What could be more tempting to pass a jet of icy water on the body when the thermometer panics. Admittedly, we haven’t found a better way to refresh and tone up, except that the idea is not the wisest! “A lukewarm shower is preferable because the icy water will attack the body which will defend itself by warming up. Which is totally the opposite of the desired effect!”, explains Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician.
On the other hand, the freezing shower carries risks. That for example of constrict the arteries. For a young and healthy person, no big risks, but for a category of people suffering from chronic diseases or for the elderly, it is to be avoided at all costs. There is therefore no need to rush an organism already tested by the heat wave.
The trick to knowing if you are sufficiently hydrated
“To cool off, it is better to take lukewarm showers and continuous internal hydration. We do not drink water that is too cold, but fresh water continuously throughout the day and at regular intervals. To know if you are sufficiently hydrated, there is a trick: you look at the color of your urine. If they’re too dark, you’re not drinking enough. On the contrary, if they are clear, it is that we have drunk enough”, says the doctor.
Be careful with drinks other than water. Ice cold sodas don’t hydrate as well as plain water, and add unnecessary calories. A can of cola, for example, is equivalent to 7 sugar cubes. So you have to keep that in mind and educate children to teach them to prefer water.
And hot drinks, are they recommended?
Be careful not to drink too much water either! A person who drinks too much water is exposed to kidney problems which will not have time to sufficiently drain the excess sodium received by this large quantity of water drunk. So you have to stay around 2L of water per day.
The hot drink also remains a way to hydrate and regulate body temperature. By warming the body, we sweat, and we activate the cooling of the body. Obviously, everything is always a question of common sense and balance! Cold water, a few hot drinks if you feel like it, sprays from an atomizer, lukewarm showers: by adopting these reflexes throughout the day, it’s the best way not to suffer too much from the period.
Thank you to Dr Gérald Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo, emergency doctor and author of “Your health in the world after” published by Rocher.
Read also:
- Heat wave – Sleeping with a fan: good or bad idea?
- Heat wave: 9 ways to cool your home without air conditioning
- Heatwave: What to eat and what to drink? A nutritionist’s advice for staying hydrated
- Heat stroke: symptoms, duration, what to do and when to consult?
