Stay cool this summer with these nine healthy ways to beat the heat.
July 2022. This article is independently written by Shelby Golding. All opinions given are hers. Shelby has been certified as a personal trainer and nutritional specialist since 2007. In 2008, she found her passion for writing about these topics and hasn't looked back.
Heatstroke may be more common than you think. Its symptoms include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, exhaustion, muscle cramping, and headaches. How often have you left the beach or finished a hike only to realize you spent too much time in the sun? Most cases are not fatal, but even the discomfort of heatstroke is preventable with the right tools.
Monitoring and regulating body temperature is within your control. So stay cool this summer with these nine ways to beat the heat.
9 Ways to Beat the Heat
These nine ways to cool off are easy enough to put into practice. On the next hot day, pick a few that appeal to you and give them a try!
1. Get More Vitamin C
A surprising way to stay cool this summer is to pack your diet with plenty of vitamin C - whether in your food or as a supplement.
One study done in the years leading up to WWII looked at vitamin C and its ability to help soldiers acclimatize to hot and humid environments. Subjects who took vitamin C supplements adjusted a whole day faster than those who took a placebo. The study also found that vitamin C keeps you warm in cold weather.
Overall, vitamin C is a powerful tool to beat the heat.
One study done in the years leading up to WWII looked at vitamin C and its ability to help soldiers acclimatize to hot and humid environments. Subjects who took vitamin C supplements adjusted a whole day faster than those who took a placebo. The study also found that vitamin C keeps you warm in cold weather.
Overall, vitamin C is a powerful tool to beat the heat.
2. Eat Spicy Food
It turns out that people in hot weather climates may prefer spicy food because of its ability to cool you down. Unlike when you drink a hot beverage, spicy food makes you feel cold without raising your body temperature.
Capsaicin – the chemical in chilies that makes them spicy – attaches to the mouth’s pain receptors. The pain receptors trigger the brain to make you sweat, and sweating is your body’s natural method of cooling itself down.
Capsaicin – the chemical in chilies that makes them spicy – attaches to the mouth’s pain receptors. The pain receptors trigger the brain to make you sweat, and sweating is your body’s natural method of cooling itself down.
3. Drink Iced Peppermint Tea
Peppermint tea is a typical Traditional Chinese Medicine remedy known for its cooling properties. Not only is iced peppermint tea cold from the ice, but the body interprets mint as being cold. Therefore, the cold temperature of the drink lowers your body temperature, and the cooling sensation in your mouth makes it seem less hot.
Peppermint has the added benefit of being good for digestion, which is often disrupted by excessive heat and humidity.
Peppermint has the added benefit of being good for digestion, which is often disrupted by excessive heat and humidity.
4. Exchange Meals for Snacks
Every time you eat, your metabolic rate rises to start the digestion process. So, eating large, hard-to-digest meals three times a day in the summer will cause your body to work harder to stay cold.
Instead, exchange your three large meals for several smaller ones and choose easy-to-digest foods like fruits and vegetables. Plant-based foods also contain a lot of water to rehydrate you if you're sweating!
Instead, exchange your three large meals for several smaller ones and choose easy-to-digest foods like fruits and vegetables. Plant-based foods also contain a lot of water to rehydrate you if you're sweating!
5. Meditate
Tummo is a meditation practice practiced by monks in Tibetan Buddhism. The idea is that the practitioner consciously builds up the "inner fire" to raise body temperature. Wim Hof offers another method to build internal body heat in colder temperatures.
Of course, you don't want to increase body temperature in the summertime. But studies show that meditation is an effective tool for controlling internal temperature.
The calm, meditative state means the body requires less heat to execute processes like heart rate, respiratory rate, and skeletal muscle activity.
Of course, you don't want to increase body temperature in the summertime. But studies show that meditation is an effective tool for controlling internal temperature.
The calm, meditative state means the body requires less heat to execute processes like heart rate, respiratory rate, and skeletal muscle activity.
