how-to-cool-down-without-ac
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How to cool down without AC

Bymichael

CNN reporter shares 5 tips to stay cool in extreme temperatures 01:30 – Source: CNN CNN reporter shares 5 tips to stay cool in extreme temperatures 01:30 Editor’s Note: This story was first published in 2020 and has been updated. CNN  —  Whether you’re without power, enduring extreme heat or trying to save money, there are ways to feel comfortable without artificial cooling. Heat can foster fun summer activities, but the body shouldn’t be too hot for too long, as too much heat can harm your brain and other organs, according to the US National Institutes of Health. Sweating is the body’s natural cooling system, but when that’s not enough, there’s increased risk for developing the heat-related illness hyperthermia — signs of which include heat cramps, heat edema and heat stroke. Heat combined with high humidity exacerbates this risk, since the air’s saturation level makes sweat accumulate on the skin, preventing the body from cooling naturally. Staying cool can be done by using some basic supplies and knowing how to manipulate your home to control its temperatures. Here are 14 methods for doing so. When you’re hot and flushed, hydrating yourself is the first and foremost step to cooling down, said Wendell Porter, a senior lecturer emeritus in agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida. The temperature of the water doesn’t matter since your body will heat it, he added. If your body is suffering from the heat and needs to cool itself, it can’t do that without enough moisture, since the body cools itself by sweating. Taking a cold shower or bath helps cool your body by lowering your core temperature, Porter said. For an extra cool blast, try peppermint soap. The menthol in peppermint oil activates brain receptors that tell your body something you’re eating or feeling is cold. Place a cold washrag or ice bags (packs) on your wrists or drape it around your neck to cool your body. These pulse points are areas where blood vessels are close to the skin, so you’ll cool down more quickly. Place box fans facing out of the windows of rooms you’re spending time in to blow out hot air and replace it with cold air inside. If the weather in your area tends to fall between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the mornings and evenings, opening the windows on both sides of the house during those times can facilitate a cross-flow ventilation system. If you do this, you can opt to use or not use the fans, but the fans would help cool the house faster, Porter said. The outdoors can pull the hot air from your home, leaving a cooler temperature or bringing in the breeze. Just be sure to close windows as the sun comes out, then open them when the weather is cool again. Just resting near a fan would reduce your body temperature as well. If you have windows that face the sun’s direction in the morning through afternoon, close the curtains or blinds over them to “keep the sun from coming directly into the house and heating up (the) inside,” Porter said. You could also install blackout curtains to insulate the room and reduce temperature increases that would happen during the day. If you do turn the air conditioning on, don’t set it below 70 degrees Fahrenheit in an effort to cool the house faster, said Samantha Hall, founder of Spaces Alive, an Australia-based design research company helping to create healthy, sustainable buildings. “It just runs for longer to reach that temp and will keep going until you start to feel a bit chilly and is then hard to balance,” she added. Instead, keep the unit temperature as high as possible while still comfortable. Cotton is one of the most breathable materials, so cotton sheets or blankets could help keep you cool through the night. The lower the thread count of the cotton, the more breathable it is, Porter said. That’s because higher thread counts have more weaving per square inch. If you can’t sleep through the night because you’re too hot, try sleeping somewhere besides your bedroom, if that’s an option. Heat rises, so if you have a lower or basement level in your home, set up a temporary sleeping area there to experience cooler temperatures at night. Common advice for staying cool without air conditioning includes refrigerating or freezing wet socks, blankets or clothing then ringing them out to wear while you sleep. But this isn’t a good idea, Porter said. Because of “the amount of energy they can absorb from your body that night, they will be warm in just a matter of minutes,” he said. “And then you’d have damp stuff that would mold your mattress. So you definitely don’t want to do that.” If no one’s using a room that doesn’t have vents or registers, close the door to that area to keep the cool air confined to only occupied areas of the house. Use the exhaust fan in your kitchen and/or bathroom Flip the switch for the exhaust fan in your kitchen to pull hot air that rises after you cook or in your bathroom to draw out steam after you shower. Incandescent light bulbs generate a higher temperature than LED light bulbs do. To make the switch, watch for sales on energy-efficient bulbs, then slowly replace the bulbs in your house, Porter said. Switching

the-planet-is-getting-hotter-fast.-this-is-what-happens-to-your-body-in-extreme-heat
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The planet is getting hotter fast. This is what happens to your body in extreme heat

