It has been really hot here in Arkansas for the last couple of weeks and many of us don’t really consider how quickly too much heat and not enough hydration can make us really ill.

Unfortunately, many kids are in this heat playing soccer or baseball, and now football practices are gearing up.

Exposure to abnormal or prolonged amounts of heat and humidity without relief or adequate fluid intake can cause various types of heat-related illness. Children and adolescents adjust more slowly than adults do to changes in environmental heat. They also produce more heat with activity than adults, and sweat less. Sweating is one of the body’s normal cooling mechanisms. Children and adolescents often do not think to rest when having fun and may not drink enough fluids when playing, exercising, or participating in sports. (more…)