I've recently have changed medication for my cholesterol and I have noticed that I easily overheat on my hikes. Now when I say overheat, I need to stop because I start getting tingling sensation on my head and feel like I'm going to pass out. Now I know the obvious, ask doc to change medication to see if it helps, but I tend to hike very hot to begin with. Now I do the obvious, drink plenty of water, short snacks, and cool off with wet bandanna. But what is out there that can assist me with my overheating issue? I did a 9.5 mile day hike and it took all I had to finish because I felt so darn drained. This is very concerning to me for two reasons : I did not enjoy my hike, not one bit! The other is soon I'm going to do a AT section starting at Winding Stair and ending at Fontana Dam and there are some tuff peaks to conquer.
I bought light/white shirt and white hat with ventilation.

Please anyone that can relate to this issue or knows some answers to my trouble...please oh please help me out. :)

Your time and reply is extremely appreciated

Edited by OBOZ on 04/25/2009 19:59:55 MDT.

Hi Brian,

How about trying an umbrella in the sun? It saves having to wear a hat (so your head can breathe) and keeps a whole lot of sun off your upper body.

You look a bit young to be taking cholesterol meds....

Just sayin'

On your AT hike split your hiking day in half. Break camp and hike early, take a long afternoon break (in a nicely shaded and cool spot) and then hike through the late afternoon and evening hours. A good headlamp will allow you the ability to setup and break camp in low light conditions if needed. Eat breakfast on the move and eat your main lunch/dinner meal at noon during your break. This type of schedule would allow you the ability to cover the majority of your daily miles in cooler conditions while avoiding hiking through the hottest time of the day.

Yeah Ashley I bought a white trucker style hat that will reflect the light and is vented to cool off my head. If that doesn't work, i will check out the umbrella for sure.

Nathan, yeah lol I hope my son (2yrs old)doesn't get the ol' familial cholesterol issues like me, my father, and my grandfather.

thome this is exactly what I was thinking of doing. My hiking bud does best in the early morn and I do best at dusk. I think you have something here. Thank you! Everyone.

Would my metabolism and the foods I'm consuming effect my overheating also. I do use Caffeine boost drink and high protein low n carb bars.

If you have not discussed this with your doc who prescribed the meds, you are making a big mistake in continuing to hike until you do discuss it with him.

All good thoughts so far. Personally, I find a full-brimmed hat provides much more coverage and cooling that a baseball hat. Never hiked with an umbrella, but I can see it working in intense sun and heat as long as the trail is open. Loose clothing. These would be most effective if the heat being generated is from outside the body, of course.

Wet bandana around the neck can be very cooling. If you are day hiking, you could always freeze a few water bottles 3/4 full of ice and carry them in coozies.

I find that hiking in very hot weather also requires a different mentality- it is easy to accept the limits that heat places on your body, and almost impossible to overcome them. Start early, hike long days, take frequent breaks (especially in the hottest hours), air out those feet, etc.

Good luck, hope you get this sorted soon!

James

Why not just not take your cholesterol tablets while hiking? Unless you've recently had a heart attack its a long term benefit and a few days won't matter.

> If you have not discussed this with your doc who prescribed the meds, you are making a big mistake in continuing to hike until you do discuss it with him.

ABSOLUTELY!

Cheers

What was your old med and what is your new med?

If you are now on niacin, frankly, you aren't going to overcome this problem with a hat and an umbrella. Niacin is notorious for causing flushing. Many people get it so bad they have to discontinue the med.

Were statins not working, or causing liver problems, or something? Has your doctor considered Gemfibrozil?

Yes, tell your doc about this problem.

I don't know if you can get one in the US, but a Cobber bandana contains crystals that stay cool for a long time.

Cobber bandana

Edited by MikefaeDundee on 04/26/2009 07:19:40 MDT.

