It's official: July 2012 was the hottest month on record for the
lower 48 states. Ever. And it doesn't look like relief is in
sight: In fact, this summer is pacing to be one of the warmest
on the books since 1950. We're guessing no one needed to tell
you that -- the oppressive afternoon temperatures, pools of
sweat and heat-induced grumpiness (wait, is that just us?)
likely clued you in. In serious cases you might have experienced
symptoms of heat exhaustion -- heavy sweating, dizziness and
fainting, muscle cramps, nausea and low blood pressure, to name
a few -- or the more serious heat stroke -- high body
temperature, dry skin, nausea, increased heart rate, confusion
and even unconsciousness. But have you ever wondered what's
actually happening inside your body to cause that? Turns out,
humans are built with a sophisticated internal thermostat that
works to regulate temperature, even in extreme environments.
Here's the basic gist: sitting down in a cool room, just a small
bit of blood is traveling to our ski