How to stay cool when it's hot

You can have trouble concentrating, and operating machinery, with symptoms like heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, visual disturbances, intense thirst, nausea, headache, muscle cramps, breathlessness, and palpitations, among others.

Sometimes cooling down is not so easy. You may not have the option to go for a swim, or a cold shower, among others.

Read on for some hot tips on how to cool down.

1. Drink alcohol in moderation.

Combining more than a few alcoholic drinks with a hot day is not a good idea, even if you're taking cold drinks.

Alcohol causes dehydration which can hit your already struggling body harder. It also makes sleep difficult in warm weather.

You are likely to have a bad night's sleep and wake up in a poor state.

2. Limit exercise/workout to cooler weather

It is important to maintain your routine but sometimes it is necessary, especially in hot weather.

Take the weather into consideration when planning out your day. It is better to run early morning rather than later in the day when the sun is blazing.

If you choose to stick to your routine, plan out bigger breaks and more hydration than you normally do.

3. Don't sleep naked

Sleeping naked in a warm room might seem like the best option, but it will not help.

Clothes help to draw sweat from your skin to keep you from feeling sticky.

Moreover, if you sleep naked, you will feel worse when you feel sticky on your bedding. Opt for thin baggy pajamas and cotton tees.

4. Take hot drinks and soup

Try this on a hot and dry day rather than a hot humid day. Drinking hot beverages makes you sweat.

In this case, it is more important than the fact that you might feel hotter initially.

But as the sweat evapourates from you, energy is absorbed in the air around you as part of the reaction. In a way, you force the body to sweat out that drowsy feeling.

Avoid caffeine because it induces dehydration.

5. Throw some clothes in the freezer

Put some items in plastic bags or containers and put them in the freezer. Especially nightwear and bedding.

6. The fan faces the window

With the fan, you are aiming to cool the room rather than just your body. Aiming it at your body will give temporary relief. When you aim it at the window, you are blowing hot air out and replacing it with cool air from outside.

Take into consideration the difference in temperature outside and indoors. This method only works when outside is colder than inside your house.