MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- Many residents may have noticed the black flag soaring over the station recently, warning of the scorching temperatures that are experienced during summer in Yuma each year.
On average, the Yuma summer brings high temperatures of nearly 110 degrees mid day.
This extreme weather can lead to serious problems, including dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Dehydration is caused by a lack of adequate fluids for the body to carry on normal functions at an optimal level, said Raya Dharnidharka, Semper Fit fitness coordinator.
Each day people lose body water in their sweat, tears, urine, and waste. Water also evaporates from skin and leaves the body as vapor when we breathe. Under normal circumstances, this water is replaced with a normal diet, but extreme heat and physical activity can cause a person's normal hydration requirements to increase heavily.
"The weather here causes us to lose water at a quicker rate because the sun is much more hot and more imminent, as opposed to being somewhere that there is more of a wind factor," said Dharnidharka. "There is no gradual acclimation period here. In Yuma, by the time we are in May, there is already 'August heat.'"
To better acclimate, Dharnidharka suggest station personnel go outside for a short period each day.
Also, to avoid the mid-day heat, sports practices and competitions should be scheduled in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day, said the San Jose, Calif., native.
Although the middle of the day is hottest, Petty Officer 1st Class Kay Bennett, corpsman at the Branch Medical Clinic, said the clinic experiences about 30 cases of dehydration each summer. Most dehydration cases come into the clinic between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.
"This is because in the morning when you first wake up, your body is not hydrated," said Bennett, a Littleton, Colo., native. "So when (service members) go to (physical training) and they didn't hydrate the night before, they get over-heated and dehydrated."
According to Dharnidharka, exercise generates internal body heat, which is released and cooled in the form of sweat; prolonged exercise with insufficient fluid replacement can lead to dehydration.
Symptoms include less-frequent urination, dry skin, fatigue, light-headed feelings, dizziness, confusion, dry mouth and mucous membranes, and increased heart rate and breathing.
Dharnidharka said the most effective way to prevent dehydration is to consume more fluid than you are losing, increase time spent outdoors gradually to get your body used to the heat and try to spend as much time indoors as possible on very hot and humid days.
Although each person is different and has different hydration requirements, on average an active Marine should consume their weight in ounces of water daily, said Dharnidharka.
This should increase with activity level and heat exposure to accommodate the individual.
Dharnidharka said it is important for Marines and sailors to drink water, but replacing electrolytes with drinks like sports drinks and a proper diet of vegetables and fruits is equally as important.