How to Stay Cool in Warm Weather – especially in Athens

Keeping cool in warm weather is a multi-faceted challenge. Risks of getting too hot in warm weather include dehydration, and a variety of heat-related illnesses, including heat stress, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or even heat stroke. Keeping your body cool will also help to keep your mood calm too, for heat often exacerbates feelings of stress, tension and frustration. There are lots of simple and effective ways to stay cool in warm weather and most of them are very affordable.

Source: WikiHow 

 

1) Stay hydrated.

Water is essential for keeping you cool during hot weather. Water keeps your body cool and should be drunk even if you don’t feel thirsty. It’s okay to also drink commercial waters (such as Vitamin Water) or sports drinks such as Powerade or Gatorade but they’re usually not necessary unless you’re deliberately replenishing lost vitamins/electrolytes following a sporting activity.

• The best way to check your hydration level is to measure your urination color. Anything darker than straw colored is probably an indication that dehydration is on the horizon, and water is needed.
• Stay away from sugary drinks such as sodas(even if they are sugar-free!); they decrease the ability of your body to store water. Also, steer clear of alcoholic drinks, coffee, and caffeinated drinks, which are natural diuretics.

2) Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. 

Drink plenty of water before engaging in any activities. If you wait too late, you could experience cramps, which are a sign of heat-related illness. Remind yourself to drink water frequently with one of the following options.

• Purchase a durable water bottle or water pack that you can tote everywhere and refill at any safe water tap.
• Freeze a bottle of water to carry around with you. It’ll be solid when you leave the house, but the heat will start melting it from the moment you take it out of the freezer. Wrap it in a towel to prevent water condensation affecting other items in your bag.
• Download a water drinking app onto your phone. Set reminders, daily targets, and even track when the last time you had a drink.

3) Choose cooling foods. 

Food can keep you cool provided you make the right choices. Choose salads, fresh raw food, vegetables and fruit. “Cool as a cucumber” is literal; it is nearly 100% water, providing hydration to keep you cool. Avoid eating meat and protein-heavy foods during the heat of the day because these can increase metabolic heat production, which can add to loss of water.

• It may seem counter-intuitive, but eating spicy peppers may help cool you off. They make you sweat, which provides a cooling sensation.
• Smaller meals may also help keep your core temperature down. Large meals require the body to work harder breaking everything down.

4) Make food without using the oven or stove. 

Find foods that don’t need to be cooked, or don’t need heat to be cooked. If you must actually cook, keep the cool air in, and the temperature down, by using the microwave instead of the stove or oven. For example, you can microwave frozen vegetables and canned soup instead of cooking them on the stovetop.

• Cold soups are great in warm weather. If you haven’t tried them yet, hot weather is the excuse you need! The fact they are often healthy is just an added benefit.
• Make popsicles, slushies, frozen fruit, frozen yogurt, and other frozen treats to help you cool down.

5) Stay out of the sun while it’s at its hottest. 

This common sense approach isn’t always easy to adhere to when summer fun beckons, so it bears repeating. Avoid activities in the noonday sun as much as possible. It’s best to limit your sun exposure between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day during warmer months. When you are outside during these times, limit your exposure as best as you possibly can.

• Schedule activities early in the morning or later in the afternoon
• Some people are particularly vulnerable to heat and should stay in cool places during hot weather, such as children, the elderly, obese, redheads, gingers, and those who have health problems.

6) Wear sunscreen! 

While sunscreen doesn’t necessarily have a cooling effect, its protective effect is vital during warmer weather. As well as being painful and damaging, sunburn can cause a fever and various signs of dehydration. If left unchecked, sunburns can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

• At the minimum, use SPF 15. If you’re planning on being outside for a while, SPF 30 would be a better option.
• Reapply often. Every two hours is recommended, but it should be reapplied more often if you’re swimming or sweating a lot.
• Apply roughly a shot glass worth of sunscreen to cover the entire body.

7) Stay in the shade. 

Retreat to shade as much as possible. Taking breaks under trees works doubly well because trees release water into the air that absorbs some of the heat. While shade doesn’t lower the actual temperature, the lack of sunlight exposure makes it feel like the temperature is up to 15 degrees cooler.

• If a cool breeze comes by, that can feel like an additional lowering of 5 degrees in the shade.

8) Splash water on your skin. 

