8 things you shouldn't do in hot weather

1. Drink sweet soda

A refrigerator with misted cans of sugary soft drinks just beckons on a hot day. It seems that the ice fizzy will perfectly quench your thirst and refresh you. In fact, this is not the case.

When sugar enters the bloodstream. makes you thirsty. And since the sweetener from drinks very quickly penetrates the bloodstream, you will want to drink again in 5-10 minutes.

In principle, there is nothing wrong with this, except for the risk V. S. Malik, M. B. Schulze, F. B. Hu. Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: a systematic review / American Journal of Clinical Nutrition to gain extra pounds. But when you're dehydrated, things get much worse.

Trying to restore water balance with sugary drinks, you only aggravate F. E. García-Arroyo, M. Cristóbal, A. S. Arellano-Buendía, et al. Rehydration with soft drink-like beverages exacerbates dehydration and worsens dehydration-associated renal injury / American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology lack of fluid and harm the kidneys.

Flat soda doesn’t help dehydration / WebMD Health News soda with sugar and to restore electrolyte balance is useless: it has 7.5 times less sodium and about the same amount of glucose than is needed to protect against hyponatremia. Therefore, feel free to walk past the bright soda cans and choose water or sports drinks.

2. Store water in plastic bottles

Plastic bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polycarbonate. When heated, both materials don’t drink the (warm) water, study says / ScienceDaily harmful bisphenol A H. H. Le, E. M. Carlson, J. P. Chua, S. M. Belcher. Bisphenol A is released from polycarbonate drinking bottles and mimics the neurotoxic actions of estrogen in developing cerebellar neurons / Toxicology Letters, and PET is also antimony. The first substance has a similar effect to estrogens and can disrupt the hormonal balance in the body, the second is considered R. G. Cooper, A. P. Harrison. The exposure to and health effects of antimony / Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine with a toxic trace element and a potential carcinogen.

However, don't be afraid to store water in plastic at room temperature, even if your home is hot. In order for it to begin to emit harmful substances in large quantities, really high temperatures are needed. For example, as in a closed car, garage or in the sun on a particularly hot day. In such conditions, it is better to pour the water into a glass or metal bottle, or simply put it away in a cooler place.

3. Store supplements and vitamins in the kitchen or bathroom

In The New York Times, Skye McKennon, an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy, says heat can spoil drugs.

When stored at high temperatures, aspirin becomes dangerous, the hydrocortisone cream stratifies, and hormone-containing drugs, such as oral contraceptives and thyroid medications, lose their effect.

McKennon advises paying particular attention to the storage of insulin, anticoagulants and anticonvulsants, since even a small change in the dose of their active ingredients can have serious health consequences.

If not only high temperature, but also high humidity can deteriorate Vitamins stored in bathrooms, kitchens may become less effective / Purdue University News Service supplements with vitamin C and some forms of vitamin B. Such dietary supplements will not harm you, but they will not be useful either. …

WHO advises Public health advice on preventing health effects of heat / WHO to store medicines at temperatures below 25 ° C, and if the room is warmer, put them in the refrigerator.

4. Leave perishable food on the table

Temperatures from +5 to +60 ° C are considered a dangerous area for perishable products: meat, fish, eggs. If there were bacteria in the food, their population would double in 20 minutes.

At normal room temperature, it is not advised to leave such foods out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. But when the thermometer rises to +32 ° C, the safety time is reduced to 60 minutes.

To avoid an eating disorder, do not leave food on the table - immediately put the uneaten food in the refrigerator or throw it away.

Also, do not defrost food outdoors - use a suitable microwave setting or transfer from the freezer to the refrigerator in advance.

5. Use a fan if it is very hot

Fans do not cool the air, they just move it around, creating a breeze. Most often it brings relief and helps sweat to evaporate, but this is not always the case S. Gupta, C. Carmichael, C. Simpson, et al. Electric fans for adverse health impacts in heatwaves / Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

If the air temperature rises above + 35 ° C, the fan will blow hot air around the body, which can increase the increase in heat and bring you to heat fatigue. So if the room is really hot, don't rely on this gadget - instead, look for an air-conditioned room.

6. Drink alcohol

Alcohol reduces K. M. Harper, D. J. Knapp, H. E. Criswell, G. R. Breese. Vasopressin and alcohol: a multifaceted relationship / Psychopharmacology the production of vasopressin, a hormone that retains water in the body, limiting urine production in the kidneys. By reducing the amount of this hormone, alcohol causes a diuretic effect, so you run to the toilet more often.

Together with increased sweating due to hot weather, this increases the risk of dehydration and heatstroke.

If you can't stop drinking alcohol, drink plenty of water and eat. For example, you can alternate alcohol with it during the meal - this way you get drunk less and reduce the risk of dehydration.

7. Don't get enough sleep

Sleep deprivation disrupts thermoregulation: the body produces less Heat Stroke (Hyperthermia) / Harvard Health Publishing less sweat and does not cool itself as effectively as if you slept. This increases the risk of overheating, especially if you go to workout.

In addition, sleepless night reduces R. Relf, A. Willmott, J. Mee, et al. Females exposed to 24 h of sleep deprivation do not experience greater physiological strain, but do perceive heat illness symptoms more severely, during exercise-heat stress / Journal of Sports Sciences your ability to tolerate heat: you feel much worse than if you rested enough … Therefore, try to sleep for 7-8 hours, especially if you are planning physical activity the next day.

8. Continue training after muscle cramps

Exercising in heat can cause heat cramps A. W. Nichols. Heat-related illness in sports and exercise / Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine - painful muscle contractions. Most likely, they will make you stop, stretch your clenched leg or arm, and rest in the shade. But after the spasm is gone, you can try to continue exercising. Should not be doing that!

Heat cramps are just the first symptom of overheating, which can develop into heat fatigue and heatstroke.

These are serious conditions in which the body temperature rises to 40 ° C, nausea and vomiting, dizziness and headache, confusion appear.

Therefore, if you experience seizures, do not even think about exercising that day. Drink water or take a few sips of isotonic, go to a cool room and stretch the spasmodic muscle group.