Heat Wave How-To: Self-Diagnosing Heat Stroke

(July 6) -- Triple-digit temperatures along the East Coast have everyone -- from office workers skipping the morning commute to avid runners relegated to treadmills -- rethinking their routine to minimize exposure to the blazing heat.

But if you do opt to risk carrying on in this kind of weather (and you don't follow AOL News' handy guide to beating the heat), you could set yourself up for some serious health risks, heat stroke being primary among them.

It's a potentially deadly downside to ultra-hot exposure, and one that's easier to succumb to than you might think. Here's how to tell if you're at risk:

1. Check your hydration. We cool off by sweating, which is produced using the body's fluids. But at extremely high temperatures, natural cooling mechanisms start to fail, and heat builds up in the body.

Adequate hydration can stave off the risky reaction. If you're going to be physically active, opt for a sports drink, which will contain key electrolytes to keep your body in balance.

2. Check your head. A headache is an important indicator of heat stroke, as are dizziness and disorientation. Unfortunately, once the latter symptoms develop, heat stroke can rapidly worsen. If you've been out in the pounding sun, and now have a pounding skull -- even slightly -- start treatment procedures.

And next time, rethink protective gear. Hats and umbrellas can both be useful tools to stave off sun-related health risks.

3. Check your friends. Many of the symptoms of heat stroke are serious enough to impair judgment; assessing friends, and relying on them to do the same, can be invaluable.

If companions have hot, dry skin, seem disoriented or confused, or appear sluggish, they might already be in the later stages of heat stroke. Call an ambulance and, in the meantime, apply cool water to the skin and ice packs to the groin and armpits, and elevate the feet.