Keep Cool During the Heatwave with These Tips!

It’s been hot. All along the east coast and the Midwest, there have been record temperatures with several people suffering from conditions like heat exhaustion, heatstroke, along with a few fatalities directly related to the heat. While we may be experiencing a mid-summer heatwave, there are several ways to keep cool, even as the thermometer keeps rising.

Darren Miller, founder of D. Miller & Associates, implores people to keep cool this summer. “Beating the heat is important, and if you begin experiencing any symptoms of heat exhaustion or other heat-related illness to get medical treatment as soon as possible.”

What is a Heatwave?

According to the National Weather Service, a heatwave is defined as three consecutive days with temperatures above 90 degrees. Some cities and states will issue a heat advisory if they are expecting two consecutive days when the heat index is expected to reach 95 to 99 degrees for at least two consecutive days.

Why are Heatwaves Dangerous?

When it gets hot and humid outside, your body has problems cooling itself off. When your body gets too hot and you lose too much fluid or salt through sweat or dehydration, your body temperature rises. This can cause illnesses like heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Young children, the elderly, and people with mobility issues are likely to be affected the most by the heatwave.

Ways to Keep Cool

1. Stay inside. Keeping cool inside with the air conditioner is the ideal way to keep cool during a heatwave. However, take care to keep the temperature at 78 degrees or on low. You don’t want to get an obscenely high power bill next month!
2. Close your blinds and windows. It may sound like a no-brainer but blocking out the sun and making sure to keep cold air in and warm air out are key to keeping cool.
3. Eat some spicy food. In a twist of irony, spicy food can actually help you cool off. The heat receptors in your mouth are stimulated, causing you to sweat, which is your body’s cooldown mechanism.
4. Freeze your sheets. It’s tough getting to sleep when you’re hot and sweaty. Putting your bedding and linens in the freezer for an hour or two before bed will keep the sheets cool for about an hour, giving you enough time to go off to dreamland.
5. Run heat-producing appliances like stoves, ovens, dishwashers, and clothes driers first thing in the morning or after sunset, when it’s cooler.
6. Avoid eating heavily. This means avoiding meals that are high in calories and protein, alcohol, and sugar. Your body has to work harder to digest these foods, and that can raise your body temperature.

Keeping cool while the temperatures surge doesn’t have to be difficult. Follow the above tips and you will be able to stay cool and weather this heatwave like a champ.