dannycore

so you guys are facing down yet another global warming summer and as an american i feel entitled to barge over and give you a lot of advice about how to live your life. also i’m used to surviving 90-110 degree summers (32—43 celsius) with no ac. so here we go. 

you need to drink  a lot of water. on average you should be drinking about two liters. on hot days, double that. 

fill plastic water bottles halfway up and stick them in your freezer. take them out once they’ve frozen and fill the rest up with water, drink the water, fill it up again, and carry it around with you until it’s time to get the next ice bottle. also you can put the icy end against your throat or over your chest for maximum refreshment.

consider making a lot of sun tea. get big glass jars or a pitcher. put a bunch of your preferred teabags in it with some sugar. if you want to be an american southerner, your tea should be green or black and your sugar amount should be enough to kill a child. if you want to be sane, put in as little sugar as you can get away with so it’s not dehydrating, and stick with herbal teas because the last thing you want during the heat of the day is a caffeine boost. leave your tea on a windowsill. after a few hours it’s steeped and you can put it in the fridge. tadaaa. 

fruit juice, soda pop, beer, and a lot of sports drinks like gatorade all dehydrate you, and in really hot weather they’re dangerous because people will drink them instead of water. drink an equal amount of water as anything with sugar. see prior point about sun tea. 

when you sweat you lose salt. so don’t feel bad about eating some junk food. 

freeze grapes. eat the grapes. repeat. 

get a hat with a brim. baseball caps are ok but wide brimmed hats are better because they shadow the back of your neck and that’s one less thing to have to worry about. 

don’t wear knit caps. just… no. 

you don’t get more sunburned because it’s hot, you get more sunburned because when it’s hot you wear less clothes. so don’t freak out.

if you don’t have AC you can put a bowl of ice behind a fan. this creates a swamp cooler, by pulling the air over the ice. also, put on a wet t-shirt and sit in front of it, and you’ll cool further by evaporation. 

speaking of evaporation, watch out if it’s humid. you don’t cool down from sweating as much when the air’s already saturated. drink more water, have more salt, and change your shirt a lot. 

heatstroke is serious shit, and kids and the elderly are prone to it. but whatever your age, if you feel nauseous, headachy, or short of breath, the heat’s getting to you. pour your water bottle over your head and go sit in the shade. keep an eye on friends and family as well. 

Orange juice! Other fruit juices too, but I tend to have best results with oj or cider. Pour some into an empty ice-cube tray, let them freeze, and the result is slightly-flaky frozen goodness. This is also an easy way to make homemade popsicles–put a sheet of aluminum foil over top of the tray and stick toothpick/popsicle sticks in so the juice freezes around them.

Grapes were mentioned. Grapes are TRUE.

NOT SODAS. Do not freeze sodas! They explode.

Strawberries! These can be hard to find cheap, especially outside of strawberry season, and I don’t know about their availability outside of my part of the US, but if you can get them they’re great frozen in your water. Freeze-dry strawberries by laying them out on a tray or sth in the freezer, and then when they’re frozen just put them in a bag to conserve space.

Other general tips:

Fruit in water is amazing when you’re someone like me who doesn’t like water’s lack of taste. Strawberries and mint leaves are fairly traditional, but basically anything you like will work. there are lots of combos online.

If you have a blender or a food processor, smoothies are a good way to eat something when you’re too hot to function. Fruit+ice+milk+yogurt is pretty traditional.

Have sunscreen. Make sure you don’t have any skin reactions to the sunscreen. If your sunscreen has fragrance, make sure you can deal with the fragrance when it’s constantly on your face in heat.

Speaking off: sunscreen is not just for arms/shoulders. Put sunscreen on your face, especially nose/cheekbones/forehead. Put sunscreen on the tops of your ears! If your hair has a tight part, try to put sunscreen there if you don’t wear a hat (scalp burns are PAINFUL). Put sunscreen on your legs, especially the backs of your calves. Put sunscreen on any visible parts of your feet.

When you start getting that feeling like you’ve adapted to the heat, like it’s not bad, like you could just stay where you are for hours and hours, even get a blanket, and maybe you feel like you’re zoning out a little, it’s time to reconsider, move around, have something cool to drink.

And it can be hard to remember to eat when it’s so hot, for some reason. Cold food in small portions is generally easiest to manage. But remember to eat food with a lot of salt, a lot of potassium, a lot of vitamins. I can’t believe bananas aren’t on this post. My god, get your potassium, you’ll feel SO much better. If you’re eating something salty and it tastes unusually, amazingly good, it’s because you’re running low on salt, so keep eating it.

and seriously yeah keep an eye on people like kids and the elderly and anyone who’s under your care. ask them how they’re feeling if they’re able to tell you, and if not, try to see if they’re looking unusually unfocused, breathing too hard, haven’t had anything to drink in a while, etc.

