I asked this very question to a doctor, few years back when I was not even a medical student. I usually expect people to respond to me. Even if they just reply with “I will let you know” or “I will respond in a while”. But when you go to a well paid medical institution for a checkup and expect a doctor to advise you and all you get is a blind stare at the window and “drink water” is all that he has to offer then he didn’t pay attention in med school at all.
This article comes after several days of torment. The sun is brighter in our part of the world and humidity is its best friend. I have lost my natural sleep patter, felt agitated and well, suddenly, I go into weakness fits of some sorts which has shifted my regular day-to-day life pattern.
How many of you have these phases where you drink a huge amount of water every day to avoid the heat? And in return, you feel weak and sleep a lot. The reason behind this is, when you drink large volumes of water, without equivalent salt intake. The salt content in your body decreases and you have low blood pressure and eventually the sleep aggravates the low blood pressure by increasing your venous return to your heart when you lie down in your bed.
To avoid this sequence of sluggishness, it’s better to take items that have a small amount of sodium chloride like any form of juice and fruits. Water is always advised but limit to 2-3 L with regular daily meals which contain ideal salt is perfect as well.
Also, one must not worry about how much sweat you produce in one day. Sweating is actually helping the thermoregulatory center to maintain your body temperature of 37±0.5 degree. Sweating is a mechanism which helps shed some extra heat. Its better you use deodorants to avoid any mal-odorous encounters.
If you find anyone with a possible serious indication of sever heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Its advised, start with removing the person from that area to a cooler area, use a cloth dipped in cold water to actively promote evaporation from the skin surface and go to the nearest hospital when things are not getting better like when he /she is not responding to what you have done.
Other thing that must be kept in mind when you deal with heat is, what kind of clothing are you wearing? Radiant colors like black and well any dark shades are clearly not encouraged in the summer and factors like what is your cloth made of? Cotton is excellent, avoid polyester.
Other factors like, what do you consume on a regular day to day basis? Most of the food that you eat generates heat due to basal metabolic rate and henceforth a light diet for lunch and dinner is advised with plenty of fruits to add to that.
Please take care of your heath in the summer, it offers warmth and more sweating which might lead to cold problems like running nose. Those that sweat a lot ( night sweats ) when you are not unconscious might get running nose the next day because the sweat which did not get evaporated causes rapid fall in body temperature and makes the body to susceptible to unwanted viral infection. To avoid this, you need a good cooling system; otherwise you will have to constantly change your clothes.
I can write some more “out of the text” points for those that truly follow what I have to say but this much for today.
