Introduction
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has cautioned that this year India is expected to experience more heat wave days than usual between April and June. Since the maximum temperatures are projected to climb above normal, everybody needs to take pre-emptive and practical measures to protect themselves from the hostile effects of the looming heat waves.
Extreme heat and heat waves can give rise to significant health risks, like – mild uneasiness, severe heat-related diseases, heat stroke, and more. Common symptoms include dehydration, heat fatigue, and even mortalities in risky cases. As most of us travel around through our long days, avoiding the sun absolutely is impossible. So, to serve all your practical requirements in the summer we have assembled some tips in this write-up.
Prevent Skin Harm
Aging adults are more susceptible to the damaging UV rays of the sun. So, they must protect their skin.
Try not to go out in the sun even if it is at the cost of shifting your programs during the cooler portions of the day like evenings or nights.
If you have to go out during the daytime, cover all sun-exposed surfaces of your body, like the tops of ears, scalp, posterior of neck, and complete face. If arms, legs, hands, and feet are unprotected, rub sunscreen on those surfaces as well. Furthermore, apply an anti-chafing cream that will aid in shielding against redness and discomfort.
Additionally, certain medications that you consume may also have an adverse consequence on how your skin responds to extreme sun exposure. So, it is always advisable to consult with your doctor about the aftereffects of your medications.
Consume Enough Water
Extreme summers make you feel thirsty more often than the winters. When you feel thirsty, it is your own body demanding more water to adjust to the heat condition. So, take a mental note for drinking 8-10 glasses of water on a daily basis. This will assist in keeping yourself hydrated.
Also, be mindful of the fact that you perspire more when the temperature is particularly high, so your body searches for means to stock up the already lost fluids in the body caused by undue sweating.
Cover Your Eyes
Too much contact with sunlight can cause enduring harm to the eye and can be the principal reason for annoying headaches. So, guard your eyes and your eyesight by wearing a decent pair of sunglasses that offer UV protection.
If you’re wearing glasses prescribed by doctors, you should add lenses that contain an extra layer for UV protection. Moreover, apply an active cooling gel eye mask that is very beneficial in providing a lot of respite to your eyes after a long and exhausting exposure to the sunlight.
Guard Against Heatstroke
What is heat stroke? Heat stroke is the most severe heat-related sickness. It follows you’re your body is unable to control its temperature. In fact, the body’s temperature increases swiftly, the sweating stops, and the body is incapable of cooling down.
Now, it is another major illness faced by elder adults during the summer months because they are more vulnerable to this as their bodies are incapable of adjusting to the alteration in temperature rapidly. Common signs of a heat stroke are high fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, and light-headedness.
If you want to steer clear of heat stroke then try placing your feet in cold water as it can help cool the body down. Next, never let older adults sit in the car in the parking lot. The temperature in a parked car can shoot up to 20 – 30 degrees higher than the outdoor temperature during extreme summers. Finally, always stay in contact with your doctor and get medical assistance straightaway without delay if you experience or come in contact with someone suffering a heat stroke.
Consume Summer-friendly Fruits
You can resolve the heat issue during the summer by consuming local, seasonal, and especially summer-friendly fruits. Since the nutritional value of such fruits is at their peak during this season these provide maximum protection to the human body during summer heat conditions.
Some of the fruits that you can consume are –
Cucumber – As it is high in water content, consuming cucumber in the summer can avert dehydration and continuously replenish your body with the required fluid, and also offer respite from the extreme summer temperatures.
Tomatoes – It is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. Again, it also contains lycopene, which can aid you fight off chronic diseases, like skin cancer.
Watermelon – When the heat wave is on, your body requires as much fluids as possible. Watermelon is a very good and healthy source of fluid intake. Since watermelon has a high water content it will cool you down and keep you hydrated.
Oranges – You are drained out of potassium when you perspire. This means there’s a possibility for muscle cramps and which are painful and hinder the normal functioning of your body. Oranges are rich in potassium and will help you to avoid excruciating muscle cramps. For your information, oranges contain 80% water, which will keep you fluid-rich.
Increase Intake of Soup & Vegetable Juices
Summers mean too much sweating and this leads to fatigue, muscle cramps, restlessness, and more. So, an appropriate way to substitute the fluids you lose from your body during summer is to complement your meals with a lot of soup and vegetable juices. Some soups and vegetable juices in your regular diet comprise of good amount of salt and potassium that are impeccable for replenishing lost fluids.
Evade Vigorous Open-air Activity
To stay fit and active, irrespective of the weather conditions, you must continue to work out. But when it is too hot outside, you might want to skip the workout and wait for the weather to cool down. If you must work out, try to do it in a cool area. You can suffer in too much heat when you do strenuous outdoor activities, which can lead to any of the conditions listed at the beginning of this article.
Try to Dress in Cotton Clothes
Adults and children both need light clothing like cotton during the summer months. It becomes even more important if you are going out regularly. Choosing to wear a breathable outfit will let your body put in less effort to keep you cool, in turn, decreases your body’s total temperature. Again, try to wear light-colored clothing as much as possible as it does not absorb too much heat from the sun vis-a-vis dark-colored attire.
Conclusion
The heat wave has grave consequences on health even causing death. Hence, keeping yourself safe is critical. The above-mentioned tips, like staying hydrated, consuming summer-friendly fruits and vegetables, avoiding vigorous outdoor activities, and more will help you stay animated, healthy, and lively notwithstanding the heat.
If you indeed need to venture outside, you can always safeguard yourself by applying sunscreen and wearing sun-protective clothing. Also, technology has made it possible to bring sun protection in the gears that we wear daily. So, make the most of this development, particularly if you reside in a tropical region.
