With all the hot weather recently, I have decided to focus a little on the impacts that a warm summer might have on our health. (Cue thunderstorms and rain). Many associate summer with some of the finer things in life – trips to the coast, beautiful clear skies, Pimms and a high concentration of bank holidays. For others, it means unbearable heat, vicious sunburn, stifling sleepless nights, sun cream all over your clothes and the long agonising wait for the start of the domestic football season to begin again.
In order to enjoy the positive aspects, I have put together some tips on staying healthy through the change in environment during these warmer months.
Let us start first with how our bodies regulate heat. The word homeostasis is used to describe the way the body maintains balance in various processes, including electrolytes in the blood and blood pressure. Part of this homeostatic balance however is related to thermoregulation. In other words, the body’s constant battle to keep its core temperature stable within quite fine margins – around 37.0 degrees on average. Any higher or lower than ideal and this begins to affect many of the normal processes going on in the body at any one time. For example, diabetics tend to absorb more insulin in warmer weather and so a closer eye on insulin doses is required.
Our main tactic in controlling temperature, at least in losing heat, is through the process of sweating. As we sweat, the water from our tissues takes heat from beneath the skin, and the heat energy is lost as the sweat then evaporates. It stands to reason therefore that, in warmer weather we sweat more and so our requirements for fluid go up. Normally we should be drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water each day (about 1.2 litres) but in warmer weather, we should increase this to allow for the extra fluid loss. It is no surprise that summer is kidney stone season, with twice as many presentations when compared to the winter months. This is in part due to greater rates of dehydration but also, as your skin gets more sun exposure, you produce more vitamin D which in turn increases calcium absorption and promotes the build-up of these stones in the kidneys.
Although not particularly hairy when compared to most mammals, the small hairs that cover our skin also help in the process. If our body decides it needs to lose heat, signals from the hypothalamus in the brain prompt the hairs to flatten across our skin. Conversely, if we need to warm up, the hairs stand on end (hence goosebumps) thus creating a tiny layer of air trapped in amongst them to warm us up a bit.
If we are getting too hot, our heart rate tends to speed up in order to speed the circulation from the core out to the peripheries where the heat can be transferred from the body through our skin.
As you can see, we have some inbuilt mechanisms to prevent ourselves from becoming overheated, but sometimes that is not enough. Heat stroke can be nasty and causes headaches, dizziness, confusion, cramps, and pale clammy skin. If this happens on a warm day, lie down in a cool shaded place, try to cool the skin with water and a fan, and drink lots of water or rehydration solutions (you can get these over the counter at any pharmacy or supermarket and are good to have handy, particularly on holidays in the sun). If this is not improving things within half an hour, or if you are concerned, you must seek urgent medical attention.
To keep cool in general, avoid prolonged exposure in the sun (fairly obvious), wear a hat to provide some shade, make sure you are well hydrated and avoid drinking too much alcohol which can dehydrate you.
At night, warm temperatures can really disrupt sleep, leaving you tired and unrested the next day. If flipping the pillow to the cool side isn’t quite cutting it, you could try the following measures.
- Start when you get up… close the blinds and keep windows closed during the day if it is hot outside to prevent heat building up inside.
- Avoid a heavy meal, especially with spicy food before bedtime.
- Drink cold water, but not ice cold as sometimes this can confuse the body’s normal heat losing measures.
- Take a tepid shower before bed.
- Use light, cotton bedding
- Encourage air flow with a fan
- You can even put your bedding in a bag and then in the freezer for a bit so it is extra cool at bedtime.
Summer’s drawbacks are not always directly related to heat though. The other big drawback is hay fever. This is a real menace for many people and ranges from the very mild to the debilitating. The most severe cases require specialist input with immunotherapy. It is not a new problem and even as far back as the 9th Century, numerous remedies were put forward, some more successful than others. Inhaling tobacco, chloride of ammonia, chlorophorm or using cocaine spray never really caught on.
Classically, hay fever causes sneezing, coughing, runny nose and itchy eyes but it can manifest itself in other ways too. Loss of smell, headaches around the temples and forehead and tiredness can also be signs.
Over the counter remedies are often your best option to treat these, such as anti-histamines and eye drops but you can alleviate some of the symptoms even more by following these steps:
- Use vaseline under the nose
- Don’t dry your clothes outside (so they don’t pick up all the pollen)
- Keep the windows shut and stay indoors when you can on days with a high pollen count
- Use wrap around sunglasses
- Vacuum and dust regularly
- You can even get fit pollen filters for your car air conditioning
Hopefully for the most part, all of the negatives of summer are outweighed by the positives but if you follow the above steps, it will make things even easier on your body. And in some cases, the sun can even improve things. Those with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis will see an improvement in their symptoms due to the increase UV exposure (UV phototherapy is a recognised treatment for psoriasis). Having said that, for most cases you should protect your skin from the sun as much as possible. Sun cream is essential and, if you neglect it, in later life you will be far more prone to damaged and unhealthy skin, not to mention a far greater risk of skin cancer. You have been warned.