Sweltering weariness is the slow exhaustion of prolonged heat exposure short of true heat injury — the soldier in armor on a summer afternoon, the porter in the noonday sun, the traveler crossing the desert at the wrong hours. The body burns reserves to keep cool, and the burn shows up as weariness rather than as the privation of heat fatigue, exhaustion, or stroke. 5–10 fatigue per four hours of exposure.
Symptoms
Persistent flush, steady sweat, slight headache, thickening tongue, slowing thought, the urge to lie still rather than move.
Progression
Sustained sweltering without cooling crosses eventually into the heat privations — first Heat-Fatigued, then Heat-Exhausted, then the catastrophic Heatstruck. The transition can be slow or sudden depending on hydration, exertion, and shade.
Treatment
- Move to shade
- Loosen heavy clothing and armor
- Drink water steadily in small amounts
- Cool the brow with damp cloth; rest in still air
Recovery
Four hours of rest reduces weariness fatigue by 5; eight hours of sleep reduces it by 15.