unsaveSave
expand-left
full screen Torbjörn Selin is a survival expert. Photo: Krister Udd
Wet your clothes, listen to your body and take plenty of water with you. Simple but vital advice if you’re hiking in the scorching sun.
During a hike in Greece, TV profile Michael Mosley disappeared. Only after several days of searching was he found dead. There are many indications that he suffered from heat stroke and dehydration. On the Greek island of Symi, where Mosley disappeared, the temperature has reached almost 40 degrees in recent days, according to AFP.
But how dangerous is it to go on a hike in the middle of the day and how quickly can it become dangerous?
– Heatstroke can happen in just a few hours, says survival expert Torbjörn Selin.
It is especially dangerous for young children and elderly people, who are the most fragile, but the heat can also be dangerous for young people in good physical shape.
Happens in two stages
According to Torbjörn Selin, it is important to listen to the body’s signals if it does not feel well in the heat. There are two different stages – heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
– With heat exhaustion, the body works harder to cool you down. You sweat, and may feel dizzy and nauseous and have a high heart rate. Then you have to act by cooling the body, turn around or stop the activity.
If you do not react, you may suffer from heat stroke. A condition that can be fatal, says Selin.
– During heatstroke, the body’s temperature has risen above 40 degrees. This leads to visual disturbances, you stop sweating and you may have convulsions. You also stop thinking properly and become confused. You can simply collapse from exhaustion, he says.
The expert’s advice
If you still have to be in strong sun or high temperatures, there are some tips to minimize the risks, advises Selin.
– Bring water and preferably filled with a liquid substitute, i.e. a little salt and sugar in the water. Also wear a cap or beanie to protect your head and preferably light-colored clothing that reflects the heat away.
If you notice that you are getting too hot, it is important that you act. A simple remedy is to wet the clothes and cap you are wearing.
– The wet clothes cool you down.
He also warns that Swedes should take heat seriously and not be naive.
– It is much faster to die from heat than from cold. There is a reason why many countries have siesta in the middle of the day. Should you be physically active – be it in the morning, late afternoon or in the evening – not in the middle of the day under the scorching sun, he says.