Beat the heat!

The harsh Indian summer is upon us. I can feel the heat. I live in a coastal city, so the humidity makes things much worse though the cool sea breeze is definitely welcome in the afternoons. With global warming pushing up temperatures around the planet, things are only getting worse every year.

Mother Nature is angry with us . . .

Photo:Wikimedia Commons

Here are a few simple tips to beat the heat:

# Try to avoid going out when the sun is in a punishing mood i.e. between noon and 2 p.m.

# Wear cool cotton clothes. Long sleeves are advisable to prevent sunburn, but short sleeves are quite effective in keeping things cool.

# Wear a sunscreen lotion if you are worried about your skin. Personally,I don’t care

# Wear a cap or a hat if you have to go out when the sun is harsh. It will prevent the mind from evaporating A wet handkerchief or a piece of cloth covering the head should also do fine.

# A decent pair of sunglasses will prevent damage to the eyes Go for ones that keep out harmful ultra-violet rays.

# If you are indoors, make way for free flow of air in the room and use as many fans as possible. Air-coolers are useful in places where the humidity is not high. Have the fan run at full speed even if the air-conditioner is on.

# While riding a motorcycle or a scooter, always wear your helmet even if it gets a bit uncomfortable, for a hot head is better than a hurt head Wearing a wet cloth under the helmet should keep things cool. Some helmets have a small vent to let in air while on the move. Make sure you keep them open.

# Try to park your car in the shade (parking under a tree is not the best option due to the problem of bird droppings/tree sap) with the windows left very slightly open. After getting into the car, open the windows and turn on the blower to blast air at full speed at the base of the windscreen for some time in the fresh air mode. Then you can turn the air-conditioner on and shift to the re-circulation mode.

# Drink plenty of water/fruit juice. Eat plenty of fresh fruits. Soft drinks and ice-creams may feel good but they don’t help much. Avoid oily and fried stuff.

# It is possible to feel dehydrated even after taking all the above precautions. Electrolyte drinks would help in such cases.

# Extreme heat can lead to fairly sudden thundershowers, so don’t be surprised if it rains.

# Last, but not the least, please help others. If you see an unfortunate senior citizen suffer from a sunstroke, try to call someone who will help the person, if you cannot do it yourself. Even a small step will go a long way in making the world a better place for all of us.

We cannot escape the fury of the forces of Mother Nature but atleast we can be prepared !