With the temperatures soaring high, many people are complaining of feeling “overheated”. But how do you know if it’s just the weather or your body sending a warning signal?
Addressing this, Pradeepa, a Coimbatore-based Clinical Dietitian & Diabetes Educator with over 20 years of experience, took to Instagram to list five signs that may indicate your body is overheating. These include excessive sweating, constant thirst, headaches, dark urine, and hot, dry skin.
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To better understand these, we reached out to Dr Chirag Tandon, Director – Internal Medicine, ShardaCare-Healthcity, who acknowledges that the complaint of feeling “overheated” is very common in hot weather or when a person is tired and dehydrated.
“When your body is not able to properly regulate its own temperature, body overheating, which is medically associated with such conditions as heat exhaustion or dehydration, occurs,” Dr Tandon explains, while adding that there can be multiple triggers, including hot weather, shortage of fluids or other health problems.
He is breaking down the 5 common signs, listed in the post below.
“Yes, too much sweating may be an indication of overheating,” says Dr Tandon. This is because the body cools itself naturally via sweating.
However, it is not always specific. “It may also occur as a result of stress, hormonal variations or some medical conditions.”
“This is a powerful pointer,” says Dr Tandon. He further explains that excessive thirst normally means that your body requires more fluids and might be dehydrated, which is “generally accompanied by overheating.”
If ignored, it can worsen and turn into severe problems, such as heat exhaustion.
These symptoms that are generally associated with dehydration and heat stress. “Loss of fluids and electrolytes in your body may influence blood circulation and the work of your brain, resulting in dizziness or headache.”
Dr Tandon strongly suggests that one should not ignore this symptom, particularly during hot weather.
Urine colour, as Dr Tandon explains, is one of the most vivid indications of dehydration. Given that urine is usually light yellow in colour, a .
“The dark urine is a sign that your body is retaining water and it can be a sign that you are not drinking enough fluids, another cause of overheating.”
“This one is tricky,” says Dr Tandon.
While heat is expected, dryness can be concerning. “Overheating can be accompanied by hot skin, though dryness—particularly in an individual who ought to be sweating—can indicate more severe problems such as heatstroke.”
This needs urgent care. “When this happens, the body ceases to sweat and this is a medical emergency and requires immediate attention.”
“Although the body does produce signals, not all the symptoms are unique to overheating,” Dr Tandon cautions while adding that “similar signs” can be caused by other diseases like infections, hormonal imbalances or even stress. It is, thus, important to consider the combination of symptoms and the situation.
“In case of such symptoms as dizziness, confusion, extremely high body temperature, dry skin with absence of sweating, one needs to address medical professionals as soon as possible,” Dr Tandon warns while pointing out that this might be a sign of heatstroke.
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