How Are You Doing? Staying Cool And Productive I Hope?
As we don’t really get prolonged hot weather, we don’t really have a lot of air conditioning about so I thought we’d have a quick look at how you can take care of yourself (and others) during the hot weather and hopefully be able to concentrate whole you’re at work too.
Here in the UK we’re entering into a heatwave. Usually at this time of year temperatures might creep into the 30°c’s (90-ish °f) however if the weather reports are to be believed we’ll be seeing temperatures rise into the 40°c (100+ ish °f) for the first time ever – ouch!
As we don’t really get prolonged hot weather, we don’t really have a lot of air conditioning about so I thought we’d have a quick look at how you can take care of yourself (and others) during the hot weather and hopefully be able to concentrate whole you’re at work too.
Keep Hydrated
It’s easy to forget to drink while you’re working so make sure you have a bottle of water on your desk and that you drink from it (and refill it) often.
Don’t drink alcohol – it might be tempting to go and have a thirst-quenching pint (or two) at lunch time but alcohol speeds up dehydration.
Close The Curtains/Blinds
If possible close the curtains or blinds in your home/office if the room faces the sun. This will help keep the sun out and cool down the room.
The sun is at its strongest between around 11am and 3pm so those are the ideal times to pull down the shades.
Avoid Strenuous Activity
If you do have to do any strenous activity, try to do it at the coolest part of the day which is typically between 4 and 7am.
Change The Dress Code
Some companies still require their workers to turn up in a suit and tie (I know, how Yuppie 1980s, right?!). Employers should relax dress codes and allow employees to come into work in looser clothing.
Make A Home-Made Air Conditioning Unit
If you have a fan, you can freeze a bottle of water and place that in front of the fan – that will help blow cold air in your direction and cool you down.
Don’t Sleep Naked
It might sound counter-intuitive to pop on pyjamas during a heatwave but wearing clothing in bed helps draw the sweat away from your body and stop you from feeling too hot and sticky.
Have A Nice Cup Of Tea
You might think that I’m putting this tip in because I’m English and we all know the Brits love a good cuppa but it’s been scientifically proven that drinking a hot drink can actually cool you down. So pop on a brew and put your feet up for 15 minutes.
Keep An Eye On Your Medication
Some medicines can’t be stored above a certain temperature – my eye drops can’t be left out about 25°c so I have to pop them in the fridge in hot weather – make sure you check the storage instructions on your medicines and store them accordingly
Keep An Eye On Each Other
Heat exhaustion can make you feel ill and uncomfortable, but heatstrokecan be very dangerous – especially in younger children and older adults.
Signs of heat exhaustion include feeling sick or irritability, dizziness, muscle cramps, feeling faint, headaches, fatigue, heavy sweating, loss of appetite and being very thirsty.
If someone has heat exhaustion, they should lie down in a cool place with their feet slightly raised.
They should drink plenty of water and cool their skin either with a spray or sponge with cool water, a fan or cold packs around the armpits or neck.
Signs of heatstroke include hot, dry skin or excessive sweating, confusion, loss of consciousness, unresponsive, seizures or fits and a very high body temperature.
If they’ve rested for 30 minutes or so and they still seem to be suffering from heatstroke you should contact a medical professional immediately and place the person in the recovery position if they lose consciousness while you wait for help.
I hope you’ve found the above tips helpful and that the heat doesn’t get to you too much. Why don’t you grab a cup of tea to help you cool down and check out some of the great posts you might have missed from the last week – enjoy!
- Follow Katy Whitton on:
