| With Marin County temperatures hitting 110 degrees in the summer, it’s important to plan ahead on how to deal with the extreme heat. In fact, rising heat has been increasing in occurrence and duration, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and this trend may continue, so it’s best to find ways to keep your system cool with—or without—air conditioning in your home.
Here’s are some tips to keep cool in the event that the hot weather continues in our county.
1. What You Wear
- Light colored, loose fitting cotton clothing will keep your system cool. Avoid sports shirts or clothing made with polyester as this may keep the heat trapped in your body.
- Freeze small towels and put it on your neck from time to time.
- Put ice cubes in a bandana while wearing a wide-brimmed hat (a must when going outdoors.)
- Wear sunscreen outside with SPF 30 or higher to avoid sun burns.
2. Water Therapy
- If swimming is not an option, then sit in a bath filled with cool water.
- Soak your feet in ice water to bring your temperature down.
- Freeze used tea bags and hold them to your temple and the inside of your wrists.
- Use an ice pack with a towel underneath the skin for no more than 20 minutes.
- Take a quick, lukewarm shower or sponge off with cold water. Don’t dry your skin and sit in front of a fan.
3. The Household Environment
- Keep blinds and curtains shut during the day and open the windows at night to flush out the heat. Make sure you have screens open to create better cooling with cross-ventilation.
- Avoid using the oven and grill outdoors in the shade. Create main dish salads with hydrating fruit such as melons and berries.
- Turn-off anything with a motor as it generates heat, except multiple fans. Fill a pan with ice cubes and put it in front of the fan to cool the air.
- Keep a spray bottle close by to mist your face and body when needed. You can also mist your pets to keep them cool, too.
4. Eating and Drinking
- Drink plenty of water as heat dehydrates you and warms up your core temperature. Keep a few water bottles in the refrigerator with fresh squeezed lemon or lime and have one with you as a reminder to drink.
- Eat smaller meals and eat more often to lower the heat produced by digestive and metabolic activity in your system.
- Stop drinking alcohol as it accelerates the process of dehydration and inhibits your from recognizing your thirst levels and the possibility of how hot your body is getting.
- Eat spicy foods as it will help your body sweat to release heat and cool down your body.
- Put electrolytes in your water bottle as it will stave off dehydration.
- Forgo caffeinated drinks as it will raise your body temperature.
5. Movement and Exercise
- Be very careful about exercising in hot weather. If the temperatures reach above 95 degrees, consider taking a break from your daily routine or doing gentle yoga or stretches inside instead of aerobic exercise.
- As the hotter weather settles in, take it easy to get used to the temperatures by training in the spring so your body can get acclimated to exercising in a warmer environment.
- Workout in the cooler hours of the morning or early evening.
- Drink water before and during your workout, taking 8 gulps every 15 minutes or less.
- Limit sun exposure and stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Always wear a hat, sunscreen or even a shirt with UV protection when exercising outdoors.
6. Sleep Cool
- Use cotton or linen sheets with a thread count of 200 to 400. If you go with a higher thread count, then the fabric is less likely to be breathable.
- Chill your sheets by helping you fall asleep by putting them in the refrigerator or freezer. Use a resealable plastic bag so they don’t get touch food or ice.
- Sleep alone—just until the heat breaks as two bodies generate more heat.
- Consider moving to another room lower down in the house that is cooler or has more windows.
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