When it’s hot and sunny outside, a dip in cool water is refreshing. Jumping into a pool is not always a choice. Don’t forget low-maintenance options like sprinklers. You could also try taking showers or baths with cooler than normal water to take the edge off.

• Fill a spray bottle with pure water and place in the refrigerator at home or work. When you feel too hot, spray a fine mist of the cooled water over face and body to help cool you down quickly. Refill as needed and keep refrigerated.
• Make a game of staying cool. Gather friends and run through sprinklers. Throw water balloons. Have a squirt gun battle.

9) Wear lighter clothing. 

Lightweight, loose-fitting clothing will help to keep you cooler. If it is light in color, it’s even better, as this will reflect the heat and sunlight better. Shorts and short sleeved shirts are good choices. Something that lets the air flow freely through, hitting the sweat on your body, works best. The following suggestions are specific ways clothing can maximize your ability to stay cool:

• Cotton and linen clothing tends to keep you cool and absorb moisture.
• Clothes you can hold up to the light and see through are great choices. Be sure to apply sunscreen when wearing really thin clothing, however, as the clothing doesn’t provide adequate protection from the sun’s harmful rays.
• Synthetic clothing tends to trap moisture, which makes the fabric feel heavier, stick to your skin, and restrict air-flow.
• Working in lower humidity settings with short sleeves has been shown to have a minor benefit. Weigh the options of UV exposure with your choice of clothing.

10) Keep your head covered. 

Wear a wide-brimmed hat, one that sufficiently covers the top of your scalp as well as the tops of your ears. This helps to keep you cooler by providing shade. Choose a brim that is wide enough that it can also cover the back of your neck.

• Light-colored hats can help keep you cool.

11) Wear breathable footwear. 

Depending on the activity, one shoe could be more comfortable or appropriate than another. Consider whether arch support, durability, and comfort are mandatory, and then choose the best breathable footwear for the activity.

• Cotton socks are great, but moisture wicking socks help your feet stay cooler.
• Some running shoes are designed with the summer months in mind, providing ventilation in a variety of designs.
• Be careful if you decide to go barefoot. Many artificial pavements become unbearably hot during warm weather and can scald your feet.

12) Choose function over style. 

Wear fewer accessories during hotter weather. Metallic accessories can heat up considerably and less is always best when it comes to keeping cool. Other clothing accessories can weigh clothing down, trapping in heat and moisture. If you have long hair, wear it up and off your face and body, allowing the breeze to flow along your neckline.

13) Use fans. 

While the efficacy of fans during extreme heat and humidity has been debated, some research suggests fans are beneficial up to 36 °C with 80% humidity, and 42 °C with nearly 50% humidity. Whether hand-held or electric, fans can keep you cool by continuously circulating air. In your home and office space, locate fans in rooms where you are working or resting to keep the air circulating freely and to reduce the mugginess of heat.

• Try making your own “swamp cooler.” These evaporative coolers can reduce temperature by significant amounts. They range from the simple (i.e. a bowl of chilled water in front of a fan) to the semi-complex. With just a few PVC pipes, a bucket, an electric fan, and a frozen gallon of water, you can create mid 4 °C wind. However, keep in mind that swamp coolers will not work with humid heat.
• A fan should not be the primary source of cooling down in extremely hot weather. Fans work well, but only if the weather is not too hot.

14) Use air conditioning. 

Even if your home does not have central air, placing a small window air conditioner in one room of your home may help to keep it cool during the summer. For example, you could place the air conditioner in the room where you spend the most time, such as the living room, kitchen, or your bedroom.

• You can also try running the air conditioner at the highest comfortable temperature to avoid racking up a high electricity bill.
• Visit public buildings if you don’t have adequate air-conditioning at home. A few possible locations to avoid the heat:
• Grocery stores are air conditioned well. And if it’s particularly hot, visit the freezer section and peruse for a while.

To be honest, nearly all offices have a clima aircon, so staying at work at least until 18:00 is a great choice and your supervisor will love you for it

15) Close curtains and blinds. 

The sun’s rays convert to heat. However possible, you should block the rays coming into your house to keep the temperature down. Closing curtains, lowering shades, or even blocking windows can significantly reduce the heat in your house and keep it cool. Awnings work as well, because they keep the direct heat off the windows without blocking out all light.

WorkWell Tip

As a final reminder, Athens is full of mid-range to high-end hotels with swimming pools so that’s always a realistic option!

Here is a link with the best ones in town 🙂