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Sunstroke 
All children are vulnerable to extreme heat.
We tend to worry more about young babies when they are
exposed to the sun or the day is very hot, than we do older children who are just as vulnerable. Relatively speaking it is easy to keep a
small baby out of the sun and top him up with frequent drinks. Do be aware that
a small child can’t tell you when he is feeling too hot. If his skin feels damp
and hot to touch you need to cool him down.
Even In the UK, during the hottest months,
running around or even sitting in a hot car for too long can lead to
dehydration, heat exhaustion and potentially lethal heatstroke. Tests carried
out be the Automobile Association have found that when it is 31ºC (88ºF)
outside, the temperature inside a car soars to 56ºC
(133ºF). Even when the temperature outside has dropped, the heat inside the car
continues to rise. If your child does not replace the
liquid he loses through sweating he can become dehydrated and develop “heat
illnesses”.
What is dehydration?
Dehydration is simply not having enough water in
your body. It may result from inadequate water intake and/or from losing body
water and can develop rapidly or slowly.
How can you tell if children
are dehydrated?
- A lot of people don't even realise
they are dehydrated because they have become so used to feeling below
their best.
- Symptoms of mild dehydration can be difficult
for teachers to spot. In class some children may become irritable, tired
and less able to concentrate. By the time they get home many children are
complaining of tiredness or headaches and some may be too lethargic to do
anything but slump in front of the television. Although we may think of
this behaviour as normal, it is now known that
it may, at least in part, be due to the effects of dehydration.
- Children can be taught to recognize when their
fluid intake is too low as the urine becomes concentrated (small amounts
of deep yellow, cloudy, smelly urine). If their urine's no darker than the
colour of pale straw, odourless
and copious they're doing OK.
Below is a list of the heat related illnesses starting at the
lease serious:
Heat Cramps
Symptoms: Cramps in legs, arms and abdomen. (can
be very painful)
Causes: Loss of fluid and salt
following profuse sweating.
Treatment: resting in a cool
location and replacement of lost fluids
Heat exhaustion
Symptoms: may include fatigue, clammy skin, headache, vomiting,
and hyperventilation.
Causes: Loss of fluid and salt
following profuse sweating.
Treatment: The advise is to bring your child into the
cool, loosen clothing, encourage him to eat and drink, give him a bath in cool
(not cold) water, and finally, call your doctor for further advise.
Sunstoke/Heatstroke
Symptoms: Look out for hot flushed skin, a lack of perspiration, a
high body temperature, confusion and loss of consciousness.
Causes: You do not need to have been
exercising in the sun, temperatures soar on a trip to
the city. Some public transport systems are notorious heat traps. Even sitting
in a stationary car in the shade can be dangerous.
How much should children drink?
- The standard recommendation is
at least 6-8 glasses (1.5 - 2 litres) a day,
drunk regularly throughout the day (at least 3-4 glasses while at school)
ensuring that plenty of additional fluid is drunk during warm weather
and/or when exercising."When
exercising" means before, during and after exercise and is not
restricted to formal PE and games lessons, but is also applicable to
active play (e.g. football in the playground or periods of running
around).
- The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Washington DC (2004), includes a separate
category for teenage boys aged 14 over who require a higher average fluid
intake of 2.6 litres (about 11 large glasses).
- Pupils spend at least half
their waking hours in school. During this time, they should be drinking at
least half their daily requirement, spread regularly throughout the day
My child doesn't get water at
school during or after exercise - what are the effects?
- It is in a school's best interest to provide
water when exercising. Mild dehydration not only has an adverse effect on
physical and mental performance and temperature regulation during exercise,
making exercise feel harder and more tiring, but will also affect the
subsequent mental performance, energy levels and mood of a child back in
class. In the long-term, the effects on health from failing to rehydrate between bouts of exercise are significant.
- Children's drinking should be supervised, as
they do not instinctively drink enough during exercise. An hour of just
moderate and/or intermittent exercise can mean a child weighing 30kg can
lose around half a litre of water, and in warm
weather this loss could be much higher. Researchers advise that to restore
normal fluid balance after exercise, we should consume at least the
equivalent of 1.5 times (i.e. 150%) the fluid lost during exercise. The
key to avoiding dehydration is to drink before exercise and at regular
intervals during and after.
- If children are well hydrated, exercise feels
easier and more enjoyable, helping to develop positive attitudes towards
exercise and encouraging children to exercise more willingly another day.
What effect does dehydration
have on the brain?
- Water makes up about 80% of the brain and is an
essential element in neurological transmissions. Poor hydration adversely
affects a child's mental performance and learning ability. Symptoms of
mild dehydration may include tiredness, headaches and a feeling not unlike
jet lag, as well as reduced alertness and ability to concentrate. Mental
performance including memory, attention and concentration can decrease by
about 10 per cent, once thirst is felt. Mental performance deteriorates
progressively as the degree of dehydration increases. Thirst is usually
felt when dehydration results in 0.8 - 2 per cent loss of body weight lost
due to water loss. For a 10-year-old child weighing 30kg this is
equivalent to one or two very large glasses of water (300ml each), which
is the amount a child could lose during a PE lesson or running around in
the playground. Water consumption also has an immediate alerting and revitalising effect. In schools taking part in the
Food in Schools water provision pilot project, the consensus from teachers
was that "enhanced provision contributed to a more settled and
productive learning environment, as well as helping to instil
good habits". The key to boosting the capacity to learn is to keep
well hydrated throughout each day (ideally from a personal water bottle
within arm's reach).
What are the current
regulations for drinking water in schools?
- The Education (School Premises) Regulations
(Department for Education and Skills, 1999) merely state that: 'A school
shall have a wholesome supply of water for domestic purposes including a
supply of drinking water.' These regulations do not specify the means of
delivery, appropriate locations, whether the water should be accessible to
the children and how often, the type and number of facilities per pupil,
hygiene standards, or that water should be palatable.
- The National Healthy School Standard Guidance,
1999, similarly makes no reference to water facilities or access other
than a basic requirement that "clean drinking water is
provided". Furthermore, this requirement for drinking water is added
to a sentence that deals with toilets; which gives the impression that
drinking water should be provided in the toilets.
- The Guidance for Caterers for School Lunch Standards
(Department for Education and Skills, 2001) expects that "drinking
water should be available to all pupils every day free of charge".
However, these are guidelines only, not requirements - and there are no
guidelines for provision of water during the rest of the school day.
Great information websites for families
http://www.wateriscoolinschool.org.uk/
The Water
is Cool in School Campaign aims to improve the quality of provision and access
to fresh drinking water for children in UK primary and secondary schools.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sunsmart/
 Welcome
to SunSmart - the UK's
national skin cancer prevention campaign!
http://www.lifebytes.gov.uk/safety/safe_sun.html
Sun safety
information and quizzes for children.
http://www.koolsun.co.uk/
Sun protective clothing designed by parents with parents in
mind.
We
have a wide range of baby sun protection swim wear,
childrens sun protective clothing
and UV swim wear for older kids.
We also have a
variety of pool toys, beach robes and towels, kids wetsuits,
sun tan lotions and sunglasses to keep your
children safe in the sun.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/380997.stm
Interesting
article
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