6. Wear White
The adage "don't wear white after Labor Day" is thought to have practical roots. The poorer populations were advised to save their lightweight, white clothing for the warmer months. Since Labor Day was considered the end of summer, the clothing industry caught on and made it an unofficial fashion rule.
Whatever the reason, white clothing is a simple way to stay cool this summer as it reflects the heat from the sun to keep the body cool. Also, make sure your white clothes are sewn of lightweight fabrics like cotton for added cooling benefits.
Whatever the reason, white clothing is a simple way to stay cool this summer as it reflects the heat from the sun to keep the body cool. Also, make sure your white clothes are sewn of lightweight fabrics like cotton for added cooling benefits.
7. Take a Cold Shower
Cold showers set a higher threshold for perspiration by lowering surface body temperature. This is because your sweat rate depends on internal body temperature and the amount of sweat needed to return the body to its resting temperature (about 98.6 degrees for most people).
However, recent studies suggest that cold showers may only keep you cool for a short time. So, on a scorching day, you might want to take several cold showers to keep your internal body temperature low. Or you can experiment with contrast showers for many surprising health benefits.
However, recent studies suggest that cold showers may only keep you cool for a short time. So, on a scorching day, you might want to take several cold showers to keep your internal body temperature low. Or you can experiment with contrast showers for many surprising health benefits.
8. Apply Cold Packs to Pulse Points
If you're overheated and need to cool down quickly, you can try placing an ice pack (or cold bag of peas) over your body's pulse points. These include your wrists, neck, chest, and temples.
The pulse points release the most heat from the body because they are the locations where the veins are closest to the skin's surface. Therefore, adding an ice pack to these points cools off the circulatory system more quickly and expedites the cool-down process.
You can also press a cold pack to the back of your neck, where the brainstem runs into the brain. The brain stem regulates body temperature, and the sensation of coolness will spread throughout the body.
The pulse points release the most heat from the body because they are the locations where the veins are closest to the skin's surface. Therefore, adding an ice pack to these points cools off the circulatory system more quickly and expedites the cool-down process.
You can also press a cold pack to the back of your neck, where the brainstem runs into the brain. The brain stem regulates body temperature, and the sensation of coolness will spread throughout the body.
9. Hydrate!
It should go without saying that hydrating is the number one way to keep cool in the summer. Water supplies the body with the moisture it needs to create sweat. But sweat evaporates off the skin and takes the heat with it!
Water also supports the body’s temperature regulatory systems, including the hypothalamus in the brain, the skin, and the circulatory system.
There are many, many ways to hydrate besides drinking plain water. Simply get as much water into your body as possible, especially on hot days.
Water also supports the body’s temperature regulatory systems, including the hypothalamus in the brain, the skin, and the circulatory system.
There are many, many ways to hydrate besides drinking plain water. Simply get as much water into your body as possible, especially on hot days.
Stay Cool
When in doubt, remaining indoors is an easy way to beat the heat. But if you want to stay cool this summer while enjoying your favorite outdoor activities, use the nine tricks above to keep your body at a healthy temperature. Drink water, wear white, eat spicy food, pop a vitamin C supplement, and get outside to enjoy the sun!
And if you’re hesitant to go enjoy your summer days because of chronic pain, just remember to apply your Kailo Pain Patch before you head out on your adventures. Kailo is designed to relieve pain in seconds and a recent clinical study showed that 97% of users were extremely satisfied with Kailo over oral medication.
Disclaimer: Kailo should not be used if you have a pacemaker or if you are pregnant. Always consult your doctor or health care professional before using Kailo.
And if you’re hesitant to go enjoy your summer days because of chronic pain, just remember to apply your Kailo Pain Patch before you head out on your adventures. Kailo is designed to relieve pain in seconds and a recent clinical study showed that 97% of users were extremely satisfied with Kailo over oral medication.
Disclaimer: Kailo should not be used if you have a pacemaker or if you are pregnant. Always consult your doctor or health care professional before using Kailo.
