Seven lifestyle tips to stay cool — even during a heat wave

Getting drenched with sweat shortly after a bath or repeatedly wiping sweat off your body can be very exasperating.

When the temperature approaches horrendously hot levels, knowing how to maintain your cool can stave off exhaustion, dehydration and heat-related illnesses.

These seven lifestyle tips for living through the hot weather might be just right for you.

Hydrate yourself

Sipping a bottle of water at intervals, even if you’re not thirsty, is helpful in a hot weather. Taking more of fluids while avoiding caffeine, soft drinks and alcohol would go a long way in keeping you cool.

Stay ‘indoors’

Staying indoors doesn’t imply you lock yourself in, but that you stay out of the sun or in air-conditioned buildings for as long as you can during the hottest hours of the day.

Rethink your dressing

Loosely-fitted, long-sleeved, light-coloured and soft fabrics like linen, hemp and cotton should be your pick in hot weather if you want to stand a chance against the heat.

Wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and shades would also be ideal if you can’t avoid getting under the harsh weather.

Plan ahead

Consider cancelling unnecessary appointments while scheduling important ones for the coolest time of the day.

Keep up with local weather forecasts and carry out all physically engaging routines as early as possible, say between 4 am to 7 am.

Diet offsets temperature

Consuming a lot of high-protein meals naturally engages your digestive tracts and in turn, increases your body temperature with the rise in metabolic rate.

Instead of meat and other high-protein foods, you should opt for fruits and vegetables as these naturally digest easily while keeping you hydrated and cool.

Cool off with water

Using cool water spritz and wearing a water-dunked hat is apparently of the one of the brightest ideas during the hot weather.

Whether at the pool or your bathroom, bathing as often as you can would also lower your body temperature and keep you cool.

Air-condition your home

Hot weathers are sure a good time to service your air-conditioning system or consider installing one if you have none.

You could also spend the hottest part of the day in air-conditioned buildings such as public libraries, a cinema or other facilities that might have such systems.