Overseas Coping with heat - Any advice for a northern Englander?

[Paul_B]

We're at the back end of a Lanzarote trip and I'll tell you straight I don't think I can cope with heat like I could even last year. I'm really sweating at times and tiredness kicks in. I suspect it's medication I'm now on that is having an effect.

I wonder what advice people might have for me when I can't exactly hide out in an air conditioned room when on a family holiday. Any little tricks?

I am drinking as much cold fluids as I can. When out I'm drinking smoothies and even going for milkshakes in bars! I highly rate milk for hydration. Alcohol is mostly limited to evenings and airways with at least 500ml to 1000ml of water. I know about salts and the issues with drinking too much water. That's why I'm going for smoothies with water carried in between.

It's got bad yesterday when I drank loads on a tour but peed only twice all day (first and last thing)

 

[Chris]

Some medication really makes me sweat. Thankfully stopped the SSRI and amphetamine (two different reasons) I was on for a while as that was ridiculous.

I take electrolyte tablets now if I'm exerting myself a lot especially on hot days, to prevent headaches/dehydration/muscle cramp.

Light cotton clothing with a bit of room for a draft helps as well.

 

[Pattree]

I’m hesitant to offer advice on hydration as you are taking medication. Your medical advice must come first.
However I have spent a lot of time in Subsaharan Africa and the far east.

Look at local behaviour and clothing. What do they drink? How much? I bet It’s a lot less than you are drinking. What times of day are they busy, when do they relax?
I happily wore an Ethiopian couta / gabi or white cotton cloak. I was laughed at by some of my European counterparts but that has never worried me.
I have worn a burnoose and shemagh in the desert - as do the British Army at times.

Maybe change your “day” to avoid the worst of the heat.
Move slowly. It helps if you can relax your mind and not feel pressured to do the next thing or get to the next place.

I have found the recent sunshine here in UK unpleasant. I have had to re-remember to “respect the sun”!

I’ll add this but it is NOT advice:
I drink far less than is supposedly required by someone of my physique and age. I grew up in an age where people did not routinely carry water bottles. When hiking I carried a one litre canteen that lasted the day. The “old guys” advised against drinking a lot on the march. If I remember aright Baden Powell recommended sucking on a stone to lubricants the mouth when hiking.

Again this is not advice, it is simply pointing out that current views on hydration have not always obtained.

 

[Tengu]

Id start by not going near such places.

I dont add salt to my food normally, but I find in hot weather a pinch improves me.

I wear a cotton bandana, and if I get too hot, I soak in water and wring out.

Dont do as I once did, and wear sopping clothing...you will chill. Not nice.

 

[Silverclaws2]

Not to offer advice as regards the consumption of stuff given mention of medication but I with an ANS dysfunction issue will offer some physical methods I employ to improve my own comfort in hot weather

1. The Soggy cloth method - cooling by way of evaporation

The soggy cloth method comprises a wet not quite dripping cotton bandana tied about the neck ( of which can be quite stylish) and ideally but not necessarily as I have found the neck scarf does the job for myself at least, a similarly absorbent piece of soggy cotton wound about the wrists and ankles. To understand the point of the locations chosen and what will occur when cooling by evaporation kicks off

Additionally if one finds oneself overheated one can cool by plopping the bare feet ankle deep in a bowl of cool , not cold water or similarly a pool or river or running cold water over the wrists from a tap.

Other

Keep out of the sun of which is trying to desiccate you and protect yourself from it's rays potentially by what you wear and where you site yourself, cotton works great in hot weather as hey, beyond hindering those rays aids some cooling by way of sweat evaporation

Try not to move about when the sun is overhead and if one must, navigate by way of the shadows and always wear a head covering - my preference is for wide brimmed hats.

Sod it, I have to say it as it is necessary to say it, if you're body is cooling by way of bodily evaporation that is, you're sweating think about your electrolytes of which are necessary for propper ANS function that causes sweating, propriety shop bought sports drinks will do - I use stuff that comes in powdered form that through taste informs me of my electrolyte status but I have to consume electrolytes daily, even when it's not hot

 

[Paul_B]

Some medication really makes me sweat. Thankfully stopped the SSRI and amphetamine (two different reasons) I was on for a while as that was ridiculous.

