5 Things To Do During a Heat Wave

There are a lot of problems that hot weather can cause for a person. If it’s too hot outside, it can result in illnesses like dehydration, sunburn, or even worse, heatstroke. Hot weather can also result in wildfires when the environment gets too dry.

In this article, we’ll be discussing several things to do and keep track of when facing hot weather.

 

Be Observant

Paying attention to the temperature, both indoor and outdoor, during hot weather ensures that you are constantly aware of your surroundings and the situation. Listening to the news or checking out your weather app helps keep you aware of the current temperatures, which will indicate the underlying risks.

If the outdoor temperature is at 26° C or 78.8° F for three or more consecutive days, the risks of problems like illnesses and wildfires significantly increase. If your area is experiencing alarming temperatures, it’s essential to be vigilant of all the crucial things like your hydration and the situation of your environment outside, especially your grass possibly drying up. 

 

Stay Hydrated

Don’t wait until you’re dehydrated before you start drinking water. Dehydration is one of the most potent ways that hot weather can kill. Drinking water isn’t the only way to keep yourself hydrated. Although it’s one of the easiest ways to keep yourself hydrated, there are many other creative ways.

Eating water-rich fruit like watermelon, grapes, peaches, cantaloupes, and even strawberries are good options. Vegetables like cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, and tomatoes are also great at keeping you hydrated.

Certain foods can end up dehydrating us. The first culprit when it comes to dehydration is salty snacks. Eating salty food like junk food signals your kidneys that you’re flooding it with salt. As a result, this pulls water from elsewhere within your body and ends up taking away water from the rest of your organs and cells. 

Alongside salty food and sugary treats, alcohol is a deliberately dehydrating substance. Alcoholic drinks send a message to the brain through the pituitary gland that it needs to produce less vasopressin. This hormone is known as ADH, or antidiuretic hormone, and its purpose is to encourage us to urinate less. Additionally, if you get too drunk, you’ll likely end up vomiting, further dehydrating yourself.

 

Pay Attention To Your Body

The most common symptoms of heat-related illnesses are dry, hot reddish skin, high body temperature, and chills. Other heat stroke symptoms include nausea , excessive sweating, weakness and fatigue, clammy skin, muscle cramps, and dizziness exhaustion.

However, you shouldn’t be waiting for extreme symptoms like an elevated body temperature, heart rate, problems breathing, and onset of dizziness. Minor symptoms like a dry mouth decreased, but frequent urination and itchy/dry skin are already indications that you need to drink water. 

Keep Cool

Keeping cool, especially during extremely hot weather, is important. Not only does it prevent you from being dehydrated as a result of sweating, but it also prevents headaches. Staying under the shade is easily the best option to keep cool, but if it’s unavoidable, we suggest using sunblock, preferably higher than SPF 30, which prevents 97% of UVB rays from reaching your skin.

Besides drinking a lot of water and cold drinks, there are still other ways to keep cool. Wearing light-weight and breathable clothing helps airflow and circulation. Choosing to wear light-colored clothing also helps because dark-colored clothes absorb heat more. Taking a long cold bath also helps as it cools down the body and rehydrates the skin. If taking a bath isn’t an option, using a damp rag on yourself is also a great alternative.

 

Store Perishables Properly

One of the most overlooked things during a heatwave or whenever the weather is hot are perishables. The hot weather might not directly affect you, but it certainly will once you find out that half your grocery was spoiled. Certain food, medicines, and other goods are prone to spoiling when not kept in proper temperatures. You should also keep fruits and vegetables, bread, lotions, makeup, and even plastic bottles in relatively cool areas without direct sunlight.

 

Resource:

https://www.krisinformation.se/detta-kan-handa/hoga-temperaturer/samhallets-ansvar