The go-to way to cool down during summer is to run your AC in the lowest settings. But what if the worst scenario happens and you need to replace your entire HVAC system?
While you wait for replacement parts to come, you need to think of different ways to reduce your body heat. Calling for professional help is your best option to have your AC repaired. Authority Heating & Cooling and other HVAC professionals share some tips to help you stay cool during the hot summer days.
Baths, Pools, and Beyond
Disperse the heat with a warm shower or a nice swim in a pool with a soothing temperature. Warm showers or water about 33 degrees Celsius actually does more good than cold showers with 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. Warm water makes the body direct blood flow to the skin, allowing heat from within to disperse out of the body.
Cold showers, on the other hand, makes the body react in a way that directs blood flow away from the skin. Our skin initially feels cool, but our core temperature remains high.
Cooling and Hydrating Food and Drinks
This may seem counterintuitive, but you may be better off eating chili and other hot or spicy food during the summer months to cool you down. Ingesting hot cocoa or a spicy bowl of beans can help you sweat, and when it evaporates, can compensate for the heat it generates in your body. As long as the sweat can evaporate while perspiring, you’re good to go.
Cold food such as ice cream and water straight from the fridge may seem like the best idea, but weirdly enough, it’s not the best way to cool down. Ingesting a calorie-rich food such as ice cream will have a cooling effect on your body, and cold liquids will make your body feel chill, thanks to their rehydration effects. But they will lose their cooling effect quickly after your body heats them up.
A Chill Rub Down
A massage might seem counterproductive in bringing down your body temperature. Two substances, in particular, buck the trend and will cool you down: sandalwood and aloe vera. Aloe vera’s cooling properties are more obvious. The clear gel that can be extracted from aloe leaves by just breaking one open can be applied directly on burns and wounds. Sandalwood, on the other hand, is used for a number of cosmetic purposes. In paste form, it’s used externally to treat burns, fevers, and headaches.
Whether you’re used to hot temperatures or not, you should pay close attention to your body’s temperature in extreme weather. The CDC notes that all heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable, yet an average of 658 Americans die from heat every year.
When in hot weather, remember that high humidity prevents sweat from evaporating quickly. You may suffer from hypothermia or heat-related illness if your body is unable to properly cool in extremely how weather. Heat exhaustion may also occur due to direct exposure to heat. If you feel some of the following symptoms, you need to cool your body quickly to avoid muscle cramping, fatigue, headache, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, or fainting.
Heat stroke is also a great concern during the summer months. Severe cases can lead to multiple organ system failure and even death.
While you keep an eye out for yourself, make sure you also care for your loved ones who are most at risk. They include infants and children aged up to 4-years-old, adults over the age of 65, overweight individuals, or those with pre-existing conditions such as heart disease. No matter what you do this summer, stay chill and safe.