I take electrolyte tablets now if I'm exerting myself a lot especially on hot days, to prevent headaches/dehydration/muscle cramp.

Light cotton clothing with a bit of room for a draft helps as well.

There's good evidence backing up milk as being as effective or nearly as affective as electrolyte tablets for hydration / rehydration. In fact milk is actually very close to the electrolytes tablets formulated to rehydrate was the summary of one study.

It seems fats and proteins in milk slow down the water absorption in the stomach to a rate closer to what the body needs. Water and sports hydration drinks tend to go straight into the blood and put as urine. Milk drinkers for rehydration tend to pee less and the hydration be more effective. Also the proteins have an effect of kind of opening the doors into the blood for water and potassium salts. There's a phrase for it that I can't remember now. All in all there's about 3 or 4 reasons why milk is better than sports drinks and as good as rehydration tabs.

Just saying. If you're home or have a access to milk drink that and save your tabs for when milk isn't available.

 

[Chris]

There's good evidence backing up milk as being as effective or nearly as affective as electrolyte tablets for hydration / rehydration. In fact milk is actually very close to the electrolytes tablets formulated to rehydrate was the summary of one study.

It seems fats and proteins in milk slow down the water absorption in the stomach to a rate closer to what the body needs. Water and sports hydration drinks tend to go straight into the blood and put as urine. Milk drinkers for rehydration tend to pee less and the hydration be more effective. Also the proteins have an effect of kind of opening the doors into the blood for water and potassium salts. There's a phrase for it that I can't remember now. All in all there's about 3 or 4 reasons why milk is better than sports drinks and as good as rehydration tabs.

Just saying. If you're home or have a access to milk drink that and save your tabs for when milk isn't available.

That’s fair, I just can’t think of anything I’d like less on a hot day than to drink a glass of milk. Not my idea of fun I’m afraid.

 

[TLM]

This probably does not help but in the past I have noticed it takes me about 2 weeks to get used to heat, I have no idea what could shorten the adaptation.

 

[Paul_B]

We're doing the shadow hop that's for certain. Also the tree shadow hop is even better as under trees it's cooler then other forma of shades. Transpiration IIRC is the effect caused by the pores opening under the leaves releasing gases and a little water too. It's surprisingly noticeable too.

So far I've cut out alcohols except when I'm certain I'm well hydrated and it's cooler (the evening time for example). I have a small beer with even more water with my dinner here at the hotel. Did I forget to say it's nothing exciting like camel trekking in the Sahara. It's a family holiday on Lanzarote. Being part of Spain and getting there by plane it's very easy to forget that across the water from where we are is the western Sahara.

Yesterday was a funny day, 38% humidity so whilst it was only supposed to be 25C it felt hotter. The pharmacy signs were showing 30C or higher but I'm guessing the sensor was in the sun too long to be accurate.

I've been wearing cotton t-shirts mostly and slightly looser fit ones too. I have one that's a light grey with a pattern on it which I thought would be cooler as it's lighter than my unfortunate normal style of black or dark blue or dark green. However, it felt really hot in it. I actually ended up buying a Nike sports top with the back and sides in a discrete mesh..

My son wears sports t-shirts like that and he's been really comfortable. It was black so I didn't expect it to be any good but jeez it's the most comfortable thing I have including white cotton clothing with me! The mesh isn't obvious when wearing it, just looked like a normal weave, but the breeze blows through it nicely. In the high sun strength middle of the day I had my rucksack over the back but not covering it fully so I'm not anywhere near affected by the sun through the fabric.

In Lanzarote there's always a decent breeze so there's a good cooling effect there.

 

[Furbles]

Just a few thoughts, as someone who is very fair/pale and blond and also struggles in hot and humid conditions:

- linen is much better than cotton (I really like the Amundsen Traveller’s Shirt) at allowing for air circulation and dissipation of sweat. Pure cotton is actually pretty rubbish at it.

