Dos And Don’ts During Extreme Heat

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• Avoid too much sunshine. One can use a sunscreen lotion with high SPF (sun protection factor) rating.
• Stay indoors as much as possible and out of the sunshine. Even in the warmest weather, staying indoors, out of sunshine, is safer than long periods of exposure to the sun.
• Avoid the extreme temperature changes. A cool shower immediately after coming in from hot temperatures can result in hypothermia, particularly for elderly and very young people.
• Keep the heat outside and the cool air inside by closing any registers that may allow heat inside. One can install temporary reflectors, such as aluminum foil covered cardboard, in windows & skylights to reflect the heat back to outside.
• Conserve electricity not needed to keep you cool. During periods of extreme heat, people tend to use a lot more power for air conditioning. Conserve electricity not used to keep you cool so power can remain available and reduce the chance of a community wide outage.
• Drink plenty of fluids even if you do not feel thirsty as dehydration can happen quickly and unnoticed and symptoms of dehydration are often confused with other causes. Drink plenty of water regularly and often as body needs water to keep cool. Water is the safest liquid to drink during heat emergencies.
• Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine as they can make one feels good briefly, but makes the heat’s effects on the body worse. This is especially true about beer, which actually dehydrates the body.
• Take small and frequent meals as large, heavy meals are more difficult to digest and cause the body to increase internal heat to aid digestion, resulting in a worse overall condition. Try to avoid foods high in protein, such as meats and nuts, as they increase metabolic heat production.
• Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician. Salt causes the body to retain fluids, resulting in swelling. Salt affects areas of your body that help you sweat, which would keep you cool.
Persons on salt-restrictive diets should check with a physician before increasing salt intake.
• Take frequent breaks if you must work outdoors, especially in a cool area or to drink fluids. It can help people to tolerate heat better.
• Dress appropriately. Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing as it reflects heat and sunlight and helps maintain normal body temperature. Try to cover as much skin as possible by clothing to avoid sunburn and over-warming effects of sunlight on the body.
• Protect face and head by wearing a wide-brimmed hat as it will keep one away of direct sunlight over the head and face. Sunlight can burn and warm the inner core of the body.
• Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. Reduce, eliminate or reschedule time for the strenuous activity. Try to do it during the coolest part of the day, usually in the early morning. As many heat emergencies are experienced by people exercising or working during the hottest part of the day. High-risk individuals should take plenty of time for rest to allow the body’s natural cooling system to work.
• Postpone outdoor games and activities in Extreme heat as it can threaten the health of athletes, staff, and spectators of outdoor games and activities.
• Use a buddy system when working in extreme heat. Partners can keep an eye on each other and can assist each other when needed as sometimes exposure to heat can cloud the sense of judgment.
• Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles as temperatures inside a closed vehicle can reach over 140°F within minutes and exposure to such high temperatures can cause death in minutes.
• Vacuum air conditioner filters weekly during periods of high use as air conditioner filters can become clogged or filled with dirt, making them less efficient to provide cool air.
• If air conditioning system is not in home, one can go to a public building with air conditioning for several hours each day as electric fans do not cool the air, but help the sweat to evaporate giving a cooling effect.