Heatstroke in a bathhouse: how not to overheat in a steam room, and how to properly provide first aid

Do you want to have a pleasant and useful time with your family, friends, relatives? This opportunity opens up for you by visiting a bathhouse. The colder the weather outside, the more pleasant it is to warm up in a real Russian bathhouse, Finnish sauna or Turkish hammam. Moreover, in the bath, in addition to thermal procedures, you receive a complex of real energy boost. A visit to the bathhouse has a beneficial effect on the skin, deeply cleansing it, as well as on the entire body as a whole. However, abuse of such procedures or individual contraindications can lead to overheating. More often this happens to those who have pathological diseases. But failure to comply with safety measures can also lead to undesirable consequences. To avoid them, you need to clearly understand: if you overheat in the bathhouse, what to do. In this article we will tell you about the first rules of assistance and symptoms of overheating.

I overheated in the bath, what should I do?

Heat stroke in a bathhouse is a painful condition that is dangerous to life and health. For the human body, a room with a very hot temperature changes its biorhythms, thereby disrupting the general mechanisms of thermoregulation. Therefore, when you find yourself in a bathhouse, you should not completely lose vigilance; from time to time you need to listen to the state of your body. If, suddenly, you feel a lack of oxygen or a slight burning sensation on the skin, then you need to stop the session as soon as possible and not return to the steam room.

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How to recognize the symptoms of overheating in a bathhouse

The first signs of overheating are:

• Feeling of weakness, lethargy, dizziness, heaviness in the limbs.
• A sharp increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees.
• Cardiopalmus. The tremors are so strong that many say that “the heart is jumping out of the chest.”
• Breathing is frequent and shallow.
• A sharp drop in blood pressure, accompanied by a “rumbling” in the ears.

More severe symptoms of overheating include:

• nausea;
• convulsions;
• uncontrolled urination;
• paralysis of the respiratory and vasomotor centers can lead to death.

Also, if you have cardiovascular diseases, the following may occur: fainting, heart pain, pale skin, surges in blood pressure.

When the first symptoms appear, you should leave the steam room or help the victim leave.

Why is overheating in a bath so dangerous?

Of all the types of overheating (from long exposure to the sun in the heat, without a headdress, in transport, in a bathhouse, in a sauna), the most dangerous type of overheating is overheating in a bathhouse. After all, in a Russian bathhouse, so beloved by many, the level of humidity is higher and the temperature feels a little different. So, with an average of 80 degrees, there is an active influence on the body and internal organs, as in the case of being at plus 90.

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And, if you decide to take a steam bath in an infrared sauna, then it would be a good idea to drink a glass of water beforehand. The fact is that the body will not heat up as intensely due to what you drink. Because the water will take the heat shock instead of your mucous membranes.

I overheated in the bathhouse, what to do: Do ​​not tolerate extreme heat!

Who is at risk of overheating in a bathhouse?

Let's start with the fact that a long stay in a steam room is harmful for a healthy person, let alone those categories of people who need to approach such procedures with special caution. They need to take all precautions in a bath or sauna. Risk groups include the following categories:

1. Hypertensive patients with stable blood pressure of about 200 mm Hg. and more.
2. Patients with respiratory diseases in all stages: initial, active, acute and chronic. This includes ARVI, tuberculosis, pneumonia and other diseases that create additional stress on the heart muscle.
3. Kidney inflammation, water and electrolyte imbalance.
4. Inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract, including chronic conditions.
5. Dermatological diseases.
6. Violation of stable functioning of the central nervous system.
7. Diseases of the genitourinary system, gynecological problems.
8. Recovery period after surgery.
9. Pregnancy is a contraindication to visiting a sauna or steam bath only if there are complications, but you should not overuse it and visit a very hot steam room. It is better to consult an obstetrician-gynecologist.
10. The presence of low-quality tumors, oncology.

If you have any doubts or concerns about visiting the bathhouse, taking into account your general health condition and various chronologies, you should consult a therapist for advice. Even if you feel slightly unwell, visiting the steam room should be postponed until better times.

High temperature in a child

The child will not say that he has a high temperature. Even relatively older children, including students in elementary school, as a rule, cannot correctly assess their well-being. Therefore, parents need to closely monitor the child’s condition. You can suspect an increase in temperature based on the following signs:

• the child becomes unexpectedly lethargic or, conversely, restless and capricious;
• he is tormented by thirst (he asks for a drink all the time);
• mucous membranes become dry (dry lips, tongue);
• bright blush or, conversely, unusual pallor;
• eyes become red or shiny;
• the child is sweating;
• pulse and breathing increase. The normal heart rate is 100-130 beats per minute while sleeping and 140-160 while awake. By two years, the frequency decreases to 100-140 beats per minute. The normal breathing rate also depends on age; for a two-month-old child it is 35-48 breaths per minute, for an age from one to three 28-35 breaths.