Hiking in heat is something we have to do routinely out here is the desert southwest. Of course humidity is also a big factor and that works to our advantage out here. It is possible to acclimate yourself to hot conditions within reason. A few years back I got hold of an interesting study put on by the NPS for rangers at the Grand Canyon to assess their ability to function in the extreme heat conditions during the summer months. I was unable to locate the link, but did find the article which I downloaded onto my computer. Here's a link the study:

http://drewboy.homedns.org/~gchikers/docs/Heat_Acclimation_GC_Article.pdf

Interestingly, they determine that you can acclimate to heat in around 3 weeks, but when you stop and go back to air conditioning the acclimation will go away in as little as 4 days. Also mentioned is the fact that you can acclimate just as effectively in cooler temps, just by vigorous exercise for longer periods of time. This also serves to elevate the core body temperature and trigger the same physiological responses. Acclimated people tend to perspire more uniformly over their entire body, and they start sweating more quickly. They also have lower heart rates. Acclimated people also lose less salt through sweating and are able to tolerate greater water loss.

Edited by drewboy on 04/26/2009 08:05:14 MDT.

Another desert hiker here. But no advice. Since this appears to have started since you changed medication, a trip to the doctor is in order. I am not a doctor fan (I see one every 10 years or so), but in this case I would see the doc before taking another hike.

I am scheduled to see doc about trying another med. I take Crestor for my cholesterol. I like the idea of haulting the med before and during the hike. Excellent idea. I am definietly going to get an earlier start and short breaks during the hotter hours and hike my lil tail off in the evening hours (my favorite time to hike) to regain my mileage. Also I am definitely going to check into getting a Cobber bandana. I never knew these existed. Like I had mentioned I always hiked hot and sleep cold. So even off my meds or change of meds I'm still going to take heed to everyones advice. Thanks again and have a nice remainder of your day!

*I will post when I get back from another training hike, when I make these changes.

Crestor is a statin, and certainly has some terrifying possible adverse reactions, but isn't notorious for causing overheating. When you mentioned your symptoms I was afraid that you were describing the flushing that is very common with niacin. I'm not sure how Crestor would fit in with your overheating. Ask an internist. I'm a surgeon- if I can't cut it out I'm not exactly the expert on it... :-)

FWIW, I take Lipitor and have experienced no problems from it. Hope you can find the solution to your situation soon.

Michael

For day hikes it really is nice to stuff some frozen bottles of water next to your hydration bladder. It keeps the water you sip all day cool. If it's really hot, though, the frozen bottles won't stay frozen for long. You could probably also try freezing one of those soothing gel packs and carrying that next to your body somehow.

I wear a straw sombrero or 4" full brim hat in Arizona. The broad shade goes from shoulder to shoulder. Sunday Afternoons is a brand name for serious sun hats made of fabrics. Those neck wraps with the water absorbing crystals are good too. You can make your own if you sew.

Rest during the heat of the day, hike on the two ends. Do get that headlamp with enough battery power and lumens to hike until dark.

Consider leaving the AC off in your car on the way home to aclimate to hotter temps if that is safe for you.

For those who are prone to heat stress in any form of activity try the XXXXX cooling vests. They are lightweight and comfortable and stay cool from 5-10 hours.

--------
Tiffany

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Edited by rcaffin on 01/12/2010 16:10:42 MST.

There is a lot of good advice already mentioned.

If I am going to do some killer-hot hike, I strive to get started extremely early when it is cool. Often I will start with two water bottles, and one is frozen hard as a rock. The second will be frozen mostly. The second one thaws a little by the time you need to drink much, so you will be drinking very cold water. The first one stays frozen for about a half day, so when the second one runs out, the first one has begun to thaw.

We were going to do an "impossible" hike in Death Valley, so we woke up at 2 a.m. and started hiking uphill at 3 a.m. with three quarts of water. Even at that hour, the air temperature was 82 F. Tanking up on cold spring water at the mid-point, we hit the summit of Telescope Peak after about 12-13 hours, with over 11,000 feet of elevation gain. If we hadn't done everything right for heat and hydration, we simply would have died. Also, let Mister Gatorade be your friend. The electrolytes will help your body retain the water and not just pass it through.

I've never had any heat or hydration reaction from taking my statin drugs.
--B.G.--