they are often the first signs of sunstroke. The first step to take is to immediately get into the shade and drink cool water. If you don’t, you will experience a faster heartbeat, shortness of breath, severe headache and vomiting, and impaired movements.

The state of a person with second-degree sunstroke is very similar to alcohol intoxication. If no action is taken at this stage, the third stage will develop with hallucinations, delirium, seizures, a critical rise in temperature, and even coma.

What should you do?

Cool and fresh air is necessary, and the person should be laid out in the shade or in a cool room, with the head turned sideways in case of vomiting. Under no circumstances should you put ice on the head or body, as this will cause vasospasm. For this same reason, you should not offer a person ice cream, ice water, or turn on the air conditioner to a temperature below 73 degrees Fahrenheit.

A wet towel or simply pouring water on the head can significantly alleviate the symptoms of the patient. You can put cool compresses on the forehead and under the back of the head. If the person can drink, offer mineral water in small portions — as much as he or she is able to swallow.

It is best to call/go to an ER since it is difficult to assess the severity of the condition yourself. This is especially important if the person is a child or elderly.

Next steps

The person should rest in bed for at least one day, which will give the body an opportunity to recover. In the days following the sunstroke, you should limit physical activity, even if you feel well and all symptoms have disappeared. Drink plenty of fluids and rest.

After a day or two, you should be close to fully recovered. However, if any of the symptoms persist for 24 hours or more, especially the headache, you should seek medical attention. It is possible that you will need to be admitted to the hospital if you have had a micro stroke as a result.

Continuer la lecture

Healthy lifestyle#headache

6 of the Rarest Medical Specialties

With the development of medicine, narrowly specialized specialists have appeared, whose task is to solve problems beyond the competence of general practitioners. Read on to find out if you need one of them.

Helen10 déc. 2025

Healthy lifestyle#healthy eating

Monosodium Glutamate: Is It Dangerous?

Is monosodium glutamate, more commonly known as MSG, safe to eat? There are many questions about MSG, with no unequivocal answer. Ornament has conducted its investigation.

Dr. Serge28 oct. 2025

Bones and muscles#fitness

What Are the Best Sports That Don’t Harm Our Joints

There is at least one part of our body that does not enjoy sports at all—the joints. What kind of fitness is the best for them?

Dr. Helga28 oct. 2025

Gastrointestinal tract#healthy eating

8 Tips for a Safe and Healthy Barbecue Party

The flavor of the barbeque, enticing smells, and juicy slices of meat or fish on the grill are common for summer weekends. Being outdoors helps people clear their heads and regulate emotions. At a barbecue, your stomach will be working hard to digest all of that food. How can you enjoy your picnic without suffering from heartburn, cramps, or even something worse afterward? Here are the 8 tips for a safe and healthy barbecue.

Dr. Victoria28 oct. 2025

Installez Ornament pour non seulement lire ces articles, mais aussi suivre votre santé, enregistrer vos résultats d'analyses et accéder à d'autres fonctionnalités utiles

Installer Ornament