The heat and humidity are brutal this summer. Plan ahead to stay comfortable and healthy during the hottest time of the year (in whichever hemisphere you reside). Here are some suggestions to keep you comfortable and healthy.
• Be aware of temperature changes throughout the day. Pay attention to more than just the predictions for highest and lowest points. Avoid going outside during the hottest time(s) of day.
•Keep cool by staying in air-conditioned places. If you don’t have AC at home, try to spend time during the hottest parts of the day in a cooler public place such as a mall, library, or movie theater.
Some states and communities even open public cooling centers in hot weather.
• Your body tries to remove excess internal heat by moving warm blood to the skin, where it can escape into the air. If the air is cooler than your body, a fan blowing on you can move the warmed air away from your skin. Set ceiling fans to spin counterclockwise in hot weather.
• Evaporative cooling is important. When liquids evaporate off your skin, they remove heat from your body. This is why you sweat! But you lose water from your body as the sweat evaporates, so it is important to stay hydrated.
While fluid needs vary among individuals, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends women drink about 11.5 cups of water daily, and men about 15.5 cups. If you sweat a lot, you will need to drink more.
About a fifth ofwater intake comes from foods, so be sure to eat plenty of hydratingfoods such as soup and watermelon in hot weather.
• You can aid evaporative cooling by wiping your arms and the back of your neck with wet wipes or spritzing your skin with a spray bottle of cool water. For extra coolness, keep the wet wipe pack and spray bottle in the refrigerator between applications.
• If you must be outside in very hot weather, take breaks regularly to rest where it is cooler. Always wear sun protection. Sunburned skin can’t release heat.
• Dress to feel cooler. Wear loose, lightweight clothes so that air can circulate near your skin and increase evaporative cooling as you sweat. Some high-tech clothing is made from special fabrics that wick sweat from your body to improve evaporative cooling. Many types of cooling clothing, including cooling vests, bandanas and hardhat liners can make life more comfortable in hot weather.
You can make your own cooling clothing. Wet a kitchen towel in cold water, then wrap it around your head or neck. Soak a cotton T-shirt in cold water before putting it on. Rewet the item as it becomes dry.
• Cool your skin. You can take a cool (not cold) shower or bath in water that is tepid, slightly cooler than your body temperature. Once you get out of the shower or tub, stand in front of a fan to increase evaporative cooling. For quicker cooling, submerge your hands and arms up to the elbows in cool water for up to 5 minutes.
Ice packs or sacks of frozen peas applied where large blood vessels are near the surface of the skin (the back of the neck, armpits, groin) will help cool the body down. A chilled drink bottle works too. Icepacks even work throughsynthetic and plaster casts!
You can make your own frozen gel packs too. Just don’t put them directly onskin; always put a cloth between your skin and the ice pack. Don’t leave it on too long, either, as excessive cold is damaging to skin.
• Cool down internally by drinking cool water, eating a popsicle, or sucking (not biting!) ice chips. Just don’t do this too fast, as that can lead to gastrointestinal upset.
• Be aware of when to seek medical assistance due to heat exposure. If you have tried several of the tips above and still aren’t cooling down, go to the nearest emergency room.
Keep in mind the symptoms of heat exhaustion:
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cold, clammy skin
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dizziness or faintness
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excessive sweating
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extreme fatigue
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fast or weak pulse
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headache
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muscle cramps.
If you experience these symptoms, seek medical help or call 911.
Infants, children, senior citizens, pregnant women, outdoor crews, individuals who take medications that make them less able to sweat, and people with health conditions such as cardiovascular disease are all more prone to suffering heat exhaustion. If you’re not in one of these high-risk categories, be sure to check on people who are.
For more information, read “How Hot Is Too Hot For The Human Body?” in the link below:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-hot-is-too-hot-for-the-human-body1/