Summer is here! With the arrival of Summer remember that hot, humid weather can be a serious hazard to our health. In fact, this year the temperature is much higher than last year in certain locations! Hot weather causes more deaths than any other weather-related hazard. In hot and humid conditions, our body must work harder—just to maintain a normal temperature. Older adults and those with illnesses are at greater risk. The onset of warm weather & scorching heat can make your body more vulnerable to different types of diseases and certain health guidelines must be followed both at work & at home to ensure a healthy summer. Here are a few guidelines to stay healthy this summer:
Eat Healthy & Light – Avoid Outside Food
-Eat light, small, frequent, freshly prepared home-cooked meals. Focus on fresh fruits and vegetables that have high water content – such as coconut water, watermelon, cucumber, etc. Roadside food can be contaminated and may lead to food borne diseases.
Drink plenty of Water – Avoid Alcohol & Caffeine
Heat and sweat in the summer months can leave your body dehydrated, causing unwanted health outcomes such as fever and chills. Keep yourself well hydrated by drinking at least 2 to 3.5 litres of water every day. Try to have plain or infused water, lemon water, butter milk which are good substitutes for fizzy drinks.
Treat Your Eyes Well
Protect your vision from the harsh sunlight at work and wear protective eyewear. When outdoors, wear sunglasses that block at least 99% of ultraviolet rays.
Stay indoors
Restrict outdoor activities of Plants & Offices to the cooler parts of the day – early mornings before 11:00AM or late evenings after 5.00 PM.
Summer Travels
If you plan to travel for work or for vacation within India then you must take a few precautions to keep you safe from the summer heat. Here are a few tips:
Protect by dressing right
Wear light colours and natural fabrics like cotton and linen. When you are outside, use proper covering for your mouth, nose and ears to shield yourself from the hot winds, which can cause dehydration. Use a hat or an umbrella for shade and wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Apply sunscreen to all exposed parts of your body to ensure that your skin remains protected.
Common Summer Diseases
Summer brings in a host of health problems that range from simple ones like a headache, skin rashes, sunburns, etc. to severe ones like measles, jaundice, and more. Here are a few tips to save yourself from summer diseases:
- Sunburn, Prickly Heat & Skin Rashes
To protect yourself from sunburn, apply a sunscreen lotion on the exposed areas of your body 20 minutes before heading out in the sun. - Heat Stroke
Common symptoms of heat strokes include difficulty in breathing, rapid pulse, high body temperature, confusion etc. Avoid stepping out in peak afternoons as much as possible. - Diarrhoea
To keep away from diarrhoea, make sure that you drink water only after boiling it and wash vegetables thoroughly before and after slicing them as food gets contaminated quickly in the heat. - Chickenpox, Mumps & Measles
Chicken pox is a contagious disease. Initial symptoms of measles are cough, high fever, sore throat, and reddening in eyes. At a later stage, the tiny white spots and measles rash appear all over the body. Some of the visible symptoms of mumps include swelled salivary gland, muscle ache, fever etc. - Jaundice & Typhoid
These are mainly caused due to the consumption of contaminated food and water.
