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Many Sanguinarians as well as psi's comment on how the sun is harsh in
the summer, and the winter is cold. Often we have difficulty regulating
our body temperatures correctly, and so the cold affects us more... in
the summer it is the battle to stay covered from the sun without succumbing
to heatstroke. In this line of problems, there are a number of solutions.
For the summer, sunscreen and sunglasses are the obvious, for the winter
bundling up and wearing heavier clothes... here, I want to focus on some
other ways to keep these two extremes from becoming a taxing frustration.
SUMMER AND HOT WEATHER
Perhaps one important one (for heat) deals with water poisoning. As
described by SphynxCat:
"[Water Poisoning] is what happens when you drink enough water
to upset the chemical balance in your cells. Basically your cells osmose
too much water and don't have enough salts, and can swell. It's not
poisoning as in drinking antifreeze, it WILL go away if you take salts..
severe cases it's best to get to a doctor for IV saline solutions. It's
only a real danger in hot places, where you sweat a lot and don't replace
the salts lost through sweat. When my father was in Saudi Arabia working
he had to bring Gatorade with him to keep him from getting water poisoning.
People who drink a lot of water (As in more than 3 gallons a day) to
get high often suffer from this and can have some really f**ked up symptoms.
There's a disorder that causes this sort of obsession, I'm not sure
what it's called but I'm sure someone here might have heard of it. Anyhow
the average person isn't in too much danger of water poisoning but it's
good to maintain your salt level on a hot day just as you would you
water level. In the frenzy to hydrate a lot of times we forget the salts."
Other ways to help keep the sun from your skin
and stay cool at the same time are:
Cold cloth on the back of the neck (soak a bandana, tie it around
your neck.) Also there are some gel-filled bandanas on the market
now that you soak in water then put in the refrigerator or freezer
and they stay cool. {SphynxCat}
Wear *at least* a hat with a good brim if you can't. Fisherman's
hat or the like, and shades as dark as you can stand. A hat with the
shades keeps the sunlight from creeping in over the top of the shades.{SphynxCat}
Light layers to keep more sunlight off your skin (avoid sunburn)
- particularly if you are sensitive to sunblocks. I use a welding
(full) jacket - it's leather, it looks cheesy, it's plain, but it
*works*. They're also heat-treated to reduce the effects of heat.
Doesn't help much vs humidity, though. In the "light layers"
category, in the past, I've gotten a very-oversize men's shirt, say,
denim or something, that also makes a convenient sunblock. :) {SphynxCat}
If you start moving you're OK until you STOP, then you start overheating.
{Tathaenhi}
A small fan on the desk pointing at the face will keep you from getting
too hot. Wear sandals and get a fan for your feet too if you can.
I put the fans on for five minutes on, then five minutes off. {Tathaenhi}
Keep your limbs away from your body and wear LOOSE clothing, preferably
light colored. Wear cotton, ESPECIALLY underwear, because cotton breathes
and synthetics make you feel sticky and icky when you sweat. Also
synthetics can cause heat rashes more readily than cotton and there's
hygiene dangers from wearing tight, non breathable clothing in hot
weather. {Tathaenhi}
I stick chunks of dry ice in a large soup pot that's kept on a low
heat (not enough to boil but enough to melt the dry ice) Granted this
isn't feasible for most people unless they have access to a dry ice
maker or order things packed in dry ice, but it makes a nice cold
steam that humidifies the air as well as cooling it. It also looks
really cool. {Tathaenhi}
If you can, lie down, heat rises and you'll stay out of it better
if you're lower to the ground. {Tathaenhi}
Don't scratch or rub anywhere, no matter how itchy, the friction
and movement make you hotter, and when you're sweating all over in
a hot environment the risk of an abrasion becoming infected is much
greater.{Tathaenhi}
Don't wear strong scents. You'll regret it later. Not to mention
asthma is sometimes exacerbated by heat, and strong perfume can trigger
violent attacks on a hot day. Citrus scents are nice and light and
have the added bonus of being a mild insect repellent.{Tathaenhi}
I have found that since my body is more sensitive to the cold, it
takes longer then most to notice the heat. This is helpful in that
I can wear long sleeves and a jacket longer then most other people.
As noted, the longer sleeves keep the sun from the skin much better
then even sunblock. It is best, however, to use the two together for
extra precaution. Also, along with this, temperature sensitivity varies
from individual to individual, be aware of the signs of heat exhaustion
and heat stroke! They can get you before you realize it if you are
not careful. {Much thanks to SphynxCat and Tathaenhi for suggestions
on dealing with the heat}
WINTER AND COLD WEATHER
Sunglasses are as important if not more so in the winter. The sun itself
on the eyes still hurts, and with the falling of snow, the reflective
glare can also be painful. So, don't disregard them just because the
world seems darker! In terms of body heat regulation in the cooler months
one of the most effective things to do is conserve what body heat you
do give off. This means wearing layers of clothing, and if possible
clothing of the thermal, fleece, flannel, or wool variety. These are
trap body heat and help to keep the cold off. Some key points I have
learned through the bitter months:
Most body heat escapes through the head and extremities (feet, hands,
nose, ears). To keep this heat, wear a wool or knit cap on the head,
and insulating gloves (those lined with a flannel or fleece are best
I have found) on the hands. Boots for the feet also help trap the warmth
there, as well as heavy socks.
Electric blankets at night are a godsend! The body natural drops in
temperature during sleep and so is more difficult for it to warm. DO
NOT LEAVE THE BLANKET ON ALL NIGHT, THOUGH!! Turn it on for about and
hour before you bed down and then turn it back off before sleeping.
