{"id":383379,"date":"2026-08-28T08:50:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T08:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/383379\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T08:50:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T08:50:18","slug":"heat-exhaustion-vs-heat-stroke-what-parents-need-to-know-as-fall-sports-season-heats-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/383379\/","title":{"rendered":"Heat exhaustion vs. heat stroke: What parents need to know as fall sports season heats up"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORANGE PARK, Fla. \u2013 Fall sports are back in full swing, and so is the heat. With kids suiting up in pads and helmets for Friday night lights and weekend activities, HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital<\/a> is urging parents to recognize the warning signs of heat-related illness before it becomes a life-threatening emergency.<\/p>\n

Paramedic Joshua Moore says staying hydrated is the starting point.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking sure that they\u2019re not drinking a whole lot of soda, staying properly hydrated with water, Gatorade,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n

Knowing the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke<\/a> could save a child\u2019s life. Heat exhaustion is basically the body\u2019s warning sign \u2014 marked by sweating and tiredness. <\/p>\n

Heat stroke is where things turn dangerous. A core body temperature of 104 degrees signals a medical emergency, and death becomes possible at 107 degrees or higher.<\/p>\n

Moore says confusion is one of the clearest red flags. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times the skin dries up, they\u2019re going to be acting confused, not making a whole lot of sense,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Children are especially vulnerable. HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital says a child\u2019s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult\u2019s. Add pads, helmets, and extra layers that trap heat, and the risk can climb faster. <\/p>\n

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)<\/a>, nearly 9,000 high school athletes are treated for heat-related illnesses every year across the country. If a young athlete starts showing symptoms, Moore says act immediately. <\/p>\n

\u201cCheck their temperature. You want to use active cooling techniques, so get some cool rags, put them on their neck, armpit areas,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Moore adds the same warning applies to adults \u2014 watch for cramps, excessive sweating, and confusion, and make hydration a priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out of the sun, get out of the heat as fast as you can,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORANGE PARK, Fla. \u2013 Fall sports are back in full swing, and so is the heat. With kids…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3487,21369,571,61569,1454,116,118,117,5436,11387],"class_list":["post-383379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-clay-county","tag-hca-florida-orange-park-hospital","tag-health","tag-healthier-tomorrow","tag-heat","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-morning-show","tag-parenting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}