so, this post is gonna be a little different than usual, but it's time for me to be a good person for once.
where we live, there is an extreme heatwave going on, and it is reaching temperatures this past of the country has never seen before, as well as other abnormal weather, so i thought I'd make a post talking about the best things to do in extreme heat
FIRST OF ALL!! obviously, stay hydrated, drink a lot of water. you can add flavourings to it, you can just drink it straight, if you really need you can eat foods that have lots of water like cucumber and lettuce, just make sure you're getting water into your body. in high heat, the water in your body is possibly going to evaporate, and you're going to lose a lot of it through your sweat, which will severely dehydrate you and put your health at risk. also, of course, staying hydrated means you're not gonna get heatstroke, which can kill you.
SECOND OF ALL! when showering/bathing in this weather, especially if you usually take hot showers/baths, you're gonna want it to be cooler. but, before you immediately go and make it all ice cold water, I'd recommend easing yourself into it more. some people have super cold showers just fine, but for me personally, i hate em, i get too cold. so, i would recommend starting it at the usual temperature you have, and then lowering it over the course of the shower. if you prefer baths, then i would say just make each bath a little colder than the last. see what works for you, but if you're putting yourself in hot water on a hot day, especially if you're already at risk of fainting from a medical condition or just have previously fainted a lot, then you really don't wanna pass out in a bunch of water. also, don't go from a very hot environment into an ice cold bath, that's a quick way to put your body into shock.
THIRD OF ALL! eat foods that are high in salt. don't just eat straight up salt, that will dehydrate you, but if you eat foods that have high salt content while staying hydrated, this can actually be pretty beneficial. your body loses a lot of salt through your sweat, and it's important to keep those salt levels relatively the same inside your body, so eating high salt foods will help you get that salty goodness back into you.
FOURTH OF ALL! try your best to stay indoors. just, obviously, stay cool, and stay out of the sun, especially stay indoors at midday. if you have to go outside, WEAR SUNCREAM. i cannot stress this enough. sunburn sucks, but that's never enough to convince anyone. you know what sucks more? skin cancer. suncream prevents skin cancer. especially if you have anyone in your family who has had skin cancer, like me. our granddad has a giant scar on his forehead from skin cancer. he survived. many do not. suncream sucks, i get it, it makes you smell weird and your skin feel all greasy and is very uncomfortable, but it is less uncomfortable than skin cancer, so WEAR IT!!!
i think that's all i can think of right now, please do follow this advice. i know I'm Doctor Bright, but we aren't a licensed professional, this is all from personal experience, please stay safe in the heat, this shit kills and staying alive in heatwaves is. pretty important and cool.
