[stephnickie]

I know people usually post asking for advice, but I actually have some I want to offer for anyone who finds the summer heat to cause them a lot of stress or irritability. If anyone is intested, I'd be really happy to post some tips that other people I've shared with have found extremly helpful. And I'm always internested in hearing how other people deal with distressing weather

[marvin_pa]

Go for it - especially anything for combined heat & humidity - that just drains me of energy to do anything.

[seeker33]

Hi, yes please share your tips with us :-)

[stephnickie]

Okay, neato! I love helping others in any way I can

As far as humidity goes, I imagine that can be even more difficult to deal with than regular heat since your sweat doesn't dry and bring your core temperature down! I think most of my general tips are relevant to humidity too, but I would also suggest doing research to find what health experts advise for that specific kind of hot weather.

I'll just make these tips as a list.

1. Peppermint oil is very cooling to the entire body. Essential oil (pure) mixed with another oil (to prevent skin from having a strong reaction to the concentrated formula of an E.O.) or another oil such as coconut, olive, shea, etc., can be massaged into main parts of the body where the skin isn't super sensitive. Arms, legs, feet, neck, chest, stomach, and back have all been safe places for me. I highly suggest keeping it away from the face, where the skin is sensitive and the fumes in the pepperming oil will make your eyes water like crazy!

2. Fill a bucket or large pot with very cold water for soaking your feet. Be careful not to make it too cold, this can damage nerve andings and stuff. Soak for a short time, long time, or in intervals, whatever way provides the most relief. I don't have a bucket or large pot for some reason, so I just put a chair in front of the bathtub and stick my feet in that after filling it with at least a few inches of cold water.

3. Keep your hair moist/wet. Especially before getting into bed. Hot weather makes it really hard for me to sleep and wet hair makes my body feel much cooler very quickly. The temperature of the head and feet have a lot of influence on the temperature of the rest of the body. Plus: add a little bit of that peppermint oil mix to the water you put in your hair for extra cooling sensations (but not too close to face or eyes).

4. A cold wet bandana tied loosely around the neck or on your head feels real good!

5. Cold fruits and vegetables. Hydration is really important in hot weather and the fiber in fresh produce, or even cooked, keeps the water in the produce in your system longer which allows more of it to be absorbed by the body. Plain water hydrates but also goes through the body quickly and not as much is absorbed (feel free to double check this info, this was told to me by several doctors so I assume it's true but I always encourage people to do research on any health related topics).

6. Avoid processed carbs and sugar. They require a lot of energy for the body to process which causes the body to warm up more.

7. Proceed with caution on this one: make sure you are well hydrated first. this one works for me but may make others feel worse instead of better. If you are super hot but not really sweating, do a quick workout! You'll feel hotter for a moment, but the sweat from the workout may allow the body to cool down in general, as it evaporates. Don't do this if it's humid; the sweat won't evaporate, you're body will become even more hot and that can be really dangerous.

8. Freezer packs are your best friend in hot weather. Get the kind that take hours to defrost, wrap it in a hand towel and place it anywhere on your body that feels best. I lay down on my bed or couch (or sit if I'm watching TV or something) and place the wrapped pack on my stomach, lap, or resting on my head (if lying down). Keep the freezer pack wrapped even if it's on top of a layer of clothing. Anything too cold is not good for the skin. A wrapped freezer pack helps bring the core temp down.

9. Make sure you have a fan blowing directly at you. Especially if you use any of the above suggestions at the same time.

10. Keep your skin moist. I have a spray bottle that I use to mist my whole body, it's very cooling right away and as the water evaporates as well.

11. Eat light meals. Spicy food is often suggested, with the claim that spicy food makes EVERYONE sweat but I have never sweated from spicy food. And in the summer it is way too hard on my digestive system to handle on a hot day. Even food that is unbearably spicy has never made me sweat. But if you like spicy food in hot weather, go for it! Do what makes you feel good and is healthy For hot weather I eat things like cold applesauce, salad, smoothies and avocados with a little oil and salt. And even though it's a lot of sugar, ice cream and yogurt are just yummy cold treats that I would never tell anyone to stay away from, haha!

12. And most important: I am not a doctor! Please do research, ask your own doctor and try things in moderation before going all in to make sure you don't do something that ends up feeling really uncomfortable. The tips in my list are things I do that make me feel a lot better but it's best not to do something like cover your body in peppermint oil and lotion only to find that your skin hates the way it feels. I recommend doing a patch test with things like that.

Thanks to everyone who reads this and for giving me the opportunity to make somneone's day a little easier! I'm going into social work because helping others makes me feel better than anything in the entire world

Let me know what works for you guys! And if there's anything you tried and did not like, I'd love to hear about that as well. xo