As the summer sun beats down on the vast high desert of New Mexico, and the refreshing coolness that follows a monsoon thunderstorm could be days away — or more — it’s easy to sense that this environment can be as hot and unforgiving as it is beautiful.
Heat can creep up on you if you’re not prepared, said Jon Femling, MD, PhD, an emergency medicine physician at The University of New Mexico Hospital.
“Right now, as the hot days come up, is when you really catch a lot of people who are off-guard about the heat,” Femling said. “The other part is our physiology will change to help better deal with heat, but when we take this big jump up, it takes a couple weeks for our body to get used to it.”
By about mid-July, Albuquerque had already seen 16 days that reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more, and one day of 100-degree-or-higher heat, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The average temperature during that time was 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal, per NWS data.
Anyone overheated and experiencing symptoms like fever, chills, nausea or confusion should seek medical help, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
Groups who may be the most susceptible to high heat include people aged 65 and over, children, athletes and people with disabilities, according to the U.S. National Integrated Heat Health Information System.
Femling advises that people who spend time outdoors stay hydrated, eat salty snacks if they’re sweating a lot, adjust their exercise schedule to avoid constant heat and wear light-colored clothing, which can make a real temperature difference.
With time, the body will become more efficient at sweating, retain more fluids and be able to protect you better from high heat, he said.
Possible Signs of Heat Illness
According to the New Mexico Department of Health
- Chills
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Fast, weak pulse
- Fever
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea
- Tiredness
- Vomiting
- Warm, red skin that may become cold, pale and clammy
- Weakness
During a couple of recent shifts at UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center — A Campus of UNM Hospital (SRMC), Femling said about 60% of cases he saw were due to heat-related illness.
“It was stuff that people didn’t necessarily realize was heat-related,” Femling said. “Everybody was coming in dehydrated, because they’re losing so much water quicker, that people don’t realize just how behind they’re getting.”
Even being indoors, in a cool environment, can be deceiving, he said.
“You may feel hydrated inside in the air conditioning and then as soon as you step out, all of your blood sort of relocates to the periphery to try and cool you down, and, essentially, it’s like you just got dehydrated by a liter,” he said.
We don’t have to be impaired by heat. We just have to respect it, and we have to make sure that we’re doing things to allow our body to kind of get used to that and adapt to it.
- Jon Femling, MD, PhD, Emergency Medicine Physician, UNM Hospital
And when it comes to outdoor exercise, Femling said he has taken care of many patients who have collapsed or run into other problems hiking or running in the desert because they didn’t eat and hydrate appropriately. People exerting themselves in the heat should eat salty snacks and avoid drinking too much water, beyond thirst, to prevent serious issues, he said. Overhydrating can lower the amount of sodium in the blood to unsafe levels, a condition called hyponatremia. So, consuming a healthy balance of water and salty snacks is a must, Femling said.
With some preparation and allowing time for your body to adjust to the heat, you can better enjoy being outside in the New Mexico summer.
“We don’t have to be impaired by heat,” Femling said. “We just have to respect it, and we have to make sure that we’re doing things to allow our body to kind of get used to that and adapt to it.”
Read more from the HSC Newsroom on Summer Safety by clicking the links below:
Water Safety | Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke | Bikes, Scooters, ATV & Motorcycle Safety | Outdoor Safety
