When it’s really hot, everyone has their little tips. But be careful, some of the things that everyone does are really not good ideas. Here are 15 little things to avoid during the heatwave.
While the week has been very hot almost everywhere in France, with many departments placed on heatwave alert, it is time to put your action plan in place to keep your home cooler. While some actions seem like a good idea, experts strongly advise against them. It is crucial to adopt appropriate behaviors to preserve your health, but also your well-being at home.
Here are 15 bad habits to avoid according to experts.
- Take a cold shower. As tempting as it may be, this will cause your body to react quickly and struggle to maintain its temperature at 37 degrees. The result: right after the shower, your body temperature will rise. Take lukewarm showers.
- Drinking too much. And yes, when it’s hot, we advise you to drink a lot of water. But be careful, if you drink too much, you could retain water. Drink enough to hydrate yourself well, but not 5 liters of water either.
- Drink ice water. When it’s hot, the reflex is to drink very cold water with ice cubes to cool down. As with a cold shower, your body will have to regulate its temperature and all the desired effect will disappear.
- Consume alcoholic or caffeinated beverages. Alcohol and caffeine have diuretic effects that increase dehydration. It is better to favor water.
- Eating too much fat, too much sugar. Your body will consume more energy to digest this type of food, and therefore increase its temperature.
- Turn the air conditioning to maximum. The temperature difference between outside and inside should be between 5 and 7 degrees, and never exceed 8 degrees. Otherwise, you risk thermal shock when you go outside, but also throat problems or breathing difficulties.
© Goffkein – stock.adobe.com - Open windows all day. Open only as long as the outside temperature is lower than the inside temperature. The rest of the day, close windows, curtains and shutters.
- Cooking. Avoid using the oven and your hotplates which will increase the temperature in your home. The same goes for lights and all electrical appliances, avoid using them as much as possible.
- Stay in poorly ventilated places.
- Wear dark and tight clothing. Dark colours absorb heat. Choose light, loose and light-coloured clothing to stay cool. Also adapt the clothing of your children and babies.
- Not protecting your head. While a hat or cap can keep you warm, they protect you from direct sunlight and reduce the risk of sunstroke.
- Leaving children or pets in cars. Within minutes, the temperature inside a vehicle can become deadly.
- Don’t worry about the most vulnerable. Check on them.
- Expose yourself to the sun during the hottest hours. Even on vacation, avoid going out between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun is at its zenith. Exposure during this period increases the risk of sunburn and sunstroke.
- Ignore signs of discomfort. Dizziness, nausea, headaches or cramps are warning signs that must be taken seriously to avoid complications.
By following these little tips and tricks, you will better experience periods of intense heat and will be able to better endure hot summer days.