Summer in South Africa is truly a wonderful time, and tourists from all over the world flock here to lap up the sun and the heat. Before joining them by the pool, in the garden or at the beach there are some things you need to know about staying cool.
As we are all aware, too much exposure to the sun is harmful in many ways. One of these ways is heat exhaustion and fatigue, that is often caused by dehydration and some of the silly mistakes we often make when we are having fun.
It is always important to keep our body temperature down and we have our very own built-in cooling system to assist us with this. Our ability to perspire is nature’s way of cooling us down, but modern living has taught us that perspiration is unpleasant and must be prevented or blocked. Be careful of this and try to avoid excessive sun blocks and anti perspirants if you are outside on a hot day.
Here is a list of other actions you can take to ‘stay cool’:
- Always try to cool off by getting into the shade or indoors as often as possible.
- Plan your outdoor activities for very early in the morning or in the early evening.
- Drink lots of water. Freeze plastic bottles of water and then you can have an ice cold drink when the water defrosts.
- Put a spray bottle of water in the fridge. You can have a cool face spray.
- Wear a wide brimmed hat. Tip the hat over and pop a couple of ice cubes or cold water into it. Put it back on and it will keep your head cool.
- Wear loose cotton clothing in light colours. Cotton is cooler than synthetic cloth.
- A good idea to keep cool is to soak a pair of our UV sleeves in cold water and put them on wet. This will keep you cool.
- Wear our Cool Collar or drape a damp cloth around your neck.
- To cool off you can put your arms and feet under cold water from the garden hose.
- Take a cool shower.
- Fans and air conditioning will cool the house down.
- We can open all the doors to get a nice cool draft blowing through the house.
A couple of warnings that you need to be aware of:
It is not advised to put ice blocks around the neck. Although this is extremely effective in cooling you down, sometimes it is too cold and can cause shock to the veins and arteries in the neck.
Also bear in mind that as nice as a cup of coffee is, or a cold beer or glass of wine, alcohol and caffeine dehydrate the body. So while you may think you are staying hydrated, you are actually doing the opposite.
Take care and stay cool in the hot African sun – and remember: Everything in moderation!
We would like to encourage you to explore the alternatives that are available. If you are not sure how to go about this or would like some guidance with regards to your unique circumstances, please contact us and we’ll be happy to share some more ideas with you.