This will warm the bed itself without the worry about burning yourself
if set too high, or it causing a fire while you are asleep.
If your have a house or apartment, spend more time stove-cooking this
will add to the warmth of your house without taxing your normal heating
system. Also allows for warm food, which helps warm a person as well.
Drink warm drinks such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, apple cider,
and even steamed milk. These also help warm the body. The radiating
warmth of the cups they are in also helps warm the hands if you are
walking in the cold. Along the same line, avoid iced drinks as they
can have the opposite effect.
Exercise. The more active you are, the more energy your body will
burn and the warmer you will feel. Just be sure to "cool down"
from this exercise in a warm place or the shock of the sweat to the
cold can be harmful.
Eating carbohydrates (sugars) can also help build a natural body heat
as these foods are burned through digestion.
In some areas (such as my current one) the wind chill has a dramatic
effect on the sensory temperature. Investing in a long coat that can
serve as a windbreaker can have an immense effect.
Something that was pointed out to me, also, is that feeding can have
a warming effect. Not sure why or how or if it works for all, but it
is something to keep in mind.
Other Tips From Tathaenhi:
Alcohol will not warm you up, if your out in the cold it's better
to leave the drinking to when you can get inside. Yeah its an antifreeze
but when you metabolize it you don't produce any heat energy.
Frostbite is a terrible thing, avoid it by making sure your prone
areas, I.E. fingers, toes, ears, face and neck are well covered in
breathable material (If it's not breathable you'll feel even worse
when you start sweating.) There are three stages of frostbite, the
first is when your skin is pink and stiff and hurts, this isn't dangerous,
if you go warm up there will be no damage to your skin and nerves.
Once your skin starts turning white you've entered the danger stage,
depending on how long it's been white (frozen), there will be skin
or nerve damage of a varying degree. The third stage, severe frostbite,
causes the entire area to die, and once you thaw out the area (finger,
toe, ear especially) will fall off. If you get a frostbite this bad,
be very careful of gangrene. Frostbite should not be treated with
hot anything, cover them gently with a cool (4-10 degree Celsius,
fridge temperature, but not much more) pack, if you can avoid touching
the skin, that's too the better. Hot water or objects can cause more
damage than it prevents.
Wet snow can be more of a pain than dry snow, even though dry snow
is usually colder. Wet snow soaks through everything and increases
the likelihood of your skin and clothes freezing, and can cause a
pretty vicious frostbite. Also you sweat lots under heavy clothes
when you move, so if it IS cold and dry out, it's good to have breathable
clothes because as soon as you stop moving you'll start shivering.
More on wind chill, wind chill is usually rated in terms of degrees..
I'm not sure about Fahrenheit so I'll use Celsius. If it's -10 (mild
weather where I live in the winter) out, and the radio says there's
a wind chill factor of -20, it means that although temperature of
the air in not windy places is -10, wherever it's blowing it's going
to be -30. If you have to stand in the wind (for a bus or whatever)
it's best to do it with your back facing the wind, your back can take
more wind than your face can because your back is covered. Frozen
eyes hurt.
If you're in a place that gets snow, and you drive, make an emergency
weather pack. Put gloves, boots, and a hat or toque in it, a small
shovel, a small axe, a bag of road salt, rolls of toilet paper, matches
and emergency candles. (If your car stops, put the toilet paper around
the candle, I'm told it heats warmer and longer that way. A coffee
can to burn it in is also recommended.) Emergency blankets and a bottle
of water in a thermos (it takes more to freeze it that way) are also
recommended, emergency blankets are these thin mylar sheets with a
matte side and a shiny side, when you wear them wear them matte side
out. Some people pack high energy snacks in their emergency pack.
Flashlights, a flare-pen with extra flares, and batteries for all
of it are a good idea. (a flare-pen is a small version of a flare-gun,
it looks like a mini-maglight and sends up a little colored fireball
about 40 meters.) It all sounds like a lot to have around but the
shovel and the axe are the only real huge things. It'll fit all in
a corner of your trunk. Most people also keep a scraper/brush somewhere
in the car, it's not really an emergency tool but it's good for cleaning
frost off your windshield and you don't wreck your credit card.
Other Tips From Bjorn:
Silk is a good thermoregulator in cold weather. It's very comfortable
(so I'm told) and insulates better per thickness than wool or thermals,
etc. And cotton is one of the poorest insulators.
Insulate the main part of your body, as it is your furnace. Especially
insulate your chest right over your heart. There is a deposit of "brown
fat", a holdover from infancy, which, ounce for ounce gives far
more heat when metabolized than the other, "white fat."
Alcohol actually dilates the capillaries (and other blood vessels
to a lesser extent), which is why it warms you up. However, it also
increases the rate at which the body loses heat to the surrounding
environment. So it's a bad idea to go out into the cold even one hour
after one alcoholic drink.
Also, there is a medical condition called "Reynaud's Syndrome"
which can contribute to one's sensitivity to temperature changes,
especially to the cold. Basically, when the body's core temperature
drops, the muscle cells around the capillaries constrict, reducing
the blood flow. This can occur to varying degrees, and often results
in a splotched appearance of the skin on the hands and feet, progressing
slowly up the arms and legs as time goes on if the person does not
warm up. Then the toes and fingers appear white, purple, or blue (it
depends) due to restricted blood flow. However, Reynaud's can also
be a sign of other, more serious conditions. If it is only part of
a larger whole, it can be very threatening. If someone suspects they
might have it and show any of the signs, including an inability to
warm up soon after being cold, I very strongly advise that they go
to a doctor and get blood tests run, including but not limited to
a karyotype.
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