Stay cool: tips for cooling off in summer
Created: 07/01/2022, 16:42
By: Franziska Vystrcil
Drinking a lot is just one of many measures to cool down.
© Julian Stahle/dpa
Outside the temperatures are unbearable, indoors there is often no refuge from the heat.
These tricks will cool you down in no time.
Stuttgart - When summer really gets going with the weather in Germany, any cooling is welcome.
Temperatures above 25 degrees and plenty of sun are nice - but only until you start to sweat, your circulation weakens or you get headaches.
On the go or at work, however, you can't just jump under the shower so that the temperatures are more bearable.
But there are enough ways and means to stay cool.
These tips will bring you easy relief from the summer heat.
Refreshment fallacy: An ice-cold shower and drinks don't cool you down
Even the parents preached it as a child: If it's hot outside, you should drink a lot.
Logically, because the heat causes the body to lose water and minerals, for example through sweating.
When the temperature is high, drink at least two liters a day.
If you are physically active or doing sports, it is best to drink even more;
The body then needs three to four liters.
Most people make a crucial mistake in the summer: iced drinks have the opposite effect.
Instead of cooling down the body, the cold drinks ensure that the body needs more energy.
Because the organism has to bring the cool liquid to body temperature before it can digest it.
However, the associated expenditure of energy additionally warms the body.
Coffee or other caffeinated drinks, such as cola, but also sweet and sugary drinks should be avoided at high temperatures.
Caffeine and sugar give you a brief boost of energy, but your circulation slows down even further later on.
This can be dangerous, especially in the heat.
And we could still get some sweaty temperatures this year: A weather expert announced "new records and heat waves".
Not only the right drink, but also the food can affect how warm or cold we are.
Light, watery dishes and meals, such as watermelons, put less strain on the body and also refresh it.
Food rich in minerals, such as salad, also helps at high temperatures.
The sodium in such foods restores the fluid balance in the body.
Taking a proper shower when it’s hot: This is how water provides relief
An ice-cold shower, like drinks that are too cold, also has the opposite effect.
The cold water only provides the hoped-for cooling for the first moment.
The body has to expend more energy again to warm up.
In addition, the cold water opens the pores in the long term.
This makes you sweat even more afterwards.
Therefore: lukewarm showers are more effective and still provide refreshment.
If you don't dry yourself completely afterwards, but let your skin dry in the air, you will also feel refreshed.
The evaporating water has a cooling effect.
If you have a bathtub, you can use it to refresh yourself.
Run lukewarm water and keep running cold water while bathing.
If it gets too cold, get out of the tub.
Such a so-called "descending bath" helps the body to cool down slowly without fighting the cold and heating up again.
Washing your hair can also refresh your body.
Simply add a few drops of tea tree oil to the shampoo.
The oil cools the scalp throughout the day.
If that is too much effort and if you want to keep the apartment cool all day long, you can also use air conditioners.
They don't even have to be expensive.
Cheap air conditioners were convincing in the test.
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Repurposed hot water bottle: Cooler bottle for the night
Not only tea tree oil, but also other essential oils cool.
Many oils contain menthol, the oil of peppermint.
Similar to menthol chewing gum, the oil also has an effect on the body.
Even when applied to the skin, it feels pleasantly cool.
Cold water on the wrists, on the other hand, can be a real blessing in the heat.
At this point, the veins and arteries are only surrounded by a thin and poorly insulating layer of skin.
The cold water quickly cools the blood circulating in the body.
Simply rub into the back of your knees, wrists and temples and repeat throughout the day if necessary.
When it's hot outside, the house and apartment also heat up.
There are a few tricks you can use to keep your home cool.
However, once the warm air has entered the home, it is difficult to cool the air down again.
This can cause sleepless nights, especially at night.
This is where a repurposed hot water bottle can help.
Instead of pouring hot water in, cold water comes in.
Since the bottle is well insulated, the cold stays in it for a long time.
With the cooling bottle in bed, the nights become more pleasant again.
