10 Ways To Cool Yourself Down During A Heatwave
10 Ways To Cool Yourself Down During A Heatwave. The past couple pf days have been unbearable in most pats of the country. The following steps can help you keep cool during a heat wave even if you have an air-conditioned home.
1. Drink Plenty Of Fluids
Water and lower-fat milks are good options. You can also drink fruit juice, smoothies and soft drinks, but they can be high in sugar. Limit fruit juice or smoothies to a combined total of 150ml a day, and choose diet or sugar-free soft drinks.
2. Avoid Drinks With Alcohol Or Caffeine
Many think these beverages can help one cool down. The truth is they can make you feel good briefly, but make the heat’s effects on your body worse. This is especially true about beer, which actually dehydrates the body.
3. Eat Small Meals And Eat More Often
Large, heavy meals are more difficult to digest and cause your body to increase internal heat to aid digestion, worsening overall conditions. Avoid foods that are high in protein, such as meats and nuts, which increase metabolic heat.
4. Dress Appropriately
Lightweight, light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight and helps maintain normal body temperature. Cover as much skin as possible to avoid sunburn and over-warming effects of sunlight on your body. A hat will keep direct sunlight off your head and face. Sunlight can burn and warm the inner core of your body.
5. Use The Cooling Power Of Water
Fill buckets or basins and soak your feet. Wet towels and bandannas can have a cooling effect when worn on the shoulders or head. Take cool showers or baths, and consider using a spray bottle filled with cold water for refreshing spritzes throughout the day.
6. Eliminate Extra Sources Of Heat
Incandescent light bulbs can generate unnecessary heat, as can computers or appliances left running. Make sure you switch off appliances that you don’t need.Eat fresh foods that do not require you to use the oven or stove to prepare.
7. Avoid Strenuous Activity
Reduce, eliminate or reschedule strenuous activities. High-risk individuals should stay in cool places. Get plenty of rest to allow your natural “cooling system” to work. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
8. Visit Public Buildings With Air Conditioning
Air conditioned locations are the safest places during extreme heat because electric fans do not cool the air. During the hottest hours of the day if the heat becomes unbearable. Libraries, shopping malls, and movie theaters can all be good places to cool down.
9. Stay Indoors As Much As Possible
If air conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor, out of the sunshine. Even in the warmest weather, staying indoors, out of sunshine, is safer than long periods of exposure to the sun.
10. Take Care Of Your Pets
Cooling animals (dogs, rabbits, cats) by giving them a “cool” bath or shower will help keep their body temperature down. A cool towel on a tile floor to lay on, a cool towel or washcloth laying over the skin next to a fan will also help cool the animal.
