Heat Illness Prevention for Summer Sports

For many people, fall sports season starts in the middle of the summer. Over the next few weeks, practices will ramp up for many sports – both at the organized level for high school athletes as well as on the intramural level. Whether you’re playing football, soccer, field hockey, running cross country, or engaging in any other outdoor sport, these early practices present significant danger of heat illness.

Throughout most of the country, temperatures will remain in the 90s or hotter through August and into September. According to the CDC, heat illness is the leading cause of death among high school athletes. Therefore, it’s crucial to take the proper steps to prevent athletes from suffering heat illness when competing in extreme heat.

What Is Heat Illness?

Your body has a variety of mechanisms that it uses to keep cool. However, as temperatures and humidity levels rise, these mechanisms become less effective until they’re no longer able to regulate your core temperature. When this occurs, your body’s temperature may rise to dangerous levels, resulting in heat illness.

There are several different stages of heat illness:

• Heat cramps – This is generally caused by low chloride and sodium levels, and it is the mildest form of heat illness. Common symptoms include intense muscle pain or spasms, typically in the arms, legs or abdomen. When heat cramps develop, discontinue all activity and gently massage or stretch the area exhibiting symptoms. You should also consume a sports drink to replenish lost electrolytes. Activity can be resumed once cramps go away.
• Heat exhaustion – If you fail to take action at the first sign of heat cramps, your condition may progress to heat exhaustion. This moderate form of heat illness is often accompanied by a variety of symptoms, including dehydration, dizziness, fainting, profuse sweating, chills, nausea or vomiting. A person with heat exhaustion should lie down in a cool, shady area and any athletic equipment should be removed at once. Fans and/or cold towels should be used to lower the body temperature. If there is no vomiting, consume water or a sports drink. Seek medical attention if symptoms don’t improve shortly. Depending on the severity of the heat exhaustion, it may not be safe to resume athletic activities for at least one day, possibly longer.
• Heat stroke – Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness, and it should be considered a medical emergency. If not properly treated, it can result in permanent disability or potentially death. Symptoms of heat stroke include body temperature above 104°F, confusion, seizures and decreased mental activity. If someone exhibits signs of heat stroke, call 911 at once. While waiting for medical assistance, remove the person’s clothing and try to cool their body temperature by submerging them in a tub of cold water. Do not return to athletic activities after heat stroke until you receive clearance from your doctor.

Creating a Heat Illness Prevention Plan

The risk of heat illness rises significantly when athletes engage in activities which:

• Demand higher levels of physical exertion
• Go for extended periods of time
• Do not allow for regular hydration breaks

Therefore, the proper precautions must be taken to minimize the risk of heat illness when temperatures are extremely hot. The following plan will help you keep your athletes safe when practicing and competing during peak summer heat.

Allow for Proper Heat Acclimatization

It’s important to gradually ramp up the intensity of practices to allow the body time to adjust to extreme heat. This process, called heat acclimatization, should take place over a period of one to two weeks. During this time, practices should be shorter and include more breaks. Hydration should be stressed. Each day, you can gradually increase the duration and intensity of practice until the athletes on your team are able to handle the rigors of a full practice.

Modify Activity Levels Based on Daily Weather Conditions

There’s nothing wrong with planning out the details of your practices in advance. However, you should always make adjustments in the morning based on the specific weather conditions you’re experiencing. On days when extremely hot temperatures are forecasted, it’s crucial to modify the:

• Duration of practice
• Exertion levels
• Time of day for practice
• Frequency and length of breaks

On days when temperatures reach dangerously hot levels, it may even be necessary to consider canceling practice.

The most effective metric to use when evaluating weather conditions prior to practice is the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). This is a comprehensive measurement which factors air temperature, humidity, sun angle, wind speed and cloud cover. Use the following WBGT measurement guidelines to modify your practices based on the specific conditions that day:

• Under 82.0 – Normal activities can proceed as planned. Give athletes at least three rest breaks per hour, with each break being at least three minutes.
• 0 to 86.9 – Proceed with caution when engaging in intense activity levels for extended periods of time and watch at-risk individuals closely for signs of heat illness. Schedule at least three breaks per hour, with each break being at least four minutes.
• 0 to 89.0 – Limit practice times to two hours. Give athletes at least four breaks an hour, with each break being at least four minutes. For football practices, protective gear should be limited to helmets, shoulder pads and shorts. Remove all protective equipment for conditioning activities.
• 0 to 92.0 – Limit practice time to one hour, with 20 minutes of rest breaks distributed throughout the hour-long practice. For football practices, no protective gear should be worn, and do not schedule any conditioning activities.
• Over 92.0 – Extreme danger of heat illness. Postpone all practices and workouts until the WBGT drops to safer levels.

Emphasize Proper Hydration

Dehydration can not only impact your performance, but also elevate your risk of heat illness. As a result, staying properly hydrated is one of the most important things you can do to prevent heat illness. Make sure all athletes follow these hydration best practices:

• Before practice – Drink 8-16 oz. of water one hour before practice. This will help prolong the amount of time it takes to become dehydrated while engaging in strenuous exercise in the heat. For extremely hot and humid days or for long practices involving higher exertion levels, have athletes drink even more water prior to practice.
• During practice – Make water and sports drinks available throughout all practices, workouts, and games. Athletes should drink at least 4-8 oz. of water or sports drinks every 15-20 minutes. It’s good to include sports drinks in your in-practice hydration regimen since they will replace electrolytes lost from sweating.
• After practice – Athletes should drink at least 16 oz. of water after practice, workouts, or games.

A good way to gauge hydration levels is to monitor urine color and frequency. Urine will be clear or very light in color when you are properly hydrated. When urine is dark yellow or when urination occurs infrequently, it is often a warning sign of dehydration. Other signs of dehydration include low energy, cramps, dizziness, and headaches.

Avoid Heat Retaining Clothing and Minimize the Use of Protective Equipment

Shoulder pads, helmets and other protective gear inhibit the body’s ability to release heat through sweating. Certain clothing materials may also inhibit sweat functions, and dark colors increase the body’s absorption of heat from the sun. To avoid these issues:

• Avoid protective equipment entirely during the acclimatization period and minimize its usage on extremely hot days.
• Remove protective equipment during rest breaks to facilitate proper heat release.
• Avoid wearing dark colors on hot days, and wear materials that are highly breathable to facilitate the body’s cooling mechanisms via sweating.

Portacool Can Keep Athletes Cool During Summer Practices and Competitions

While the best practices discussed above are extremely important, they can only do so much to keep athletes cool on hot days. One of the most effective ways to help athletes lower their core body temperature during the peak summer heat is to provide a cooling system on the sidelines. Portacool portable evaporative coolers are ideally suited to keep your athletes safe when the heat becomes intense. Every high school and athletic institute needs a Portacool!

Portacool has been the industry leader in evaporative cooling technology since 1990. All our evaporative coolers are made in the USA at our Center, Texas manufacturing plant. Our evaporative media is produced by our subsidiary company, Kuul. It is made from the highest quality materials and designed to fit the exact specifications of our evaporative coolers. This ensures you receive the maximum cooling benefits at all times.

We offer a wide range of evaporative cooler models, ensuring there is a solution to address your specific needs. With sturdy wheels and casters, you can easily move your Portacool around the practice field to provide cooling in the exact location you need it. Portacool evaporative coolers are also easy to move around and can run off a generator, so you can keep your team cool at home and away games.

Keep your athletes safe this summer with a Portacool. Visit a local retailer or contact us today to learn more about our evaporative coolers.