Heat exhaustion happens when the body loses too much water and salt through sweating, often during exercise, outdoor work, or heatwaves. The person feels weak, dizzy, and nauseous, sweats heavily, and may have cramps or a headache, yet stays conscious and able to talk. This free checklist teaches the signs and response steps commonly taught for heat exhaustion, and scores your knowledge so you can see what to learn next. It is general information only, not medical advice.
Recognising heat exhaustion early makes the response much easier. Look for heavy sweating, pale or clammy skin, weakness, dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps, and a fast but weak pulse, often after time in heat or hard activity. The person may feel faint when standing, complain of a headache, and want to sit or lie down. These signs differ from heatstroke, where the skin may be hot and dry and the person confused, which is a more serious emergency that needs an immediate emergency call.
Cooling and rest are the core response. Move the person to cool shade or indoors at once, loosen tight clothing, and help them lie down with legs slightly raised to support blood flow. Apply cool wet cloths to the neck, armpits, and groin, fan gently, and remove extra layers. Stop all activity, since continuing to exercise or work in heat will worsen fluid loss and can push heat exhaustion toward heatstroke, which is far harder to reverse.
Fluids must be given slowly and carefully. Offer small sips of cool water often, or an oral rehydration drink if available, and avoid alcohol, which increases fluid loss. Do not force large amounts at once if the person feels nauseous, and do not give anything to drink if the person is vomiting, confused, or losing consciousness: in those cases, call emergency care and keep the person on their side if vomiting. Food can wait until nausea passes and sips stay down.
Watching the person over the next hour tells you whether the plan is working. Improvement should be steady: less dizziness, less nausea, cooler skin, and a person who can talk normally and sip fluids. Seek urgent care at once if vomiting continues, confusion appears, the person faints, body temperature stays very high, or there is no improvement within an hour of cooling and fluids. These changes can mean heatstroke or another serious problem that needs professional assessment.
Prevention is mostly about pacing, water, and shade. Drink before you feel thirsty during heat and activity, take shade breaks every twenty to thirty minutes in strong heat, and wear light, loose clothing with a hat. Acclimatise gradually over one to two weeks when starting outdoor work or training in summer, and never leave children or pets in parked cars. Older adults, young children, and people with heart conditions or on certain medicines need extra caution in heatwaves.
Using this checklist takes about two minutes. Read each sign and step and tick the ones you already know, being honest about steps you would forget on a hot day. The tool scores your knowledge out of one hundred and lists the missed steps as your study list. Review those steps, then retake the checklist until your score is high. This tool offers general information only, not diagnosis or treatment. For confusion, fainting, vomiting, or no improvement, always seek professional and emergency care at once.
Plan shade and water stops before outdoor work or exercise in heat, and write them into the day like any other appointment. Carry more water than you think you need, plus a small bottle of oral rehydration salts for long hot days. Check on older neighbours during heatwaves, since they may not feel thirst or heat as strongly. A plan made in cool morning hours protects everyone better than decisions made when heat and fatigue already cloud judgement.
Spanish version: Lista de Agotamiento por Calor – Aprende Signos y Pasos