Heatstroke

Dancing for long periods of time can lead to dehydration and heatstroke. Heatstroke is a life-threatening condition. Deaths from heatstroke have occurred at raves, nightclubs and festivals even when the individual had not consumed recreational drugs. However, recreational drugs can increase the risk by masking the symptoms of heatstroke (when you are high and feeling good you might not notice the danger signs) and by affecting the body pharmacologically (e.g., stimulants increase body temperature directly and MDMA inhibits the body’s natural thermo‐regulation).

While heatstroke is very serious, taking simple precautions can greatly reduce the risk. Read this page to learn more about heatstroke and how to protect yourself and your friends in order to have fun and dance safely!

How to Prevent Heatstroke

Preventing heatstroke is basically an effort to keep your body cool. The most important factor is staying hydrated, so remember to drink water. But, be careful not to drink too much water. Consuming too much water can upset the body’s electrolyte balance and lead to a life-threatening condition called hyponaetremia. A good rule of thumb is to drink about two cups of water (500ml) every hour, even if you don’t feel thirsty.

Basic Tips

• Drink a bottle of water an hour (2-4 cups), and eat some salty snacks.
• Start drinking water a few hours before dancing.
• Stay in good physical shape.
• Wear loose-fitting or athletic clothes that wick away moisture.
• Protect yourself from the sun with a hat, sunglasses, lotion and lip balm.
• Take breaks from dancing and allow your body to cool down. Chill out areas are perfect for this.
• Electrolyte drinks are good. If you find them too strong, you can dilute them in half with water.

Note: There have been some cases of hyponaetremia deaths (drinking too much water) at EDM events, where the individual incorrectly believed that drinking water would reduce the unpleasant effects of a negative drug experience. Fear and panic that one’s life is in danger and the belief that drinking lots of water is the solution may have played a role in these deaths. It is therefore important to remember that water is not an antidote to any psychoactive drug and that nobody should drink more than 2-4 cups an hour.

Some People Are More Susceptible than Others

Some people are more prone to heatstroke than others. This could be a genetic trait, or it may result from certain chronic illnesses and even diseases someone has had in the past. There are anecdotal reports, for example, that patients who have survived meningitis have an increased sensitivity to heat, even years after their recovery. If you have had meningitis, have a chronic illness or a predisposition to heat sensitivity, or if members of your immediate family are heat sensitive, you may be at a higher risk of heat stroke than others.

Know the Symptoms

• Failure to sweat
• Cramps in the legs, arms and back
• Giddiness, dizziness, headache, fatigue
• Suddenly feeling really tired, irritable and confused
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fainting or loss of consciousness

If any of these things happen, stop dancing, drink some water and chill out immediately.

If Someone Collapses While Dancing

1. Call a medic.
2. Get the person to as cool a place as possible. This might mean taking them outside or to some shade.
3. Drench them with water (as cold as possible) using any means you can. Increase the cooling down process by fanning them with anything that’s handy. Focus on places where arteries are close to the skin, like the neck, wrists, and groin. You are looking to get the body temperature down to 102F (38.9C). Once the temperature is down to this level, the person should be wrapped in a dry blanket or given some dry clothes to wear. The temperature shouldn’t be allowed to fall much below 102F or other serious consequences might develop from too rapid cooling.
4. When the medics come, tell them what the person has taken (if you know) and that you think it is heatstroke.
5. If the person regains consciousness, make them drink water with some salt in it. Electrolyte or sports drinks are ideal. At this point, the person might start sweating again. This is a good sign.
6. The person should be taken to the hospital for observation and proper treatment.
7. It may be several weeks or months before the person can dance as much again, and they will need to be extra careful in hot places for a while, too.

Tips for Promoters and Club Owners

Remember, heatstroke can happen even to people who haven’t taken any drugs. Here are some simple suggestions to prevent heatstroke emergencies from happening at your events.

1. Provide some form of easy access to cool drinking water. This can be as simple as making sure there is cool, running water in the bathrooms (shutting off access to cool water in the bathrooms is illegal and extremely dangerous). Providing free water is even better.
2. Don’t overcrowd your venues. Too many people dancing energetically in an enclosed area can raise the ambient temperature above 100 degrees! Limit your ticket sales based on the “heat capacity” of the venue.
3. Provide a chill out room. Couches, bean bag chairs and ambient music make a comfortable environment for people to relax and cool down after dancing energetically.
4. Establish proper ventilation and temperature control measures. Air conditioning may not be available, but large fans, open windows and doors can often do the job. Fans blowing hot air from the inside out through an open window are better than from the outside in. Also remember that hot air rises. The heat on the dance floor wants to go up. Ceiling vents with exhaust fans provide the best ventilation.
5. Provide safety and harm reduction information to your patrons. DanceSafe offers pamphlets (like this one) and attractive posters (ideal for bathrooms and chill out rooms) with health and safety tips for avoiding heatstroke and other risks of dancing.
6. Be prepared. Have your security trained in basic first aid, and hire onsite EMTs for events with more than 500 attendees. Always call an ambulance if somebody falls unconscious or starts having a seizure.

Emergency “Hands-Only” CPR Information

1. Learn about hands-only CPR
2. Interactive CPR site by the American Heart Association