Summers are marked by devilishly soaring high temperatures, almost similar to the fire raging out from a dragon’s mouth. Summers in India start from the month of March and go only after taking our lives. When extreme heat occurs, the people affected the most are the very young, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases and/or mental illness. People living in urban areas are at high risk also, thanks to the poor air quality of many large cities and often-stagnant atmospheric conditions, which trap pollutants in the air. When people breathe in these pollutants, they can trigger a wide range of respiratory problems. Excess heat causes loss of water from the human body, causing dehydration. This dehydration also can interfere with the body’s internal thermostat, leaving it vulnerable to heat-related illnesses such as severe sunburn, tanning, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. In areas with high humidity, high temperatures tamper with the body’s ability to sweat, banning the body from cooling down. This can cause the body temperatures to rise unseeingly. When the heat outside exceeds the level the body can remove through sweating and evaporation, body temperatures rises and heat-related illness may develop. So, here are some quick and easy tips to escape this dangerous heat and stay hearty and healthy throughout the season.
- Revise your pattern of outdoor exercise, by changing it to early mornings or late evenings. If you are unable to change the time of your workout, scale it down in terms of its duration. Try to do walking instead of running, as it will exert your body comparatively lesser.
- Clothes to wear, is one of the major decisions while stepping out of the house. Wear loose-fitting, cotton clothing, preferably of a light color. Try and avoid synthetics. Try and cover your body as much as possible, to remain safe from tanning.
- Spray Bottles are not only for use in Saloons. It is a nice idea to fill a spray bottle with water and keep it in the refrigerator for a quick and refreshing sensation, when you come back from outdoors.
- Even when the Air- Conditioner is switched on, try and keep the fans also on. They help in circulating the air and will make you feel cooler.
- Instead of going for all sorts of beauty and rejuvenation treatments by shelling out huge bucks at the parlour, try storing your lotions and cosmetic toners in the refrigerator to use on hot, overtired feet. This is a sure-shot home remedy.
- When it comes to hot weather, chilly cold water is the best possible rescue. Keep plastic bottles of water in the freezer; take hold of one when you’re ready to go outside. As the ice melts, you’ll have a supply of cold water with you.
Warning: Do not drink the icy cool water before the ice melts, as it can prove to be harmful for your throat.
- Now, coming to our Granny’s technique of keeping cool; have frequent baths or showers with cool or tepid water. In olden times, people had bath more than 10 times a day.
Doubt: I wonder why everyone feels that the current population wastes a lot of water. It was actually our ancestors who took so many baths a day, that there is no water left for us!
- Battle dehydration by drinking plenty of water (atleast 15 glasses) along with sports drinks and other sources of electrolytes.
Warning: Do not drink a lot of carbonated drinks, as they can cause acidity and digestion problems.
- Now a bit of gyaan, though it is unavoidable but still try and avoid caffeine and alcohol as they cause dehydration.
- Coming to the kind of food, instead of hot foods, try lighter summer food including frequent small meals or snacks containing cold fruit or low fat dairy products. This comes with an added benefit, of not having to stand next to the blazing hot stove.
- Now a fine idea to have a good sleep in this sultry weather is to hang up your bedding in the coolest part of the house during the day. Take them down and put them back on your bed just before you go to sleep.
- Summers are not that bad after all; they do bring chances of some great fun. Find a friend, and go for a swim, have a water fight, or just dump buckets of water on each other. A nice way to keep small children from getting irritated in this heat.
- Use Sunscreen crazily. It is of sheer importance to stay protected from skin cancer and other skin damage. So, sunscreen is something MANDATORY. On partly cloudy days; harmful ultraviolet rays are not blocked by cloud cover, so it is important to apply sunscreen even then. Sunscreen can decrease your skin and body temperatures, so you can stay cooler and calmer the whole day.
- Turn off electrical appliances when not in use. They produce a huge amount of heat when switched on. Turn off laptops, television, lights and bulbs. Try to sit in minimal lighting.
Added Advantage: It saves your electricity bill, which is already sky-rocketing because of the unavoidable consumption of air-conditioners
- Finally, use some common sense. If the heat is intolerable, stay indoors as much as possible. There is no need to have a look at the whole Earth, only during summers. Pay special attention to the elderly and infants, as they usually do not say much, but are affected the most. Thanks to their low-immunity power! Don’t forget to give special attention to your pets. They also need to be covered and kept in cool temperatures as much as possible.
These are the 15 most plausible tips to wave off the heat in style. Don’t become selfish and worry only about your skin and looks, but also take care of the Mother Earth by planting as many trees as possible. They provide a cool and fresh ambience in the sick and sultry weather, and there usage is free of cost. They will also keep the land hydrated and bring rains. So enjoy the Summers with a Happy Earth!