- a moist bandana can be worn over the head or around the neck, underneath your wide-brimmed hat

- milk has been shown to be very effective at maintaining hydration, but skimmed milk specifically. Your body (with your meds) might mean you are increasing deficiency in something else, which it’s impossible to know without tests. Maybe you need more sodium, or more sugar, etc. Try to eat some Jelly Babies or similar and see if that makes you feel better.

 

[Herman30]

That’s fair, I just can’t think of anything I’d like less on a hot day than to drink a glass of milk. Not my idea of fun I’m afraid.

In India they drink lassi = yoghurt diluted with water and spiced with salt and sugar and other spices.

 

[Paul_B]

That’s fair, I just can’t think of anything I’d like less on a hot day than to drink a glass of milk. Not my idea of fun I’m afraid.

I used to carry nuun tablets for emergency rehydration. They were electrolytes too formulated for sports and rehydration too. I actually used two and vowed never again. They were the most foul concoction I've have had the misfortune to have been supplied with. I think I had bought it because it was citrus flavoured but when they first arrived in the UK they added something extra to the more normal flavours that made this one unappetising to say the least.

After that I read up on a few things and made a 50:50 mix of orange juice and water with a certain amount of salt added.. Back then I only bought the low sodium table salts too so higher potassium content. You can actually buy a set of spoons for making up the ideal rehydration drink.. Can't remember the name of the company that made them. One size for salt, another for sugar and so on. Never got them.

 

[Silverclaws2]

In India they drink lassi = yoghurt diluted with water and spiced with salt and sugar and other spices.

Milky Masala chai

 

[Silverclaws2]

I used to carry nuun tablets for emergency rehydration. They were electrolytes too formulated for sports and rehydration too. I actually used two and vowed never again. They were the most foul concoction I've have had the misfortune to have been supplied with. I think I had bought it because it was citrus flavoured but when they first arrived in the UK they added something extra to the more normal flavours that made this one unappetising to say the least.

After that I read up on a few things and made a 50:50 mix of orange juice and water with a certain amount of salt added.. Back then I only bought the low sodium table salts too so higher potassium content. You can actually buy a set of spoons for making up the ideal rehydration drink.. Can't remember the name of the company that made them. One size for salt, another for sugar and so on. Never got them.

Because part of my thing is muscle cramping I keep electrolyte chews in both my edc and in the car as getting a cramp attack when one is bombing down the motorway is not at all fun and if am going to drive anywhere where if I can't pull over for a hobble about I make sure I have plenty of electrolyte in fluid form to hand. They're not cheap but a godsend when you have need of them, the Saltstick brand I am currently using.

 

[Billy-o]

Table salt for sodium, food grade epsom salts for magnesium, lo-sodium table salt for potassium (KCl in there). Just a bit of each in some OJ. At a pinch, if you need it quick, a bag of crisps will do you for sodium and potassium.

For cooling, assuming your A/C is down, a big bowl of water in front of a fan which is pointed at you (much improved if there's ice in the water).

 

[Watch-keeper]

Not offering advice but my scientist/geek biologist sister in law said that beer hydrates better than water, I glazed over when she started on about ions, cations and anions !

My go-to position is under a tilley hat in the pool with a beer

 

[Seagull]

2nd a baggy-fit shirt of linen.

Ceeg

 

[Tengu]

Yes.

Then you will be limp, wrinkled and damp with sweat.

(No cotton in the Iron Age...)

 

[Woody girl]

I've started wearing linnen in the summer. So much cooler than cotton, especially in the heat.
A wet bandanna tied loosely around the neck helps. Keep wetting it and the evaporation will cool you nicely.

 

[Paul_B]

Not offering advice but my scientist/geek biologist sister in law said that beer hydrates better than water, I glazed over when she started on about ions, cations and anions !

My go-to position is under a tilley hat in the pool with a beer

Like this except the beer. On my last day on holiday I am spent over 2.5 hours in the sea swimming, floating and drifting around. Totally chilled but it was strange how you'd get changes in water temperature. It can get cold near the surface and strangely warm by your legs at times when a wave passes as you are upright.

No idea how it why a patch of warm water would be down at lower leg depths. It was not me neither in case you're thinking it's pee from me!