With another run of very hot days on the way across the region, paramedics have urged people to take every precaution against falling victim to the heat.
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Weatherzone’s forecast for some areas is for tops of 42 degrees by the end of the week – on the back of what has been, for some, an already unrelenting January heatwave.
In Gunnedah, according to that service, just one day this month has topped at less than 36.8 degrees, most have reached at least 38 and the hottest day on January 16 was 43.5.
Tamworth and Moree, for example, have been a little more fortunate, each with two January days coming in at below 36 degrees and both hitting a high of 42.9 on January 16.
But across the North West Slopes and Plains, the tops are predicted to be up to 41 on Thursday and Friday, and up to 42 on Saturday and Sunday.
Gunnedah paramedic Hayley Hausfeld said the most important focus for people, no matter their age or activity level, was to prevent dehydration.
“Make sure you keep up your fluids; small amounts of water over the whole day – not big amounts in the morning and nothing else during the day.”
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She said the daily recommended amount of water for most adults was 2 litres.
A common misconception was that any fluids would do, but tea, coffee and sweet drinks could actually cause dehydration.
“Even the smallest amount of caffeine in tea basically discounts the amount of water that’s in there,” Ms Hausfeld said.
Early signs of dehydration could be seen in urine colour – it should be clear.
“If it’s starting to get into that dark yellow colour, then you’re definitely looking at getting into dehydration,” she said.
Ms Hausfeld said using airconditioning was important, but intensive care specialist paramedic Peter Patterson offered an alternative.
“If you don’t have airconditioning, use wet towels to cool yourself down,” Mr Patterson said.
They advised limiting physical exertion and staying indoors during the hottest parts of the day between 10am-5pm.
Other symptoms of dehydration include headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, concentration loss and loss of co-ordination.
“The most important thing is to get water into someone who is showing those signs, especially the elderly,” Ms Hausfeld said.