Heat measures
Keep your hands cool to prevent heatstroke
In recent years, with rising temperatures due to global warming, many people are rushed to the hospital every year with heatstroke.
The human body has the ability to regulate its body temperature. However, if you are in a hot and humid environment for a long time, your body temperature will rise as your body is no longer able to regulate its temperature. Furthermore, if you sweat a lot, you will lose water and salt, and symptoms of heatstroke such as dizziness, convulsions, and headaches will appear.
Children are at higher risk of heat stroke than adults because their body temperature regulation function is not fully developed. Children have a higher proportion of water in their bodies and a larger body surface area per unit of body weight than adults, making them more susceptible to the effects of temperature. When the temperature is low, body heat is easily lost, and conversely, when the temperature is high, heat is easily absorbed into the body.
In addition, children's sweating function is immature, so they sweat less and it takes longer for them to sweat, so they cannot regulate their body temperature as well as adults. Furthermore, children are shorter than adults, so they are more susceptible to reflected heat from the ground. Because children have more opportunities to play and exercise outdoors, they need to be extra careful about heatstroke.
General measures to prevent heatstroke outdoors include drinking plenty of fluids and taking in salt, wearing a hat, wearing cool, breathable clothing, and getting adequate rest.
In addition to these, cooling the body is also said to be effective. In particular, cooling the palms of the hands (palm cooling) is said to be effective in cooling the entire body (Figure: Comparison of how body temperature rises when the palms are cooled while running).
The palms of the hands contain blood vessels that play a major role in regulating body temperature. Palm cooling works by cooling these blood vessels to lower the temperature of the blood, and then circulating that blood throughout the body to lower body temperature.
One method for cooling the palms is to immerse both hands in 10-15°C water for 5-10 minutes before or during exercise (if the water is too cold, blood vessels will constrict and it will be difficult to dissipate heat).You can also cool the palms by holding a chilled plastic bottle or an ice pack (wrapped in cloth to regulate the temperature).
It's easy to get carried away with playing and exercising and neglect these things, but it's important to take proper breaks and replenish fluids and salt. When you do, try cooling your palms.
