Important safety and
hydration tips for a sizzling New Jersey summer
It's summertime, and that means there are lots of
things to do outside. But with the heat and humidity, it can be hard to stay
cool. Here are some tips for staying safe in the summer:
Heat
and humidity make it hard to keep cool.
The heat and humidity of summer can make it hard to
stay cool, hydrated and safe. And that's not just the locals who have an excuse
for being a little cranky about the weather. You'll find yourself struggling
with these same problems no matter where you live.
The first step in staying safe during this time is
making sure your home is equipped with air conditioning (AC). If there's no AC
in your house or apartment building, consider getting one installed—it won't
cost much at all! Second, drink lots of water throughout the day so that when
it gets hot outside, you won't feel like someone has turned up their thermostat
by 10 degrees F/-5 C over night; instead just time yourself drinking three
liters per hour during peak hours (around noon), then refill as needed
throughout day until evening when temperatures drop below 80 F/-25 C again
after sunset."
Younger
people and seniors may be more vulnerable to heat.
- Children, older people and people with chronic health conditions
are more vulnerable to heat illness.
- Younger people are more likely to be active in the heat.
- Older adults have more health conditions that make them more
vulnerable to heat illness, including heart disease and diabetes.
Anyone
can get heat-related illness.
Heat-related illness is a major concern for
everyone, but it can happen at any age and to anyone. People with pre-existing
medical conditions are more at risk because they may not be able to adapt so
quickly if they get sick in the heat. If you're not used to being outside on
warm days, you could also be more susceptible than someone who has lived
through similar weather conditions before.
Know
the signs: Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke
- Heat cramps: If you feel a muscle suddenly tighten, then it's
likely your body is experiencing heat cramps. These can be caused by
dehydration or excessive sweating. If you have heat exhaustion, this
feeling should subside within an hour or two.
- Heat exhaustion: This condition occurs when the body cannot cool
itself down fast enough because it has lost too much fluid through sweat
and other sources of moisture loss like exercise. Symptoms include
weakness, nausea and dizziness that lead to fainting if not treated
immediately with cold water (and perhaps even ice packs).
- Heat stroke: In this case, increased levels of body
temperature—either from dehydration or overexposure to sunlight—cause
irreversible brain damage; death may follow soon after (though it rarely
does). Treatment involves getting out into fresh air immediately as well
as seeking medical attention immediately if signs like confusion or
disorientation appear during treatment for any reason whatsoever!
Drinking
alcohol does not help.
Alcohol, whether you're drinking alone or with
friends, can be a dangerous way to cool off. It's diuretic in nature and causes
the body to lose fluids more quickly than it should, which makes you feel
hotter. In addition to causing dehydration, alcohol also increases heat
production by dilating blood vessels in your skin and making them run
faster—which increases heat absorption into your bloodstream.
So how does this affect how much alcohol affects us? Well, if you were planning on drinking four glasses of wine tonight at dinner with friends after work but only ended up getting through three before passing out on the couch next door (not really), then none of those glasses would have done much good; they'd only made things worse by causing vasodilation that increased blood flow into our bodies instead of keeping them cool like they should've been able to do under normal conditions!
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There
are many options for staying hydrated.
There are many options for staying hydrated. Water
is the most important thing to drink, but you can also drink:
- Before exercise
- During exercise (not just after)
- As a replacement for lost fluids when sweating or breathing heavily
The following are just some of the many ways to
stay hydrated while you're exercising in summer heat. Water is the main thing
that you need, but it's also important to drink.
Water
should be your first line of defense.
Water is the most important thing you can consume
in order to stay hydrated. It’s available everywhere, and it’s inexpensive. You
can get water from the tap or from a fountain at your local park or fast food
restaurant—they might even have free refills!
Water is also easy to transport: you can carry a
small bottle with you wherever you go (and don't forget about those reusable
bottles). If there's no access to safe drinking water on your trip, there are
plenty of places where bottled drinks will be sold at reasonable prices too
(like grocery stores).
Staying
cool in the summer doesn't have to mean staying indoors.
Staying cool in the summer doesn't have to mean
staying indoors.
- Stay in the shade. It's important to stay out of direct sunlight,
which can increase your body temperature by as much as 3 degrees
Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius). If you're at an outdoor concert or event,
find shade under trees or building structures that offer respite from the
sun's rays.
- Wear light-coloured clothing. Dark colors reflect heat away from
your body and can make it feel warmer than it actually is—even if they're
made from natural fibers like cotton and wool!
- Wear a hat with some sort of brim (a wide band around its top edge)
to help block some light from entering through your eyes at any given time
during the day: ideally this would be dark enough so that anyone looking
at you wouldn't notice anything strange about their vision; however if
this isn't possible then just make sure there are no holes punched into
them when sewing together panels together so air doesn't escape outwards
through gaps between panels' edges before being sealed off themselves
later after assembling everything else together properly first."
Conclusion
Staying hydrated is the best way to stay cool in a
hot summer. If you feel that you might be suffering from heat exhaustion, drink
water. If it's not enough to help, then take some extra steps and get your body
temperature down before heading back out into the heat again.
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