Bymichael

CNN  —  Human-caused climate change has already made heat waves around the world more frequent and intense. Scientists who study the role of global warming on weather say that every heat wave today bears the fingerprints of the climate crisis. Climate change, driven primarily by humans burning fossil fuels, is worsening global extreme weather in general, but much of that change is related to heat. In the US, heat kills more Americans than any other weather-related disaster, and it will only continue to worsen as the world heats up from burning fossil fuels. Here’s what happens to your body in extreme heat, what you need to watch out for and how to stay safe. What happens to your body Normally, your body is used to a certain range of temperatures, usually between 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit. When your brain senses a change – either lower or higher than that – it attempts to help your body cool down or heat up, according to Dr. Judith Linden, executive vice chair of the department of emergency medicine at Boston Medical Center and a professor in the emergency medicine department at Boston University’s school of medicine. “There are a number of different ways in which (the brain) attempts to cool the body down. One way, the most common way we think of, is that you sweat,” Linden said. “The pores open, the body sweats and the sweat evaporates, that cools the body.” The second way your body cools itself down is by dilating vessels and upping your heart rate, which helps bring heat and blood to the surface of your body and helps releases that excess heat. When you’re exposed to high temperatures, it becomes harder for your body to try and keep up with cooling itself down. And if your environment is hot and humid, sweat doesn’t evaporate as easily – which pushes your body’s temperature even higher, according to the Mayo Clinic. “The higher the humidity, the lower temperatures you need for extreme heat,” Linden said. High body temperatures can lead to damage to the brain and other vital organs, the CDC says. They can also lead to several heat-related illnesses. Mild-heat related illnesses, including heat cramps, are most common, Linden said. Heat cramps can develop in people who sweat a lot, including during exercising. The excessive sweating uses up all of the body’s salt and moisture and can lead to muscle pains or spasms, usually in the abdomen, arms or legs, according to the CDC. A heat rash can also develop. That’s a skin irritation caused by too much sweating in hot and humid weather, and is most common in young children, the CDC says. It is usually a red cluster of pimples or blisters, and tends to be in places including the neck, upper chest or in elbow creases. When your body’s beginning to exceed its ability to cool itself down, you can develop what’s known as heat exhaustion. “In this case you’re going to see excessive sweating because your body is really going to try and keep up with that extra heat. You’re going to feel light-headed, you may feel dizzy, often people present with nausea, headaches and their skin often looks pale and clammy and their pulse is often fast,” Linden said. “This is the body’s last attempt to cool itself before it really goes into a point of no return.” A heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness, and, if left untreated, can lead to death. “That’s where your body’s temperature goes above 104 to 105 degrees or so, and this is where your mechanisms are starting to fail,” Linden said. Warning signs may include extremely high body temperatures, red and dry skin, a rapid pulse, headache, dizziness, nausea or loss of consciousness, according to the CDC. The hallmark of a heat stroke is confusion and agitation, Linden said. “So when somebody’s in the heat and they become confused and agitated, that’s heat stroke until proven otherwise and you need to call 911 for that or get help immediately and get the person out of the heat.” Elderly, people with chronic medical conditions as well as children are at higher risk for severe heat-related illnesses. The elderly and people with chronic medical conditions may be less likely to sense and respond to temperature changes and may be taking medication that make the heat effects worse, the CDC said. “Very young (people) as well, because they’re less likely to recognize heat-related illness and they’re less likely to get out of the heat if they’re starting to feel overheated,” Linden said. Student-athletes and pets are also at higher risk, she added. “In this weather, you must never, ever, ever leave a child or a pet in the car for even a minute,” Linden added. When your community is facing extreme heat, there are several things you can do to keep yourself and others safe. First, keep an eye out for symptoms of heat exhaustion or other illnesses. “If somebody starts feeling light-headed, dizzy, nausea or headache, that is the time to act immediately,” Linden said. “That means getting them out of the heat and into a cool environment.” Putting water on someone who may be experiencing symptoms and giving them fluids can help cool them down. If someone is starting to lose consciousness or has nausea or vomiting, call 911. “If you see anybody with any