With heat returning to the area, Guthrie County Health Services Director Jotham Arber says it’s important to stay hydrated.

Arber mentions that increased temperatures increase the rate of sweating, and if a person is also exerting themself physically, they will sweat even more. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio his recommendation for keeping fluid levels strong.

“We want to make sure that we’re staying hydrated. So drinking lots of water. Drinking water is the number one thing besides wearing sunscreen that we would recommend to anybody who’s going to be outside for long periods of time. And you want to make sure you’re choosing your drinks. I suggest water, but you can have Gatorades, I would just really recommend to folks that they stay away from anything that’s sugary, and especially when it’s really hot outside, be very careful drinking alcohol. As your body begins to heat up and you drink alcohol, it can really cause you to go into heat stroke and heat exhaustion a lot faster.”

Arber explains that if someone is feeling the effects of either heat exhaustion or heat stroke, they need to try and cool off as quickly as possible. Excessive sweating, dizziness and headaches are some symptoms of heat exhaustion, while those suffering heat stroke may experience losing consciousness, and even stop sweating.