Temperatures in London soared to 32 degrees on Thursday – the hottest day of the year so far – and are forecast to peak again on Saturday as the country swelters in an early-summer heatwave.
Excessive heat can lead to heat exhaustion, with symptoms of dizziness, nausea, headaches and fainting more likely as our bodies work harder to increase circulation and regulate body temperature.
Staying in the shade, avoiding activities that make you hotter, and consuming cold food and drink are well-known measures to cool down and avoid heat exhaustion, but some lesser-known methods could really help you beat the heat.
Take a lukewarm shower
Cold showers may feel like a craving on a hot day, but water colder than 20 degrees centigrade stops blood flow to the skin and traps heat in the body.
Set the water temperature to somewhere below body temperature, but not below 20 degrees.
This should lower your body temperature and cool you down in the core.
Avoid sugary drinks
A cold soft drink can feel blissful in the heat, but their high sugar content can actually worsen dehydration by drawing water from the body’s cells into the digestive system to dilute the sugar, leading to less fluid available for hydration and sweat.
Drink water and sugar-free drinks instead, or consume fruit with high water content, such as strawberries, watermelon, oranges, cucumber, peppers and lettuce.
Wear wet clothes
As water evaporates the molecules of water with the highest energy are carried away as they convert to gas, and this has a cooling effect; this why our bodies sweat to cool us down.
Wearing wet or damp clothes will extract heat from your body as the clothes dry, lowering your body temperature and making you more comfortable.
Loose-fitting and light-coloured clothing made of natural fibres will also help significantly to keep you cool.
If you or someone around you is struggling with heat exhaustion, always seek urgent advice by calling the NHS on 111.
For more serious signs of heatstroke such as high temperature, hot skin, confusion and fast heartbeat, call 999 immediately.
Feature image: Free to use from Freepik
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