Stay Safe in the Heat!
July 22nd, 2015Right now, most of the US is going through a heatwave. This can be just as dangerous to your health as a bitterly cold blizzard. You need to take steps to ensure you and your family remain safe during this time. Here is a previous KaiMD blogpost on the subject.
Here are some tips that you need to make sure you follow:
- Stay AHEAD of your thirst. Drink plenty of water! By the time you are thirsty, your body has already lost a significant amount of water. As you get older, your sense of thirst diminishes and you may not actually feel like you need water, but it is important to drink anyways. We all lose water through sweat and when it is hot, we lose a lot more water at a rapid pace. Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake as these beverages can cause more loss of water. Fresh fruits and ices are a delicious way to stay hydrated and cool.
- During a heatwave, air conditioning is a must. It is unsafe to just use fans to cool off. When your body reaches dangerously high temperatures it can shut down, leading to heat exhaustion or even worse, heatstroke. When these occur, you may need to be hospitalized and organ failure can occur. Taking a cool shower, jumping into the ocean, lake or pool, or placing cool wet towels behind your neck can cool your body down.
- Avoid staying outdoors for prolonged periods of time and avoid outdoor exercise. Go to an air conditioned gym instead. If you must be outdoors, make sure to stay in the shade or a place where you can go indoors with air conditioning in case you feel overheated.
- Check in with your elderly relatives. Give them a call and make sure they are OK. Encourage them to drink water and turn on the air conditioner.
- Protect yourself from the sun. Make sure to use SPF 30+ sunscreen and lip balm at all times when you are outdoors. Wear a hat or visor and sunglasses.
