Las Vegas NowHot Days Bring Worries of Heat Exhaustion

Hot Days Bring Worries of Heat Exhaustion

If you don't know what it's like to work in 100 degree heat, just ask Paul Rooks. He's a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Service.

For nearly 15 years, he's walked the streets delivering mail in over 100 degree summer heat. "It's something people ask me is, ‘Well, you must be used to it.' No, it's the tolerance," he said.

So he'll tolerate it but he'll never really love it.

The human body is not conducive to 100 degree heat. At those temperatures, you begin to sweat out all your fluids and dehydrate rapidly. It doesn't take long before your body goes into heat exhaustion.

CDC: Extreme Heat Tips

Doctor Michael Bachman with Sunrise Children's Hospital says they get dozens of heat exhaustion patients this time of the year, all suffer the same symptoms. "Weak, dizzy, starts to have headaches, nausea. Those are all early signs of heat illness," he said.

He says if you start to feel sick, act quickly. "You definitely want to go indoors to a cool area. Take off some of your clothes. You can put towels on the body and make sure you are drinking fluids -- both water and electrolyte containing fluids like sports drinks work," he said.

And if you're cooling off at the pool, you can still dehydrate in the heat. Bachman recommends frequent drinking breaks. Make sure you are always drinking water don't wait until you are thirsty.

Kids and seniors are the most vulnerable in the heat. Dr. Bachman recommends hats and loose fitting, light colored clothing.

And then there's Paul. An occasional air conditioned lobby or building is a treat, but at the end of the day, the best gift is an air conditioned mail-truck.