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And dive down: swimming can cool you down when it’s hot (symbol image)
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In Spain, people are already struggling with a heat wave, and temperatures are also rising in Germany: According to the German Weather Service, it will be really hot in some places at the weekend with more than 36 degrees.
Part of the weather forecast is often the perceived temperature, which often does not match the temperature measured in the air.
The German weather service determines the perceived temperature using the »Climate Michel model«, which, according to the weather service, takes into account various influences and thus provides a statement about the average subjective perception.
Many factors influence the perception of temperature
Because how people perceive the temperatures can be very different: while some are looking forward to sunbathing, others are already craving to cool down at 25 degrees.
"Even in the pleasant 20s temperature range, there are still five to ten percent who find it too warm or too cold," says biometeorologist Andreas Matzarakis, who heads the Center for Medical Meteorological Research of the German Weather Service in Freiburg.
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Science assumes many components that influence our temperature perception, says Matzarakis.
State of health and fitness play a role.
For example, someone struggling with a cold may experience temperature differently than a healthy person.
The hormonal balance and the proportion of body fat can also affect the perception of heat and cold.
For the current temperature assessment, there is also whether someone has just done sport and what clothes they are wearing.
Wind, humidity and solar radiation also play a role.
When temperatures rise and the body heats up above the normal temperature of 37 degrees, it tries to get rid of the excess heat by sweating.
Controlled by the nervous system, the sweat glands produce fluid.
Sweat cools the body by evaporating on the skin's surface.
"However, if you immediately wipe away the sweat with a towel, the evaporation and cooling doesn't work," says the biometeorologist.
What helps those who suffer
But high temperatures don't just make us sweat: Many people also get heavy legs on hot summer days.
According to the Hessen Chamber of Pharmacists, this is because the venous valves in the legs do not work properly in many people when it is hot.
Because the heat dilates the blood vessels and the blood builds up in the legs.
Putting your feet up can provide relief.
Even moderate exercise, such as swimming, relieves the symptoms.
It is also beneficial to apply cooling gels or spray water on your legs.
The Hessen State Chamber of Pharmacists also advises drinking enough fluids so that the blood flows faster in the body and the feeling of heavy legs decreases.
Drinking enough is particularly important for older people, who are less likely to feel thirsty.
Their metabolism is also no longer as active and extreme heat often causes them particular problems.
mar/dpa