You can measure body temperature in the armpit or groin cavity with a mercury thermometer (it most accurately shows the temperature), rectally - only with an electronic one. It is possible to measure the temperature rectally only in a small child (up to 4-5 months); older children resist the procedure, as it is unpleasant. To measure the temperature rectally, the tip of the thermometer is lubricated with baby cream, the child’s legs rise, as if washing. The tip of the thermometer is inserted into the rectum to a depth of 2 cm.

We should not forget that in children under one year of age, a normal temperature is considered to be a temperature of up to 37.5°C, and even up to 3 years of age, such a temperature does not always mean that the child is sick. You cannot measure the temperature when the child is very worried, crying, or is tightly wrapped up - the temperature in these cases will be expected to be higher. A hot bath or too high a room temperature can also increase your body temperature.

In young children, the temperature can rise up to 38.3°C for reasons unrelated to illness, such as:

• overheating (due to excessive wrapping, exposure to direct sunlight or poor drinking habits), especially before the age of 3 months;
• scream;
• constipation (if the child pushes, the temperature may rise);
• teething (one of the most common causes).

If it does not seem that the temperature is caused by one of these reasons, it persists and does not subside, or, moreover, increases, it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor. If the temperature is above 38°C, you should consult a doctor in any case.

Providing first aid for overheating in a bathhouse

I overheated in the bath, what should I do? Signs of overheating may include body reactions such as rapid breathing and abnormal heart rhythm . When the body overheats, the heart and lungs begin to function improperly. Therefore, the heart rate may either increase or slow down abnormally. The same happens with breathing. The person begins to feel like they are suffocating or their breathing may become slow and irregular.

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If you feel that you have overheated in the bathhouse: take immediate action!

If you feel that you have overheated in the bathhouse and urgently need to take some measures, the first logical question arises: what to do? First you need to listen to yourself and feel what is bothering you. In itself, the state of overheating is an acute pathological condition of the human body as a result of exposure to high temperature.

Promptly remove from the steam room

As soon as you notice the first signs of overheating in you or someone else, this person needs to be removed from the bathhouse as quickly as possible. In this case, a sharp change in temperature will only worsen the condition, so the victim must be moved to a room at room temperature.

Place in a horizontal position

It is necessary to carefully take the victim to the dressing room and lay him on a bench. Having ensured a horizontal position, place a bolster or pillow under your head to normalize blood pressure. The victim also needs to be given water and washed with cold water. Such measures will cool the body faster and stimulate sweating and blood circulation.

The victim should be given water and washed with cold water.

Give access to fresh air

Just ventilate the room by opening all possible windows and doors. A person who is overheated in a bathhouse needs an influx of fresh air to stabilize the condition.

Apply a cold compress

Next, you need to cool the skin and the whole body as quickly as possible, for which a towel moistened with cold water is placed on the forehead. Then you need to put a cloth on your neck, heels and wrists. Ammonia, if you have a first aid kit, will also help bring you to your senses.

Be careful: do not allow overheating in the bath

Escort the victim home

When the victim’s condition returns to normal, you need to take him home. You cannot go back to the steam room. The victim needs an accompanying person so that he does not fall or lose consciousness along the way. If you see that a person who has overheated in a bathhouse feels so bad that he cannot move independently, or complains of severe pain in the heart and is on the verge of losing consciousness, it is necessary to call an ambulance as quickly as possible.

Overheated in the bathhouse, what to do if you faint

Fainting in a bath can occur due to insufficient enrichment of brain cells with oxygen. A person can lose consciousness at any time in the waiting room or upon leaving it. You will learn from the symptoms how to recognize an approaching fainting spell in the bathhouse and prepare in time to prevent dangerous injuries from a fall. Such a person appears:

• pale skin;
• muscle weakness;
• severe dizziness;
• the appearance of small black spots before the eyes, blurred vision;

A person who has overheated in a bathhouse, received a heatstroke, and then also lost consciousness in the steam room, needs to be taken out of the bathhouse as quickly as possible. Having found any suitable place, place it on a flat surface on your back. The victim's legs should be raised 35–40 degrees, placing something soft under them.

Cardiac and respiratory arrest

It happens that when a person has obvious contraindications to undergoing bath procedures, he still goes there without thinking about the consequences. And here, especially if there are cardiovascular diseases, respiratory and cardiac arrest occurs, which is called clinical death. So, if such a person is in the bathhouse with you, take a close look at his condition and appearance. The following signs indicate impending clinical death:

• pale or bluish skin;
• loss of consciousness;
• stopping heartbeat and breathing;
• no pulse can be felt in large arteries;
• the pupils are dilated and do not respond to light.

