According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 318 Americans die each year of heat-related illnesses. People at highest risk include older adults, young children, people with chronic illness, and people with weight or alcohol problems.
The recent heat wave has me thinking of ways to keep us cool. Here are some thrifty tips to help stay cool and safe:
1. Avoid the hottest times of the day. If at all possible, work, exercise, or play outside in the early morning or evening.
2. Wear light-weight white or lighter colored clothing. Avoid darker colors that tend to absorb heat.
3. Move at a slower pace and don’t over exert yourself.
4. If you must go outside, take frequent breaks to cool off, stand or sit in the shade for a few minutes, and drink plenty of water.
5. Drink lots of water!!!! Avoid drinking sodas, alcohol, and other dehydrating drinks. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. By then, you’re already starting to get dehydrated.
6. Keep fans going. Fans don’t lower temperatures, but they do circulate the air and make it feel cooler.
7. Wear sunscreen. A sunburn will only make you feel even hotter.
8. If you must be outside, wear a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun out of your face.
9. High humidity levels make it difficult for your body to sweat and feel cooler. Pay attention to humidity levels and if necessary, use a dehumidifier in your home.
10. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking medications. Some medications can make you feel very sick when you are exposed to the sun or heat.
11. Become slowly acclimated to the heat over a period of about 2 weeks.
12. Check ozone levels. Too much ozone can make people pretty sick.
13. Watch what you eat. Don’t eat too much because that will make you feel tired and sick. Eat some carbohydrates to give yourself energy. Eat fruits which are filled with water and electrolytes.
14. You might want to try some herbal remedies, such as St. John’s wart flower essence which will decrease your sensitivity to heat. (Please click on the link for more info.)
15. This isn’t the most thrifty tip, but stay in the air conditioning as much as possible. If you don’t have a/c or can’t afford it, then try hanging out at the mall, library, grocery store, etc.
Other tips:
- NEVER leave anyone in a closed parked vehicle (including animals).
- Open windows can be dangerous for young children. They may climb to the window to feel a breeze. Screens are not stable enough to hold a child.
- Offer water to children frequently.
- Supervise children and animals around pools and water.
- How to Treat Heat Exhaustion
- Avoid using your oven, which will heat up the house.
To cool down when heat becomes unbearable, run cold water over your wrists and/or ankles, where the blood is near the surface. Lie down on the floor, as it tends to be the coolest part of any room.
Laurie: Sorry you were having problems leaving a comment. I also leave most of the blinds closed. I do open the ones in our living room bay window. I like to see what’s going on in front of my house. It doesn’t bring in too much heat though, because we have a porch in front of the windows.
I’d love to see low 70’s during the day and 50’s at night!!!!
Okay third time is the charm. My computer does not want me to leave a comment.
To keep cool I also pull down the shades in the rooms that get the most sunlight. It helps keep the heat out. I also put window fans in the windows in early in the morning since that seems like the coolest time of the day.
Strangely enough here in New Hampshire we are having unusually cool weather. It was in the low 50’s last night and low 70’s yesterday. Unfortunately when the heat comes back it will be with a vengence.
It is so hot here that I am up at 1 a.m. cooking. This morning I made my hubby’s birthday cake for his party tomorrow. Now I’m up making pasta salad and stuff like that. I hate to heat up the house with cooking and I certainly don’t want to do it tomorrow when we’ll have company.
My hubby bought a window a/c unit tonight to help our central unit get a break. Our central unit has been running non stop.
We went out to eat tonight and we sat under the ceiling fan at the restaurant b/c it was so hot.
I hope you all are staying cool!!!! Are you all experiencing the same kinds of problems?