Representational image.

When the heat of the summer months comes at the beginning of June, I like to remind people to take extra precautions when they’re out. After the wonderful winter months we had, we tend to forget that going out isn’t as fun as it was in the previous six months.

 The summer is now here and the temperatures are only just beginning to go up. Yet I still see and hear children playing outside and I see adults doing their usual brisk walks. It’s almost as though they’ve decided that, come rain or shine, they will continue to use the outdoors. Now, if that’s the case, then I think everyone needs to take certain precautions to prevent themselves from getting dehydrated from excessive sweating and from getting any type of heat related illnesses such as heat stress and heat stroke.

 Of course, I’m not saying that you must never go out or that you shouldn’t let your children out of the house. We all need to go out and get whatever non-air-conditioning air we can get but we also need to be smart about it.

For example, if at all possible, we should try and do our outdoor activities either early in the morning or late in the evening because that’s when the sun is not around and the temperatures drop a bit. Of course, if you’re working and walk to work, there are still sensible things you can do to minimise the heat you might feel.

You should always wear light clothing and reduce the number of layers you’re wearing. Light coloured clothing reflect the sun’s heat and fewer layers prevent air, and therefore heat, from getting trapped in between them. I know that this is not the done thing here but have you ever tried wearing a hat, like a baseball cap, to protect your head and face? Okay, not everyone’s a hat person in which case, an umbrella would be handy. In England, everyone carries an umbrella either in their hands, or in their bags, to protect themselves from getting soaked when it rains. But umbrellas aren’t just to protect you from the rain; they’re also important in protecting you from the sun. So my suggestion would be to either carry an umbrella or wear a hat.

Another thing to always have with you is a bottle of water. If you know you’re going to be out for a while, I would suggest putting the bottle of water in the freezer until it becomes slushy. That way, when you take it out, you not only have something cold to hold against your head but something cold to drink too. That means taking regular sips of water when you’re out, even if you don’t feel thirsty. However, if you find that your throat is going dry, then that means it’s time to take a drink.

There is now another trend in the UAE. Around 12 years ago it was impossible for me to find a small rechargeable fan, I hunted high and low but none of the shops stocked anything like it nor had they ever seen or heard of them. I used to see people on YouTube holding these small battery operated fans to cool themselves when they woke up in a sweat at night. I really needed one but could not find anything of the kind. Now, every shop is inundated with just such fans, and the trend now is to carry one at all times, especially when one is out and about. These things are rechargeable and if the make is good, they work pretty well to circulate the hot air around you.

In some countries, summer nights can be terribly uncomfortable because they don’t have air conditioning. Using light bed coverings helps a little as does opening windows to let some air in and using a fan. Since you can’t open your windows, keep your bedroom ACs on high to keep it cool so that you can get a better night’s sleep. Always have water by your side and an emergency fan if you feel extra hot at night. And remember, the winter is not really that far away.