Hot Summer Safety Tips & Hot Weather Health Tips

Hot summer days give us tons of fun. But fun in the sun can be exaggerated. Below you’ll find the top hot summer health and safety tips.  Every summer at least 2/3 of Americans are hit with some kind of summer emergency. 'Keep-Cool' Tips'Keep-Cool' Tips

Vacationing and playing outside in hot summer weather often leads to serious sunburns, insect bites, dehydration, heat exhaustion or worse.

It’s important to stay aware of rising temperatures on hot summer days.

Readings in the high 90s – above normal body temperature – can be especially dangerous. So avoid hot enclosed places, like parked cars, and find someplace cool, like an air-conditioned mall or movie theater.

Top 10 Hot Summer Health and Safety Tips

1. Shield your skin and eyes. The “healthy” tan is a myth. Tanning and sunburn can cause aging skin and skin cancer. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) with protective clothing for your skin. Aloe Vera can help ease the pain of sunburn.

2. Stay hydrated with water. Your body’s thirst mechanism is unreliable and gets more undependable as you age. On hot summer days, by the time you’re feeling thirsty, you’re already slightly dehydrated.

  • Drink 10 or more cups of water a day. Don’t wait ‘til you’re thirsty.
  • Don’t drink very cold liquids, since they can cause stomach cramps.
  • When you exercise, drink 2-4 cups of cool (not cold) water every hour.
  •  Avoid drinks with alcohol, caffeine & sugar – they cause loss of fluids.

3. Eat healthy and safe food. Hot summer outings can tempt you to pig-out. Don’t let junk food destroy your summer fun. Keep your energy up by focusing on fresh summer fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.

4. Be sensible with exercise. When you’re hot and sweaty, you lose precious minerals, keep your electrolytes balanced with plenty of minerals from fresh fruit and veggies, and by taking mineral supplements.

5. Balance activity with rest. Hot summer days and vacation trips offer so many exciting activity opportunities that it’s often easy to overexert yourself. Just be sure to also schedule in time for rest and relaxation.

6. Don’t be a victim of crime. Since hot summer weather brings more people into close contact, summer is known to have the highest annual crime rate. Use these summer safety tips to avoid being a victim:

  1.  Always let family and friends know where you’re going to be.
  2.  Never flaunt expensive jewelry, cameras or other costly items.
  3. When traveling, keep your gas tank half full and lock your doors.
  4. Keep your money and other valuables safe and hidden from view.

7. Use safe insect protection. Although ticks can carry lime disease, mosquitoes West Nile virus and some people are allergic to bee stings, ticks, mosquitoes, and bees are usually harmless. But toxic insect repellents can be dangerous. So read the directions carefully and never use them directly on your skin. Spray your clothing instead.

8. Identify poisonous plants. Both poison oak and ivy have leaf clusters of three. So when a plant has “leaves of three, let it be!” If you touch a poisonous plant, rinse the oil off your skin ASAP with cold water (and soap if available). White vinegar helps stop the itch from a rash.

9. Stay cool to beat the heat. On hot summer days, your body works hard to stay cool. Help it out by limiting most outdoor activities to morning and evening. Wear light, loose-fitting clothes and drink lots of water.

If you do overdo it, cool off! And watch for these signs of heatstroke:

•    Headache,
•    Rapid pulse,
•    Lack of sweat,
•    Red hot dry skin,
•    Dizziness, nausea,
•    Feeling tired or weak,
•    Over 102°F body temp,
•    Or losing consciousness.

10. Learn simple safety steps. Take a class in CPR and keep a first aid kit handy, along with a guide book for basic first aid procedures.

You can keep your hot summer days and hot weather vacation trips filled with tons of fun by following these summer safety tips and health tips.