With temperatures soaring already, we are in for another mother of a summer! We give you 7 simple ways to cool your body down through the season.
Hot outside temperatures, intense physical activity, illnesses that cause fever, and certain medications can all cause our body temperature to rise considerably.
In this article we discuss a few ways to cool down your body from the external heat.
It is possible to reduce body heat in two different ways: externally or internally.
Jumping into a cool pool is an example of external cooling, while drinking cool water helps reduce body temperature internally.
The human body is always regulating its temperature, and it can lower its temperature in 4 ways:
- Vapourisation — which it achieves by sweating
- Radiation — which means releasing heat into the surrounding air
- Convection — which occurs when cooler air surrounds the body
- Conduction— which is the transferral of body heat into adjacent cold water or ice
Body Heat is a health condition which throws the body into uneasiness and its symptoms that may include:
- Sleeplessness
- Dehydration
- Stomach issues like ulcers, gas, acidity
- Eyes burning
- Rapid heartbeat
- Breathlessness
- Changes in the thyroid
- Infections
There are innumerable causes of body heat. Also, personal conditions like tolerance to heat, living conditions and habits, preferences play a significant role.
If you don’t take necessary precautions when temperatures soar, you could put yourself at risk of dehydrations and heat stroke.
Heat strokes happen when the body’s temperature rises uncontrollably with accompanying fever. This can be life threatening if not diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
Here are a few simple things to do to reduce body heat:
1. Take cool bath/s or shower/s.
You could use a cold face towel all over your face and neck if your outdoors, (a simple way is to pour ice cold water on a face towel and use it). While at home, take quick cool showers/ baths just to cool down. Water has the best cooling effect on the body.
You can also take a cold foot bath if you don’t want to shower. Add a few drops of peppermint leaves and essential oil and lemon essential oil to enhance the experience.
2. Wear cotton clothes
Synthetic clothes trap heat and moisture in your body, whereas cotton allows your skin to breathe. Besides we are lucky to have the most colourful and fabulous cottons in India.
3. Choose the foods you eat carefully
Ayurveda prescribes cooling foods. Heavy masala and oily foods can create more heat in your system as can fried foods and even nuts. Avoid too much protein like meat, eggs and other heaty and heavy foods.
Keep your system light with an amazing amount of cooling foods like water rich veggies, fruits high in vitamin C, pomegranate, juices, lassi and chaas, dahi rice, raitas, salads etc.
4. Drink water and tender coconut water
Water is the best hydrator. Ayurveda recommends avoiding cold and iced water as it affects your digestive processes, but western medicine has a different point of view.
Drinking coconut water is very hydrating. Additionally, its rich in minerals and vitamins which are crucial in cooling down the body.
5. Avoid direct sun during the peak heat hours – 11 am – 4.30 pm.
When you step out use a sun umbrella to ward off heat and carry a bottle of water and use sunscreen and sunglasses. Avoid prolonged sun and heat exposure.
6. Apply cold compresses to key points on the body
Applying cold towels or ice- packs to strategic points on the body where the veins are close to the surface — such as the wrists, back of the neck, chest, and temples — can quickly lower the temperature of the blood running through these veins. This allows the body to instantly feel cooler.
7. Move less
Our body releases heat when it moves. In hot temperatures, a person is likely to feel less hot if they avoid heavy exercise and limit their movement.