If you bind, be even more careful about how long you bind and pay even more attention to your binder’s effects on your body.

sometimes there’s nothing else for it but to just fill a bathtub with cool water and get in. Seriously, it can be so helpful. Also, showers. Showers are good.

Hard, dark surfaces (asphalt, paving, etc) absorb heat and radiate it back - if the air up where your adult head is, is hot, then down at knee level where small children and pets walk may be 20-30 degrees F (10+ deg C) HOTTER. Black road surface can be hot enough to actually burn paws.

Heat exhaustion in pets looks like it does in people - dizziness, disorientation, unfocused eyes. Dogs may pant so hard their mouth is foamy. Especially be careful of long haired dogs and any breed with a short nose or flat face. If you can clip the coat, the dog will probably be grateful, but will also be susceptible to sunburn, so use your judgment. Sometimes it’s better to leave the hair, or clip only the belly.

Cats are pretty heat tolerant, but definitely make sure that outdoor cats have reliable shade and water. Indoor cats appreciate a fan to lay near.

If you have an overheated dog or cat: Immediately move the animal to shade, and cool them by putting cool (NOT COLD OR ICY) water on JUST THEIR PAWS. Do not douse the animal in water - thermal shock is just as bad as overheating. Keep soaking the paws in cool water until the animal recovers. Offer cool (NOT COLD OR ICY) water to drink. If you offer very cold water to an overheated dog, they will drink it, but it may make them vomit, only worsening dehydration. If the animal doesn’t want water pretty much immediately, they’re dangerously overheated - soak their paws and call the vet.

Seconding the shower suggestion above, too. Absolute lifesaver and it can just be a quick rinse.

Long sleeves and long pants, counterintuitive as this is about to sound, are your friends. Go for thinner fabric, and as someone up there said, you’re going to want to go for a natural fabric (cotton, linen, silk, very fine wool - yes, really) rather than a synthetic (polyester, rayon). But keeping the sun from directly hitting your skin goes a long way towards keeping you cool.

Someone else mentioned binders and paying attention to those. This also applies to regular old bras. Basically you want to be careful about tight-fitting garments in general in hot weather. Frankly, if I’m going to be somewhere with no A/C and it’s going to consistently be above 80F/27C, I don’t wear a bra at all.

Take the recommendations for how much water to drink everyone is giving you, and then add half again as much water. Trust me. You are going to sweat in places you weren’t aware had sweat glands, and if you’re not sufficiently hydrated, there will be extremely unpleasant consequences.

plastic water bottles can be frozen to be used as ice packs since the plastic is flimsy and flexible. use them to cool down. I recommend keeping half in the freezer so when they melt you can swap them out 

HYDRATE. seriously your body needs water to help you cool down.

Cover the windows with bedsheets. this will cool the room down by providing shade

keep the lights off. the darker the room is the cooler the room is

if you have pets, give them ice. put it in their water, let them eat it like a treat. it also hydrates them if they aren’t particularly thirsty

Dogs can have watermelon. this is another treat to hydrate them

two other dog treats are peanut butter frozen in tiny balls, and broth frozen in ice cube trays (the latter is better given to them outside so it doesn’t melt on the floor)

if you need to go somewhere in a car, put down towels on the seats, and turn on the AC and let it cool down before you get in. 

if you can, try to spend time in a mall or store with air conditioning. 

if you are using a makeshift AC, close off one area/room to stay in. its easier to cool down the room if its smaller. 

MAKE SURE TO OPEN THE WINDOWS AT NIGHT: this lets the air that was heated throughout the day out. and lets cooler air in.

on a similar note: DO NOT OPEN THE WINDOWS DURING THE DAY. your efforts are better spent making sure you cool the room as much as possible, heat moves from warm places to cooler places so opening a window will thwart all your efforts to cool down the place. 

LEARN THE SYMPTOMS OF HEAT STROKE AND HEAT EXAUSTION

if you are living in a multistory home, try to stay on the ground floor. heat rises

don’t make food that requires an oven/microwave/etc. this will heat up the room. 

wear light colored clothes. Black and dark clothes hold heat. 

cool showers are your friend. they help lower internal body temperature.

CHECK IN ON FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE HIGH RISK. Extreme temperatures kill, checking in on each other- especially if they live alone can save lives

Limit outdoor activity especially midday when the sun is hottest

The best way to utilize fans if to put them in front of any AC vents or outputs, to spread the cool air faster

cut down on exercise during heat.

KEEP MEDICATIONS AND SENSITIVE EQUPMENT IN A COOL, DARK AREA. some medications and equipment shouldn’t be exposed to high temperatures. put them in a dark cupboard or drawer, and consider putting some ice packs with them (if you use ice packs I recommend also storing some basilica packs in the area to reduce moisture from condensation) 

this is very important: DO NOT USE A FAN IN DRY HEAT. This increases the risk of heat stroke. blowing dry air that is warmer than your body temperature will raise it, not cool it down. 

after going through the PNW heatwave in an area where no one has AC, I don’t want ANYONE caught unprepared.

