As winter is stepping back and summer is approaching…, for many it’s a time for fun and relaxation. However, increasing heat is troublesome issue for people from all corners of world.
It’s common to get sunburn, heat cramps and sunstroke in burning heat of summer; however, taking certain precautions can help you to protect your body from that illness.
Normally our body tries to get rid of extreme heat by perspiration and evaporation of sweat. However, Many times in summer our body fails to do so because of high humidity. As high humidity in weather stops evaporation of sweat resulting in failure of heat loss mechanism.
Thus Safety concerns are must especially for aged and kids.
Let’s take a look at some of the tricks to counter the effect of heat damage.
Stay well hydrated
High temperature can decrease water level inside your body through excessive sweating. Water, a vital element, needed for almost all normal functioning of body. Water not only flush out toxins from body but keeps you hydrated also. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water even if you don’t feel thirsty is must. Increase water intake if you are exercising or going outside in hot sun. If you are bored with drinking only water why don’t you choose natural juices? Juices give added values by balancing fluid loss and correcting nutritional deficiencies.
Improve your dressing
Another piece of obvious advice easier to follow is choosing a perfect dress for summer. Select lightweight and loose fitting clothes from natural fabrics such as cotton clothes, for summer season. Light colored clothing with long sleeved; covers skin and reflects heat outside.
Reschedule your work
Cut back on your outside visits at noon when the sun is harsh. On the other way, schedule your work in early morning or evening hours. Stay in door as much as possible.
Use sun blockers
Try to avoid direct sunlight. Apply sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or greater at least 20-30 minutes before leaving home. Greatest single benefit of sunscreen is protection from UV rays induced skin damage. Use a wide-brimmed hat to protect face and UVA/UVB protective sunglasses for eyes.
Facilitate good indoor ventilation
Use air-conditioning to keep inside air cool. If you don’t have a.c. facilities at home choose public places like library, shopping mall or cooling center to stay cool. Switch off unnecessary lights as they increase an inside temperature. Shut down the windows and drape properly when it’s hotter outside. It’s always better to install window-reflectors that can reflect the heat outside. However, don’t forget to open them when it’s cool outside for better ventilation.
Cool your body
Swimming is great cooling exercise to be done in summer. Enjoy swimming in a cool pool but cautions about unpredictable dangerous. Take cool showers and bath to beat the heat. Shower not only cools your body but opens blocked pores from skin and facilitates effective cooling.
Careful on exercise
Strictly avoid intense physical activities during hot days. Exercise produces heat inside the body and in order to get rid of this excessive heat body starts perspiring, means losing more body fluid and hence increase your chances of dehydration.
Better way to do exercise is in early morning or late evening; warm-up is essential so that body gets adjusted.
Wise diet
No health care list is complete without addition of diet advice. Summer demands eating light meals, small in quantity but at frequent intervals. Inclusions of water enrich green leafy vegetables with an ample amount of cucumber, and tomatoes are good in summer. Fruits like watermelon, pineapples and musk melon take care of dehydration too. Coconut water is another good remedy to compensate water loss.
Avoid consuming alcoholic beverages or caffeinated drinks like coffee or cola or tea as they increase body’s dehydration. Moreover, intake of such drinks causes constriction of blood vessels near skin and hampers the heat releasing mechanism of the body.
So keep these tips in mind and enjoy this summer very well.