INDIANA – Whether you’re out and about with a sports team, on your family vacation, or at home enjoying the summer weather, now is a great time to get outdoors.

Being outside can be a great deal of fun, but it can also increase your risk of illness and injury, said Dr. Sandra Morris with MedExpress Urgent Care.

“Outdoor activities lend themselves to injuries,” Morris said. “Sprains and strains, insect bites, poison ivy, scrapes and cuts, that kind of thing.”

Morris said heatstroke and heat exhaustion are also serious concerns during the summer months, especially for people who work outside, the elderly, and the very young.

Heat exhaustion is less severe than heat stroke, but should still be taken seriously, according to Morris.

“The patient feels very warm, maybe nauseated, and a little weak,” she said. “With heat exhaustion, the patient actually has what we call ‘altered mental status.’ Their thinking is affected because the dehydration and body temperature is starting to affect brain function.”

Heat-related illnesses can be avoided by drinking plenty of water, taking frequent breaks when working or playing during the hottest part of the day (between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.), and dressing in cool, light layers of clothing.

Morris said that sunscreen is also important when working or playing outdoors, even when it’s cloudy.

“It’s not really so much about the sun’s rays or the light that we see; it’s the ultraviolet radiation,” she said. “Even on a cloudy day, a person can become sunburned.”

Morris said she sees a lot of burns during the summer, both from the sun and from things like fireworks. Treating the burn correctly and not buying into old wives tales (such as putting butter on a burn) is key.

“Get it as cool as quickly as possible, but not put ice on it. Wash it carefully. If there are blisters, don’t break them open. And keep it covered so you keep it clean,” Morris said.

Photo by Online Marketing on Unsplash