Babies and small children are particularly susceptible. Children, who are left in a car, even on a day that doesn’t seem excessively hot, are at risk of overheating very quickly.
This can result in heat stroke, which is a medical emergency.
Most people feel comfortable when the air temperature is between 20°C and 27°C and the when relative humidity ranges from 35 to 60%.
When air temperature or humidity is higher, people start to feel uncomfortable. Such situations do not cause harm as long as the body can adjust and cope with the additional heat. Very hot environments can overwhelm the body’s coping mechanisms, leading to a variety of serious and possibly fatal conditions.
Heat stroke
Heat stroke, a severe form of hyperthermia, occurs when the human body absorbs more heat than it can dissipate. This is a serious condition and needs immediate medical attention.
Remedy: It is important to lower the temperature of the body. Move the sick person to a cool, shaded area, soaking their clothes in water. Spraying, sponging, or showering them with water and fanning their body.
You can prevent heat stroke by wearing loose and light clothes, drinking water, and not exerting yourself.
Heat cramps
Heat cramps usually affect people who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body’s salt and moisture levels. Low salt levels in muscles causes painful cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.
Home remedies: Rest in a cool place. Drink clear juice or electrolyte-enriched drinks. Do not go back to strenuous activities even after cramps subside since it may lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Heat exhaustion
Heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, fainting, muscle cramps, fainting are symptoms of heat exhaustion
Home remedies: Rest. Have cool non-alcoholic beverages, a cool shower, bath or sponge bath. Wear light clothing.
Dehydration
Dry mouth and eyes, dry skin, a condition where sweating nearly stops, muscle cramps, nausea, heart palpitations and light headedness are symptoms of dehydration.
Prevention: Re-hydration with water, clear broths, and any other water replacements that contain electrolytes, like Gatorade.
Home remedies: Fluid replacement and control through diet and medication. Fever medication.
Rosacea
Rosacea symptoms include your skin will turning red due to over exposure to the sun. The redness appears as the excess heat causes the blood vessels to dilate.
Remedy: Avoid direct sunlight. Always use a good sunscreen with SPF 30+.
Sunburn
The ultra violet radiation burns the skin when you spend long hours under direct sun. Sunburn symptoms are patches of darkened skin peeling away.
Remedy: It is recommended to stay indoors during 10am to 4pm when sun light is at it peak.
Home remedies: Mix together the juice of six peeled cucumbers, two cups powdered milk and two teaspoons dried lavender flowers. Apply the above paste directly on the affected areas of the skin. One cup of the mixture added to lukewarm water can be used as a skin smoothening balm
Prickly heat
Prickly heat affects everyone; it is a result of sweat and humidity that causes bacterial infection on the skin.
Remedy: Teking cold showers, wearing loose clothes, putting talcum powder after a bath, applying calamine lotion on the rashes.
Apply medicated talcum powder. Keep the area dry and clean.
Summer diet
One must eat cold foods such as watermelon, yogurt, berries and the like. Such foods are low in calories and require very little energy for digestion. Usually such foods taste better when chilled. Naturally, eating such chilled low calorie foods feels good in the summer months.
Importance of including a variety of foods in your diet: All essential nutrients are required in the summer months, particularly the minerals that are lost in sweat.
It is possible to replenish these micro-nutrients only if the diet includes varied food groups such as fruits, vegetables, milk, cereals, meat, pulse and fats.
Importance of choosing fats carefully: In the summer months, a number of people who want to lose weight switch to a zero fat diet. This is not a health sted trend. The essential fats that the body needs are available through diet alone. It is therefore sensible to limit the fat intake to just the essential requirement but to avoid any extras.
Drinking very chilled liquids is not advisable: Food consumed at extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold, is not appropriate for the body. The body has to work extra in order to get the temperature close to the body temperature. Drinking warm or cool (as opposed to hot and cold) liquids is best suited for the body.