After transferring the victim to the steam room, you need to call an ambulance and perform a number of first aid measures:

Next, the victim is placed on his side. And, so that a sufficient amount of air penetrates into the respiratory tract, the tongue sticks out from the larynx. Then you need to conduct a breathing diagnosis using a mirror. If the mirror does not fog up, therefore there is no breathing, you need to perform mouth-to-mouth artificial ventilation. If there is no heartbeat, it is necessary to perform an indirect cardiac massage.

Symptoms

In conditions of increased health hazard, namely in a bathhouse, you must follow all safety rules. Even a healthy person in conditions of increased heat can lose consciousness.

Main signs of heat stroke:

• When exposed to heat, the heart rate increases, which can negatively affect the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
• Pain in various parts of the head. Mostly the pain is pulsating.
• In a sauna, symptoms include: deterioration of breathing, even suffocation.
• Hearing impairment, namely a feeling of buzzing in the ears.
• Dizziness and lack of coordination, even fainting.
• Darkening in the eyes.
• Loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest.

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When the first alarming symptoms appear, be sure to cool your body with a cool bath or shower. The victim should immediately be taken out into fresh air, where the body temperature is lower than in the bathhouse. The victim should also be given small amounts to drink to avoid dehydration.

What should be in the first aid kit

The bathhouse must have a first aid kit with essential supplies. So, before heading to the steam room, it would be a good idea to check your first aid kit for the following medications:

• anti-burn agents;
• sterile bandage and cotton wool;
• hydrogen peroxide or universal antiseptic Miramistin;
• ammonia;
• validol or nitroglycerin;
• painkillers.

If you know that these drugs are not in the bathhouse, take them with you. Also, before entering the steam room, it is recommended to prepare ice.

How to prevent overheating

Each type of bath has its own temperature. For example, in a traditional Russian bathhouse, the temperature in the steam room is 70–80 degrees. In a bathhouse, the level of humidity has a special effect on the human body. High humidity in the room is formed due to watering hot stones and reaches up to 90%. Thus, the humidity level indicator can balance, but the higher it is, the heavier the body bears the load and the faster it can overheat.

To avoid overheating, cover your head with special hats

The following indicators are considered the most optimal: heat indicator - 60 degrees , humidity indicator - 60–70%. With this ratio, all internal organs will warm up evenly, and the pores will open to remove toxins. You can monitor these readings using a bath thermometer.

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Precautionary measures

Overheated in the bathhouse, what to do we considered. To prevent overheating, you must adhere to the following safety measures:

1. Cover your head with special hats. These natural wool and cotton hats protect your head from overheating. To improve the protective effect, it is better to first moisten the hat with cool water, only then put it on your head.
2. Do not plunge into the font headlong. Pleasant sensations of joy and adrenaline are enhanced by diving into an ice hole or rubbing with snow after a bath. You can dive headlong into the plunge pool only after careful preparation. Remember that such procedures are only suitable for completely healthy people; others should not take risks. It is important that the procedure brings pleasure and not a burden. After all, the final stage can be replaced by pouring water at a comfortable temperature or slowly cooling in the dressing room.
3. Do not tolerate extreme heat. The point of the bath is to remove toxins from the body through sweating. 15 minutes is enough for you to cleanse your body. Don't forget to listen to your body. There is no need to force yourself or your loved ones to stay in the steam room if the procedure does not bring you pleasure or makes you feel worse.
4. Do not drink alcoholic beverages. This point seems the simplest and most natural, but today there are many who like to sit in a warm, friendly, cheerful atmosphere in a bathhouse, which was originally intended only for washing. Alcohol, entering the blood, leads to dilation of the blood vessels of the circulatory system, increases the load on the heart, and reduces the sensitivity of receptors. In a state of intoxication, a person loses track of time, staying in the steam room longer than expected, which provokes a large loss of moisture, which will then have to be restored.

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Drink water before visiting the sauna
.

Note! For wellness activities, herbal teas, juices and plain still water are more suitable.

Precautionary measures

The steam room, with its temperature records and high humidity, increases blood pressure. Therefore, if you like to steam for a long time, then you need to do it according to all the rules. Otherwise, it will not be possible to avoid unpleasant consequences.

1. The head must be protected by wearing a special bathing cap. It will avoid tinnitus, pulsation in the temples and, consequently, headaches. After all, the head takes on most of the heat.
2. Alternating dousing with cool water with being in the steam room. It is important to go out to rest more often. It is not recommended to stay in a room with high temperature and humidity for more than fifteen minutes.
3. You should not visit the sauna on an empty stomach, or immediately after a heavy meal.
4. You should not sit on the top shelves in the steam room.
5. Alcohol and steam baths are incompatible things that threaten your health.
6. It is better to visit the bathhouse together or in a small group, so that in an unforeseen situation they can provide first aid to each other.

When carrying out procedures in the bathhouse, remember that their main purpose is to improve health. Therefore, there is no need to set records for a long stay in a steam room with very high temperature and humidity. This is an unnecessary risk that threatens your health.