Sport is a major part of Australian life. About 90% of Aussie adults participate in physical activity. With Australian temperatures often exceeding 35-40°C, there is an increased risk of heat related illness.
Exercising in hot weather can be challenging! But with the right precautions, you can stay safe and maintain performance.
Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) has created an extreme heat policy to help Aussies who are exercising when it’s hot.
In this blog we have picked out some key messages from the SMA document to help keep you safe this summer!
Here are some of our tips for keeping cool and avoiding heat-related illnesses.
Overview
Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) has ranked a variety of different sports on their level of risk for a heat related illness. Each group is ranked according to the combined effects of exercise intensity and clothing/equipment worn. The higher the level, the greater the risk.
(SMA Extreme Heat Policy | v 1.0 February 2021 )
Who is at risk?
Even the fittest of individuals can fall victim to heat related sickness. However, there are certain groups of people who are at greater risk. These include:
Aged over 65, especially if unfit.
Individuals with pre-existing heart or kidney conditions
If you have been recently sick with a fever
Having a reduced ability to be aware of heat related symptoms
Taking prescription medications which impair sweating
What are the signs and symptoms to look out for?
Heat Exhaustion:
Headache or dizziness
Nausea or vomiting
Weakness
Fainting
Increased heart rate
Exertional Heat Stroke:
Confusion or agitation
Unsteadiness
Aggressive behaviour
Altered consciousness
Increased heart and breathing rates
How can we manage heat stress risk?
Hydration:Drink regularly before, during and after exercise
Pre-exercise, consume 6 ml of water per kilogram of body weight every 2-3 hours before exercise.
Modify Clothing: Wear light-weight clothing and remove extra layers
Reduce the amount of skin that is covered by clothing. This will help increase your sweat evaporation, which will help you dissipate heat
Rest Breaks: Increase the frequency and duration of rest breaks
During training sessions, there should be 15 minutes of rest for every 45 minutes of practice
Extend scheduled rest breaks during match-play of a particular sport, (e.g. half-time) by ~10 mins
Active Cooling: Cool yourself using active strategies, such as:
Drinking cold fluids and/or ice slushies before exercise commences
Submerging your arms/feet in cold water
Placing an ice pack or damp towel filled with crushed ice around your neck
Stop Exercise: When the heat stress risk is extreme, exercise/play should be suspended. If play has commenced, then all activities should be stopped as soon as possible
Seek shelter and actively cool
Further Information
Sports medicine Australia has a great tool to quickly determine the heat risk for a specific sport
Additionally, the full copy of the SMA Extreme Heat Policy can be found here.
