Are you looking for ways to keep cool this summer? When you’re out and about, it can be hard to keep your body’s internal thermometer at a sustainable temperature.
Not to mention that you don’t just have yourself to worry about, but your spouse and kids as well. How can you ensure that you’ll all stay cool and comfortable?
Staying cool during the summer isn’t as hard as it seems. It just requires a fair amount of preventative effort.
See below for several tips on how to stay cool in the summer. Be sure to use these pointers and make sure you and your family stay cool and hydrated.
1. Stay Hydrated
Just to be clear, the need for you and your family to stay hydrated isn’t solely for the summer months. It’s just as important during spring, fall, and winter as well.
The only difference is that, during the summertime, you’re sweating much more often and thus losing a lot more water. You need to replace water with water, intaking as much of it as you possibly can.
Although the general rule of thumb is that you drink 8 glasses of water a day, that gets heightened if you plan to sweat. The 8 glasses are purely maintenance. Depending on the amount you sweat that day, you’ll need to intake more water to stay hydrated.
One thing to remember, you don’t just need water for the oxygen. It provides your body with many other essential vitamins and nutrients as well. To receive these nutrients, be sure to avoid drinking filtered water at all costs.
2. Open Your Windows in Increments
The trickiest part of the summer months may very well be how to get the right amount of fresh air into it.
If you open your window for too long, you’ll be forcing your air-conditioning to work overtime and cause it to overheat. If you don’t open your windows at all, then your house will continue to circulate the same air supply, which is unhealthy.
For that reason, it’s always a good idea to open your windows in increments. Set a timer for 20 minutes or so, then close the windows back up afterward.
Try to only open them during the morning or evenings, when it isn’t as hot outside and won’t complicate your HVAC system.
Opening your windows has become more important than ever due to the current pandemic. Find out why you should be prioritizing open windows more than ever before.
3. Always Keep a Washrag Handy
Anytime that you’re expecting to be out and about in the winter months, there are two things you need to bring: cold bottled water and a washrag.
There are many times where you and your family can quickly be overcome by the harsh heat. If you don’t take proper steps, they can quickly become overheated and faint.
For that reason, you need immediate ways to cool them down. Grab your washrag and pour a bit of the cold bottled water on it. Wring it out a bit, then place it on either their neck or wrists.
Why those areas? For the same reason that you’d use them to check your pulse. They are the two areas where the major blood vessels are closest to your skin, which will accelerate how quickly your body cools down.
4. Avoid Midday Sunlight
Midday is when the sun is at its highest point, meaning that’s the time when you and your family will be exposed to the highest amount of UV rays.
However, just to clarify, there are two sides to this point. Because of the high UV ray exposure, midday can be the best time for you to receive vitamin D from the sun as long as you keep it to 30 minutes or less.
But if you’ve been outside for a few hours before midday rolling around, then you’ll want to avoid it. It will make you and your family sweat all the more, risking things like sunburn and sun rashes in the process.
Any other day, take advantage of midday by walking outside for 30 minutes, exposing as much of your skin as possible. This will boost your body’s generation of vitamin D, which can boost your immune system and improve your mood for the day.
5. Eat Appropriate Amounts
Have you ever eaten a hearty meal, then stepped out into the sun and felt miserable? That’s not a coincidence.
The larger the meal that you’ve eaten, the more protein you’re likely to have ingested into your system.
Protein takes a lot longer for your metabolism to break down, using a lot of your body’s immediate water and energy supply to perform. That’s why you get the feeling of there being a rock that’s sitting in your stomach.
If you know you’re going to be walking around in the heat after your meal, try to keep things light. Instead, pack small snacks that you and your family can eat, but focus on intaking more water while you walk around. You’ll be glad that you did.
6. Regulate Natural Lighting
Natural lighting offers a plethora of health benefits for humans, but it can also compromise the temperature in your house if left unchecked.
Try to regulate the amount of natural lighting that you have in your home during the summertime. If you notice that a room feels hotter than usual, give your AC unit a break by closing the blinds.
You can also use lighter fabrics on your curtains to allow natural light to come in, but regulate the number of UV rays that seep in.
How to Stay Cool in the Summer: Be Prepared
Now that you’ve seen several pointers on how to stay cool in the summer, you must use these tips to your benefit.
Any time that you’re planning on going outside, take preventative measures to ensure you and your family will stay as cool as possible.
Be sure to browse our website for more articles on staying cool, as well as many other helpful topics!