Here is a list of heat related illnesses, their symptoms and what to do if you or someone you know is experiencing them (from the CDC):

Text version:

HEAT STROKE

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

High body temperature (103°F [39.44°C] or higher)

Hot, red, dry, or damp skin

Fast, strong pulse

headache

dizziness

nausea

confusion

Losing consciousness (passing out)

WHAT TO DO

Call your region’s emergency telephone number (911/122/etc.) right away. Heat stroke is a medical emergency

move the person to a cooler place

help lower the person’s body temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath

Do not give the person anything to drink

HEAT EXAUSTION

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

heavy sweating

cold, pale, and clammy skin

fast, weak pulse

Nausea or vomiting

muscle cramps

tiredness or weakness

dizziness

headache

fainting (passing out)

WHAT TO DO

Move to a cool place

loosen your clothes

put cool, wet cloths on your body or take a cool bath

Sip water

Get medical help right away if:

you are throwing up

your symptoms get worse

your symptoms last more tham 1 hour

HEAT CRAMPS

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Heavy sweating during intense exercise

muscle pain or spasms

WHAT TO DO

Stop physical activity and move to a cool place

drink water or a sports drink

wait for cramps to go away before you do any more physical activity

Get medical help right away if:

Cramps last longer than 1 hour

you’re on a low sodium diet

you have heart problems

SUNBURN

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Painful, red, and warm skin

blisters on the skin

WHAT TO DO

Stay out of the sun until your sunburn heals

put cool cloths on sunburned areas or take a cool bath

put moisturizing lotion on sunburned areas

do not break blisters

HEAT RASH

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Red clusters of small blisters that look like pimples on the skin (usually on the neck, chest, groin, or in elbow creases)

WHAT TO DO

Stay in a cool, dry place

keep the rash dry

Good places to put ice packs/cool wet towels:

back of the neck

behind your ears

inside of the wrist

forehead/eyes

across your chest

between your thighs

lower-mid back

back of the knees

around the ankles

Drink as much water as you can and eat salty foods! As already stated before, you lose both water and salt when you sweat, and your body needs both! As someone with POTS, hot weather is especially difficult. My body already doesn’t efficiently use the water & salt I consume, so it’s even harder when your steadily losing both. Even for people without POTS, losing water/salt can be dangerous, so hydrate as much as possible! Drink cool/cold water - definitely don’t drink warm/hot water, it will dry out your mouth.

Going back to sunscreen, put it literally everywhere that isn’t covered by clothes (including where clothes may ride up/down when reaching/crouching/etc) and always go at least an inch further up at the ends of clothes (sleeves, neckline, etc). Get the backs of your hands/fingers, the top of your feet/toes, your chest, ears, stomach, lower back, etc. Make sure to actually rub it in! Then wait at least 15 minutes before going outside. Reapply AT LEAST every 2 hours.

If you do get a sunburn, try to let fabric touch it as little as possible for the first few days. Run the area under cool water or use a cool compress. Use aloe vera gel/lotion and hydrocortisone cream (if you can get it), and put them in the fridge to cool down before using. Aloe vera helps soothe, moisturize, and cool burns and hydrocortisone will help with the itching and inflammation. Don’t pick at the blisters or peeling skin! I know it can be hard not to pick at it, but leaving it alone will let it heal faster.

DO NOT WEAR LAYERS!!! I was once outside in high 90s F (roughly between 35-37 C) weather while wearing a layered costume for a synchronized swimming show, and I nearly passed out from (fairly mild) heat exhaustion after standing too long in the sun with it on during tech day. Wear loose, light clothing with as few layers as possible. But also wear clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible while outside.

Also, change regularly! If you start to feel super sweaty, change into new clothes. You’ll have to do laundry more often, but trust me, sitting in sweaty clothes only makes you hotter. Changing into new clothes (all new clothes, not just outer wear) will help you cool down slightly and feel more comfortable. Rinsing off in the shower with warm water (obviously not hot, but also not cold! A cold shower will make you cooler for a short amount of time, but long term it decreases your blood flow, which will actually make you hotter! Ice packs are a much better way of staying cool for longer) before changing into new clothes helps to get rid of the sweat, but isn’t strictly necessary.

Splashing cool water on your face, back of the neck, and wrists can also help.

THE SHERLOCK HOLMES FRANCHISE

UNITED STATES PRESIDENT DWIGHT D. EISHENHOWER’S BIRTH

THE NOVEL “DRACULA”

THE NOVELS “THE TIME MACHINE” AND “WAR OF THE WORLDS” BY H.G. WELLS

THE FIRST MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES

Don’t write fanfic!

Those things are in the public domain!

You can legally write, publish, and sell a Dracula book where Dracula travels to Japan and buys a pack of Nintendo brand playing cards!

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