Did you know, there are, on average, 2000 heat-related deaths every year. In the UK we are having to become increasingly used to heatwaves, so it's important to be aware of how to protect yourself and your loved ones from the possible health risks of prolonged extreme heat.

Who's most at risk of heatstroke or heat exhaustion?

Whilst no one is immune to the affects of a heatwave, you should take particular care for the following groups:

older people – especially those over 75
those who live on their own
people who have a serious or long term illness – such as heart or lung conditions, diabetes, kidney disease, Parkinson's disease or some mental health conditions
those who may find it hard to regulate their own heat – babies and the very young, the bed bound, those with drug or alcohol addictions or with Alzheimer's disease

Watch out for signs of heat related illness

If you or someone else feels unwell with a high temperature during hot weather, it may be heat exhaustion or heatstroke. You should be particularly vigilant for the following symptoms in periods of extreme heat:

a headache
dizziness and confusion
loss of appetite and feeling sick
excessive sweating and pale, clammy skin
cramps in the arms, legs and stomach
fast breathing or pulse
a high temperature of 38C or above
being very thirsty
The symptoms are often the same in adults and children, although children may become floppy and sleepy.

If someone has heat exhaustion, it's important to take steps to reduce body temperature as soon as possible.

1) Move them to a cool place.

2) Get them to lie down and raise their feet slightly.

3) Get them to drink plenty of water.

4) Cool their skin with cool water jets, or damp towels/sponges. Cold packs on pulse points can also be effective (around the neck and in the armpits)

The following should be triggers to contact emergency support:

feeling unwell after 30 minutes of resting in a cool place and drinking plenty of water
not sweating even while feeling too hot
a high temperature of 40C or above
fast breathing or shortness of breath

How to tell if you are drinking enough

In absolute terms the amount we should be drinking varies according to body weight, activity levels, and the ambient temperature at the time. For most adults the figure will be somewhere between 1.5 and 2 litres, with our needs obviously increasing when the weather is warm.

One of the best ways to determine if you are drinking enough in hot weather is to notice if you are urinating as much as you would normally, and further to monitor the colour of your urine. It should be colourless or light yellow, the colour of straw. Anything darker than this and it would be a good idea to grab a tall glass of something (non-alcoholic). Water is the gold standard, as opposed to anything with caffeine. Sports or rehydration drinks might be useful if you have been sweating profusely as these replace important salts and electrolytes lost by sweating.