RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — Keeping cool is the name of the game on days when temperatures get close to 100 like they did in Rapid City Thursday.
Everyone is fighting the same battle when high temperatures show up. While diving into pools, sitting in the shade, or staying inside with the AC are great ways to stay cool, you also need to drink more water.
“Drinking a lot of water, drinking enough water at a minimum of eight glasses or 64 ounces. Then if you’re gonna be outside in the heat, outside doing things, obviously you’re going to want to add to that 64 ounces. That’s your daily recommended water intake outside of doing anything extraneous or outside in the heat,” Rapid City Fire Department EMS Section Chief Robert Rendon said.
“Children can get heat exhaustion, but you need to drink to maintain proper levels and at baseline people don’t drink enough. So when you’re out in the heat sweating more, being active more, you’re going to need more water than you drink at baseline,” Pediatrician Dr. Greg Anderson said.
When dealing with these high temperatures, it’s all about regulating the time you spend outside and under shade, as well as keeping yourself well hydrated.
Heat can affect anyone at any moment outside, so staying on top of cooling down is key.
“If you’re starting to see your kid or spouse or a friend’s skin starting to get flush or red, it’s obvious that they need to try to relax a little bit, get into the shade and start drinking some more water,” Rendon said.
“It’s also how much each individual can sweat. Everyone burns through water at different rates and they drink at different rates. So it’s knowing your children, knowing to be careful and don’t forget sunscreen in the heat,” Dr. Anderson said.
While the main push is to drink more water on these hot days, sports drinks are an additional option for older kids and adults.
