Deal with heat in summer : heat wave tips
How do you deal with heat in summer? Our heat wave tips! Being sweaty, dizzy, headaches: common symptoms that some of us are familiar with in Japan. Is there a way to stay cool in extremely hot summers, no matter where you live? Here are some tips for coping with hot weather, from my experience as a traveler, and my approach as a shiatsu practitioner.
How to deal with heat and keep your mind clear
Drinking water to help you deal with the heat in summer
I know it’s fashionable in Japan and elsewhere to drink sweetened “Pocari sweat” type drinks so-called “health drink”. Mostly a commercial argument…
Always prefer water : absorbed by the body more quickly it really hydrates you. Put it in a gourd, some keep cool for a very long time (avoid plastic bottles: we already have a big enough 5th continent). Of course, warm or room temperature water is better because it is absorbed more quickly.
But if you want to have cool water, you can wrap your bottle with aluminum. Be careful to stay environmentally friendly and reuse the aluminum as much as you can! Otherwise, there are very good thermos flasks today that are made with certain materials designed to keep cool.
Kombucha
And if you can’t live without flavored water, you can order a scoby flask (kombucha) to make it yourself at home. It’s great in the summer, and full of natural probiotics! I make the second fermentation with yuzu and mint, and a little ginger it’s delicious. I send it with its instructions, in a glass jar for ecology, and with a cloth and rubber band.
Wet towel to deal with heat
A little trick to share with you that we’ve been doing in my family, since I was little: Take several small towels, wet them, then put them in the freezer.
- If you work at home, put one around your neck, and one on your head.
- If you have to go outside, put your towel in a reusable foil bag preferably, for ecological reasons.
For the kids it’s great too… it reduces the little heat-related fevers.
Stretch, exercise regularly throughout the day
Simple advice, but so important. Especially if you spend too much time in front of computer screens. Also, if you know the “Pomodoro” method, apply it in summer more than ever!
You’ll be much more efficient working 20 – 30 min and taking 5 min breaks 3-4 times, than working 1 hour in a row… You don’t have to be ADHD to realize that you are not really productive without a break…
If you want to know more about this method of working? Any other learning-facilitating methods we use in educational kinesiology?
>> WRITE ME !
Protecting your body
Sun protection
Think about not going out withoutsunblock cream SPF 50, and don’t hesitate to adopt the Japanese umbrella… it’s quite practical in the end! You can switch to a lower SPF only after the first sun, but I advise you not to go below IPF 30.
Also think about yoursunglasses, and wear a hat. Basic rules yet essential to protect yourself from UVC which are harmful to the skin, and UVB which are responsible for tanning, but also skin aging. Know that the collagen of our skin is not remade. It is like a capital: when there is no more, your skin loses its elasticity. You can do all the masks you want, the improvement will only be temporary.
My beauty tip then: protect yourself from the sun. You will still get a tan, don’t worry. Sunscreens don’t really exist, and the effect of a cream is nil or much less after 2 hours of application… If you accidentally got a sunburn, aloe vera will save your life. You can also put coconut oil on at night. Or tamanu oil, which is widely found in French Polynesia. Of course, be eco-responsible in your purchases: made with plants and oils more local is always better.
To sleep better and deal with heat at night
Fresh shower in the evening
Take a cool shower and don’t dry off: nothing like it to help withstand the extreme heat in summer! Otherwise, a bath of cold water (not too much either, and beware of the faint of heart).
Moistened sheet and pillow
D sleep in moistened sheets to bring your body temperature down. Either just washed or with a sprayer. And same technique as above for the moist towel, you can also put the pillowcase in the freezer before sleeping!!
Foot Bath to deal with heat
If your skin feels too hot to touch, you can dip your hands and feet in a bath of cold water. Many animals regulate their body temperature through their extremities.
I had come across an interesting article: a scientific study on top athletes about a new “cooling glove” system to cool body temperature faster. The results were very convincing…
Failing this system, the basin will do well…
Going outside early in the morning and evening
About avoiding going outside during times of high heat and preserve yourself, i.e. between 12:00 and 3:00.
And take with you a small towel to wipe off because of perspiration, a bag fan, and a small bag mister or sprayer. Some are refillable.
Dress lightly, with local materials
Effectively, each country has its materials adapted to the country’s climate. Generally, loose clothing made of linen or hemp is more comfortable in summer. Cotton is not my first choice, as it retains too much moisture and perspiration I find.
No antiperspirant or deodorant
What regulates your body temperature is precisely the perspiration process. Don’t go messing with it when you need it more than you do! It is through the elimination of water that thermoregulation takes place in the body, briefly summarized.
Keep your home cool to better deal with heat in summer
Here’s a list of things to check to help you deal with heat in summer at your home.
- Close your shutters, curtains to keep rooms shaded, and open windows after dark
- You can make a heat reflector by putting foil paper on a board or cardboard, and place it in front of your windows.
- Put a cool water container in front of the fan to refresh the nearby air.
- Remove carpets
- Add plants in one area of the house
- Sleep with a fan on your feet to keep air off your throat and face, at the risk of catching a cold.
- You don’t always think about it, but clean out your fridge: it produces more heat if it’s “clogged up” with too much dust. And empty the water tray in the back.
- Unplug everything that is not in use, these are external sources of heat.
- Dust off your computer fan to avoid overheating
- Do as they do in Japan: if you can, wet the floor!!
- Hang your laundry indoors to get some coolness.
- Check your light bulbs: hallogens produce more heat.
Think about consulting to prepare the body for the next season
Of course, if you suffer from symptoms such as: fever, dizziness, fainting, nausea and vomiting… If it’s temporary, you may have had a little sunstroke. However, if it lasts, consult a doctor.
And I also remind you that there is nothing like prevention to always prepare your organs for the coming season.
In summer, the main organs are the Heart and the Small Intestine. The Heart sets the Blood in motion, nourishing the tissues, the muscles. It is also linked to the proper functioning of our mind, our faculties of discernment, and adaptation. An imbalance on the physiological level can be at the origin of behavioral disfunction, but also emotional. Because everything is connected! For example, too much “fire” in the heart can create agitation, confusion, scattering…
I always encourage doing a Chinese energy assessment with a shiatsu or a kinesiology touch for health session. This will help identify if any organs are weak or too full of energy that may indicate imbalances, and help the body return to its homeostatic state. When we notice the signs of dysfunction early on, it is easier to support the body in its natural process of self-regulation.
>> RESERVE YOUR ENERGY BRIEFING
Did you find this article useful? Help your friends!
Share it on social networks with the buttons for that purpose
