She found herself in the emergency room by the end of the day.
People in my life were surprised to hear this reality, Villegas told Verywell.
This day was no different," she added.
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“I took all the precautions I could.”
This is your physical adaptation to your average climate," she said.
“My body was used to 80 to 90 degree summers, not a 116-degree heat dome.”
These findings may be surprising for some.
Research and media discourse about heat strokes and the impact of extreme heat often focuses on older adults.
But it is a growing problem.
Heat and Emergency Department Visits
Heat is an important threat to public health.
The researchers looked for patterns between days of extreme temperatures and the number of emergency department visits.
Recent studies have shown that heat waves tend to exacerbate mental health concerns.
But the numbers were higher for adults between 18 and 64 years of age.
“So it is not just the elderly that are vulnerable to the effects of heat.
We all need to be aware of the risks and we all need to be prepared.”
Non-insured people affected by extreme heat are important to consider, too.
For future research, experts point out that children should be considered as well.
Are We Not Well Prepared for the Heat?
I like that these findings get us talking," Villegas said.
1 Weather Killer is Not Tornadoes, Flooding, Lighting, or Hurricanes.
The National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine.Global warming makes heat waves hotter, longer, and more common.
A systematic review and meta-analysis.Environ Int.
