SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Walking out in the heat may be avoidable if you work at an office with AC or remotely, but for some, the risk of a heat stroke follows them throughout the day.

It’s a sunny day and you have been walking all day, so you feel tired. There’s sweat rolling down your forehead and you have a headache. The last meal you had was four hours ago and you have not had a sip of water. Your skin feels clammy and your limbs weak. You think about grabbing a bite, but you suddenly feel nauseated; as if you’re about to throw up.

Are those symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion?

During extreme heat, your body goes into cooling mode. While heat exhaustion is less severe than a heat stroke, if untreated, it can turn into a heat stroke and have severe consequences to your health. Sometimes, permanently.

Heat exhaustion symptoms include dizziness, headaches, heavy sweating, extreme thirst, weakness and nausea. This occurs when your body loses excessive water and salt.

The best way to treat this is by moving to a cooler environment, change to looser clothing, apply a cool wet cloth or cold compress. If you can, sit in a cool bath and drink sips of water slowly.

Where you apply a cold compress also matters:

Pulse points are areas in your body where your blood vessels are closer to your skin, making them more effective placements when cooling off with a cold compress. These areas include your inner thighs, the inside of your elbows and knees, the top of your feet, your temple and the front of your ear.

The National Weather Service (NWS) recommends seeking immediate medical attention if the person vomits, their symptoms worsen or last longer than an hour.

Heat strokes occur when your body cannot cool itself enough through sweat. Symptoms include throbbing headaches, confusion, slurred speech, body temperature above 103 degrees, strong pulse, fainting or loss of consciousness.

In this scenario, NWS recommends calling 911 immediately as heat strokes are severe medical emergencies and awaiting treatment can be deadly. Do not provide liquids to someone suffering from a heat stroke.