by Dr Deborah Lee, Dr Fox Online Pharmacy
Don’t underestimate the heat! It’s not just horribly unpleasant, feeling hot, irritable, and sweaty. The heat can kill you!
I was shocked to read there are around 2000 deaths per year in the UK due to overheating.
The effects of overheating on the body
When you get too hot, blood is diverted to the skin, and your blood vessels dilate to help radiate heat and facilitate heat loss. This means your heart is forced to beat faster and pumps harder to maintain your blood circulation and your blood pressure.
When you sweat, you are losing water, and at increased risk of becoming dehydrated. Your body is also losing sodium. This leads to changes in the concentration of sodium and potassium in your bloodstream, which further stresses your heart, your blood pressure, and also puts strain on your kidneys.
Most of these 2000 heat-related deaths, are in people with pre-existing cardiovascular or lung diseases. The heat exacerbates these conditions.
Why is the UK affected by high temperatures?
It may seem incredible that humans are in danger of overheating in a temperate country such as the UK, but there are two important reasons why. Firstly, UK homes were never built to withstand heat, so the majority do not have design features to keep buildings cool in warmer temperatures. Secondly, climate change is causing global temperatures to rise, and this includes here in the UK. The ten hottest summers in the UK on record, have all occurred since 2002! By the end of the century, it’s estimated we will regularly have summer temperatures of 40°C and above.
At-risk groups
Those most at risk of overheating are the elderly, babies, and small children.
Older people are more likely to have underlying heart and lung diseases, meaning their circulation is already compromised. They also tend to sweat less than younger people when exposed to heat. They may be on medication which affects their heart or blood pressure, so are not to able to adjust to a sognificant rise in the air temperature.
Babies and small children are very active, and and hence tend to produce more heat. They can also get dehydrated very quickly.
How to keep cool this summer
Make keeping cool a priority – don’t leave things to chance. Our bodies start feeling the negative aspects of overheating when the air temperature reaches 16°C -20°C. That’s the temperature forecast here in Southampton for the end of this week, and it’s only the second week of May!
Think ahead about how you can beat the heat. Here are some ideas –
How to cool down the house
- By keeping your blinds or curtains closed, you can lower the temperature in a room by up to 20 degrees.
- Swap to blackout blinds or curtains which reduce heat by blocking sunlight.
- Shutters are another option. If you have them, keep them closed to shut out the light.
- Growing climbing plants against the outside walls of the house is another way to reduce the inside temperature of the house.
- Remember to keep the doors shut to any rooms you don’t use, as this will stop hot air from these rooms filtering through the house.
- Make sure you keep any unnecessary lights switched off because many different types of light bulbs produce heat.
How to make your bedroom cooler
- In the summer months, use plain cotton sheets on your bed, not flannelette or brushed cotton, which are keep you warmer.
- On hot nights, try a cold gel pillow. You could also fill a hot water bottle with cold water and put it at the foot end of your bed. Try sleeping in a damp T-shirt.
- Ceiling fans should rotate anti-clockwise in the summer.
- When it’s hot at night, sleep downstairs, or in the lowest part of the house, because hot air rises, and it will always be hotter upstairs.
- Open the bedroom windows at night. Open windows at opposite sides of the house to create a cross breeze.
How to cool yourself down
- Only wear thin, cotton clothing.
- Regularly splash your face and hands with cool water. You can apply a cold, damp flannel to your forehead.
- Fill a mixing bowl with ice and set it at an angle in front of a fan. It gives off a magical ice-cold spray!
- Drink plenty of water, do not allow yourself to get dehydrated.
- Avoid alcohol in the heat.
- Don’t do too much – rest when possible. Being active produces more heat.
- Stay indoors, or in the shade. Wear sunglasses in bright sunlight.
- If you go out, wear a proper SPF-50 sunscreen, and a wide-brimmed sun hat.
Cooking and bathing
- After cooking, leave your cooker extractor fans on, as they remove hot, steamy air from the house. After taking a bath/shower, again, leave the extractor fans running for a while to get rid of the hot steam.
- If you go out, wear a proper SPF- 50 sunscreen, and a wide-brimmed sun hat.
Anything else?
If an older person is suffering in the heat, perhaps help them get some respite by taking them out in an airconditioned car for a drive, or for a trip to a supermarket or a shopping centre that has air-conditioning.
Consider purchasing a home air cooling or air-conditioning unit? In one 2019 Which survey, 8% of members possessed a portable air conditioning unit. Those that used it regularly, were very enthusiastic. However, others felt they were cumbersome to move around, took up a lot of space, and required a lot of electricity to run.
If you are thinking of purchasing an air conditioning unit Which recommends you consider –
- A ‘Sleep’ or ‘Night’ mode that means the device is relatively quiet overnight
- A timer option so you can schedule the machine to switch itself on and off
- A remote control, so you don’t need to get out of bed to switch it on or off
- Extra function, such as a dehumidifier.
Which also recommends various air coolers and fans.
Final thoughts
Keeping cool is not just an optional extra – it’s a necessity. Heat stresses the cardiovascular system. If we can’t cool down, the unique enzyme processes inside every cell of our bodies, cannot function, and we die. Now that climate change is upon us, it’s time to think ahead for the summer and plan how we can get through it comfortably and safely. I hope some of these ideas will help you all to have a more comfortable and healthier time when the hot weather strikes.
For more information
NHS – Heatwave – How to cope in hot weather
