‌☀️‌ Summer heatwave tips and tricks ‌☀️‌

[Martin-O2]

Hey everyone, 

With this being one of the hottest summers for a long time and the UK breaking the highest temperature record last month with a scorching 40c, I thought a topic on coping with the high temperatures was in order!

Unlike typically hot countries the UK housing and infrastructure is not designed for these hot temperatures so I've shared a few easy tips for keeping cool and safe whilst the strange, bright orange ball in the sky is present. 

• Keep your living space cool. Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep.

• Stay hydrated. This one may seem obvious but it's easy to underestimate how much fluids you are losing on hot days. It's recommended to drink between 1.5 and 2 litres per day on hot days. 

• Avoid alcohol. tea and coffee. Whilst the hot weather seems like the perfect time for a few rounds at the pub be careful to limit your alcohol intake. Alcohol causes dehydration, which can hit especially hard if your body is already struggling to cope with the weather. Drinking alcohol can also make it harder to get a good night's sleep, something that's already difficult in warmer temperatures. Tea and coffee are also diuretics which can cause dehydration. 

• Plan ahead. If you are planning to spend time outside, plan your day to make sure you have plenty of food, water and any medications needed and most importantly pack the sunscreen!   

Do you have any handy tips to keeping cool during this weather? We'd love to hear your suggestions and heat reducing strategies in the comments below! ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

[Comben]

The most under appreciated piece of advice on your list is… Keep your windows shut in the day.

It sounds counter intuitive but it’s a game changer, I set my alarm for 5am and open everything up for 2 hours then shut it all down… windows closed, blinds/ curtains across to block the sun, turn off unneeded electrical items which generate heat (phone chargers, tv’s, computers etc) and come back to a much cooler home. If your haven’t tried this one I recommend it strongly.

Another one I may add is having a cool shower, not only does it wash away the day and sweat it can also significantly lower your core temperature, try this around bedtime for a better nights sleep.

[Martin-O2]

@Comben I only discovered the window tip recently but it makes a huge difference. 

Good advice on the cool shower. I'll be having one myself once the shift is over today! 

[Cleoriff]

Agree with everything above,  except tea. Without going into details, I have a kidney condition which means I have lost the ability to control body temperature. Although I drink plenty of cold water and squash, I also drink tea which cools me as much as cold drinks. Weird I know but there you go.😉

Avoid fizzy drinks. They make you even more thirsty.

I have a conservatory without blinds which gets the sun in the morning and it is like an oven, so I do open both doors and windows in the morning. We are lucky enough to get a breeze early on.

Also, we move the cats water bowls into the dining room out of the conservatory otherwise they they would be drinking hot water 🤔

I want to make mention of walking dogs. Do NOT walk them during the heat of the day as you risk burning the pads of their feet. Walk them first thing in the morning and late evening. Make sure they have plenty of water..

[Comben]

Interesting about you and the tea, although I have heard hot drinks are better for your body on a hot day as it takes less energy to convert it to body temperature (when compared to a cold drink on a hot day)

Also really intriguing point about fizzy drinks because I drink them all the time. Even if they do make me more thirsty isn’t that oddly a good thing so I drink more and stay hydrated?

Extremely great addition about walking dogs in the heat, people sometimes don’t think about this but it’s so unfair on the dog. 🐶 

 

[Cleoriff]

@Comben 

Fizzy drinks can cause dehydration due to the CO2 in them. When i was nursing, we only allowed water, milk and squash. Remember, we can do more damage by over hydrating. So if fizzy drinks make you more thirsty, the last thing you need is to overhydrate. However we are all individual , so bottom line do what feels ok for you 😊

[Breanna]

@Comben In Asia, people drink hot water or water with a small amount of different kinds of tea (usually have some medicinal benefit) all year round. If you're sick or too cold or too hot, Chinese people will always just tell you 多喝热水 which just means "drink more hot water." 

@Cleoriff threw me for a loop with the squash. I was very thoroughly confused until I had a google about it. 

[Comben]

Thanks for the insight Cleoriff and Breanna. So interesting about both the fizzy drinks and “drink more hot water”.

I agree it’s each to there own because for me I don’t drink enough and fizzy drinks encourage me to drink more because of the flavour and also now because of the science. 👌🏻 

I love that squash confused you… I’ve tried explaining it to so many people not from the UK in the past and they all get throughly confused too. It’s an odd word choice and also not a drink others have heard of. 😂 

[J9el]

@Martin-O2 - Fill ‘hot’ water bottles with water and leave them in the freezer until the water is frozen. Basically a cold water bottle! Wrap them in a t-shirt or piece of cloth and put them in your bed at night. Really helps with those hot, muggy nights. Only just found this out and it really helps you keep cool.

[jonsie]

Don't overfill the water bottles

Water expands when frozen and may split, leaving a soggy mess in bed