How Long Do You Feel Bad After Heat Exhaustion (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 24 Hours To 36 Hours

A human body is a very fragile thing. Everything inside and outside needs to be in a perfect balance. A little thing under proportion or over proportion can cause problems in the body. It happens that due to some external or internal factors, the human body reacts. The reaction of the body is to bring it back to the natural way. 

One such thing that can happen because of electrolytes imbalance in the human body is Heat Exhaustion. When heat exhaustion happens, the body feels discomfort, and a variety of symptoms are to be noted. The effects of heat exhaustion are visible for quite some time.

How Long Do You Feel Bad After Heat Exhaustion?

Heat exhaustion is the way the body reminds the system that there is an imbalance in the human body. The human body is somewhat like a machine that operates on its own. In usual cases, when the body heats up from the inside, it starts sweating to normalize the body temperature.

The human body can heal itself on its own for a lot of issues. But there are a few scenarios where the body fails to recuperate, and the results show on the body. Such a case is Heat Exhaustion. 

Heat exhaustion mostly happens when the human body is dehydrated. Moreover, when the body loses its essential body requisites like the electrolytes, the system cannot create sweat to cool the body temperature. The body then feels a huge wave of heat, also called heat exhaustion.

Several other things happen to the body when it faces heat exhaustion. Some of the symptoms to know whether it is heat exhaustion or not are as follows:

• The person will have a very high pulse rate.
• Nausea, headaches, or dizziness can also happen.
• A person might also feel cramps or weak muscles.
• Heat exhaustion can also affect a person’s breathing. The breathing can be very shallow and rapid.

Heat exhaustion is more common than people think. Sometimes since the range of the heat is low and people tend to ignore it. However, if there are frequent cases or if the exhaustion period lasts for a long time, it can also lead to heatstroke in some cases.

Why Do You Feel Bad After Heat Exhaustion For That Long?

Heat exhaustion on its own does not sound that life-threatening, but it can cause substantial damage to the body over time. Many factors come into consideration when it comes to why a person feels different after heat exhaustion. It also affects the length of the period of feeling the discomfort after the heat exhaustion.

Below are the reasons why a person feels bad for about 24 to 36 hours after heat exhaustion:

• The main reason is the time that it takes to regulate the normal body conditions. Once the body has lost the necessary salts, it takes time to make it back up. Although supplements help, it takes time to include them in the system and circulate in the body. After that, it takes more time for the body to adjust to the new inclusion of the salts in the body.
• Apart from maintaining the body salts, it is also necessary to subside the other symptoms like headache or rapid pulse. Although the heart rate will become normal after 30 minutes, the headache takes more time to reduce. 

In rare cases, the symptoms or the discomfort are known to last even beyond the general benchmark of 36 hours. In such cases, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

Conclusion

There are no specific set of conditions as to who will have heat exhaustion and to what extent.

If a person has liver or kidney conditions, they become more prone to experiencing heat exhaustion. Besides, drug abuse and excessive smoking can also result in a person having heat exhaustion.

The immediate thing that should be done in a heat exhaustion case is to rehydrate the body.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0002934379905485
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444640741000318