The Heat is On

By Ryan Post We are nearing the beginning of fall sports, and the record temperatures that we are experiencing demand that athletes around the state be aware of the dangers related to heat. How does temperature affect the body? Two major effects of the temperature on the body are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. These are more severe than their precursors, heat cramps and heat rash, either of which may or may not accompany the onset of heat stroke. Heat stroke is a condition in which the body is unable to cool itself. Normally, the body responds to increased body temperatures by sweating. The sweat on the skin absorbs heat from the body and evaporates. Since the heat (energy) is used, it is removed from the body lowering the overall temperature of the individual. This cooling process is dependent on two factors, the ability of the body to produce sweat and the ability of the sweat to evaporate. The first factor, the ability of the body to produce sweat, requires that the athlete is hydrated. Simply drinking water before an activity may not be enough. Hydration for athletics should be started days or even weeks in advance of practice or competition depending on the time of the year. Proper hydration should follow the copious and clear rule when referring to the amount and clarity of the urine. The human body contains roughly 60% water by weight. Some of this water is contained within the blood plasma keeping the viscosity of the blood low which allows for efficient transport throughout the body. When the body reacts to an increase in temperature, the amount of water within the blood decreases as sweat is produced. Not maintaining proper hydration reduces the ability of the body to produce sweat. The second factor relates to the elements outside the body that allow for the sweat to evaporate. 2013 Ryan Post

The two conditions relevant to evaporation are temperature and humidity. To understand how humidity relates to sweat, think about making a pitcher of Kool Aid . You can add sugar to the mixture until you reach a point where no more sugar will dissolve. The excess sugar simply falls to the bottom. This is the sugars saturation point. Humidity refers to the saturation of water in the air. When it is raining, humidity is considered to be at 100% - the excess water falls out of the sky. When the humidity is closer to 100%, it becomes more difficult for sweat to evaporate from your skin. At higher humidity levels, your surface body temperature increases in order for the sweat to evaporate. This occurs as blood is routed to capillaries near the surface of your skin bringing with it the heat from your bodys core. This is good because the blood is cooled as part of the evaporation process, but it can also be bad. When blood is re-routed to these capillaries to aid in cooling the body, other high need areas (like your muscles) may not receive the nutrients needed for activity. The ambient air temperature also affects how the sweat evaporates. Evaporation is a cooling process meaning that it requires an input of heat energy. Heat is removed from the surrounding area to allow water to evaporate. The water does not choose where the energy comes from, so the water in sweat may absorb energy from the body or from the surrounding air to facilitate evaporation. If the ambient air temperature is higher than the bodys, a pseudo-competition arises between the air and body for the donation of heat to cause the evaporation. What happens when the body cannot regulate temperature? Heat rash is caused when there are blocked pores in the skin preventing the sweat to accumulate on the skin. In athletes, this can occur from excessive sweating as oils and minerals clog the pores. Heat cramps are associated directly to dehydration of major muscles involved in an exercise. (Remember the rerouting blood issues pointed out earlier.) The muscles begin to spasm as they begin to be deprived of water

and nutrients. These two precursors to heat exhaustion and heat stroke are akin to the temperature warning light in your car. If you allow your car to sit and cool for a while, you can then drive your car again. If you ignore the warning light, other parts of your car will begin to break down. An athlete with heat rash or heat cramps should sit, cool down and re-hydrate. An athlete with heat exhaustion has more bodywide complaints. These can include profuse sweating, weakness, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and muscle spasms. The affected individual may have a low grade fever. These are all reactions by the body as it attempts to regulate temperature. If this process fails, the bodys temperature will rise and sweating will stop. At 106oF, normal body functions also stop. The individual may experience confusion, seizure, or coma. This is a life threatening situation requiring medical attention. Individuals that show any of these signs should be evaluated by trained medical personnel prior to engaging in further physical activity. The stresses on the body during an instance of heat rash, cramps, exhaustion, or stroke cannot be understated for the sake of competition. Recent Changes In response to the growing awareness of heat related illness, the GHSA has enacted a new policy for conducting practices. A state-wide guideline for practices went into effect July 1st mandating that all schools monitor and adhere to specific heat related rules. The rules take into consideration both temperature and humidity and outline specific ratios of practice time to break time which varies according to these measurements. The higher the relevant temperature and humidity readings results in the water breaks becoming more frequent and longer in duration. When the readings are too high, all practices must stop. What may have been ignored up to this point by the GHSA, is the importance of acclimatization of athletes. In years past, it was required in football for players to undergo three of the first five days in helmets only. This year, as part of the rule changes, each football player must practice in helmets only for the first five consecutive days in which that individual 2013 Ryan Post

participates in order to get used to the heat. This must be recorded by the head coach and kept on record for each player. Is this enough? Many coaches believe in their summer workout schedule as playing a vital role in the success of their season. This is not just camaraderie and esprit de corps. These coaches understand the value of getting the players used to the climate of football. When a player shows up on day one of school after having missed the summer workouts, the player is afforded the opportunity to play (in most circumstances). This places a burden on the shoulders of the head coach as he must now ensure the player is ready to deal with issues discussed in this article. The bind that the coach is in is how long it will take to get this player ready. Summer (pre-season) workouts cannot be considered mandatory or used as a means of making cuts to the roster. If this were the case, the coaches would have a longer period of time to observe to the players ability to handle the heat. Instead, a player may skip all summer workouts and still be considered fit to participate August 1st. With the new legal burdens being placed on high school coaches associated to medical negligence, it may be time to change how coaches can emphasize the importance of the summer workouts. These sessions are not only vital to the preparation of the team, but also in the preparation of the individual to deal with the heat.

Ryan Post is entering his fourth year as a science teacher and football coach at East Coweta High School. He grew up in Miami and has been coaching at the high school level since 1991.

Wedro, Benjamin, MD. "Heat Exhaustion." MedicineNet.com . MedicineNet, inc., 30 Jun 2011. Web. 4 Jul 2012. <http://www.medicinenet.com/heat_exhaustion/art icle.htm Decker, Merideth. "The Effects of Hydration on Athletic Performance." Undergraduate Journal for the Human Sciences: Special Edition. Undergraduate

Research Community, Vol 10, 2011. Web. 8 Jul 2012. <http://www.kon.org/urc/v10/athletictraining/decker.html>. "Practice Policy for Heat and Humidity." Official Stite for the Georgia High School Association. GHSA.net, 26 Jun 2012. Web. 8 Jul 2012. <http://www.ghsa.net/practice-policy-heat-andhumidity>.

2013 Ryan Post