The heat wave is coming to Germany at the weekend. The south in particular can expect temperatures of around 38 degrees, but it’s also getting really hot in the rest of the republic. An extreme situation for the body that can cause discomfort. FOCUS Online explains what to expect and how to prevent it.
When it is very hot, we feel weak and sweat. But that’s not all: If the body is exposed to extremely high temperatures, it can also react with dizziness, headaches or sleep disorders. You should therefore take extra care of yourself now, avoid activities in the blazing sun and drink a lot. The following symptoms can occur when it is hot:
More on the topic: Weather in Germany – Up to 38 degrees in Germany! Attention, there is also a risk of thunderstorms with heavy rain
Blood vessels contract when it’s cold and dilate when it’s hot. The blood flows through wide vessels with less pressure, so the blood pressure drops. The brain is no longer supplied with oxygen quickly enough. This can cause dizziness in some people. A lack of fluids can also be to blame for dizziness. On hot days, the body loses a lot of it through sweating.
Here’s what you can do about it: Cold water pulls the vessels together again. Let cold water run down your arms in the sink from time to time. Also, be sure to drink at least two to three liters on a hot day. In addition to drinks, watery foods are also helpful to achieve this daily goal. For example, 100 grams of cucumber contains 96 milliliters of water. Lettuce, tomatoes or peppers also have a similarly high water content.
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When you sweat, your body loses fluid, salts and minerals. In addition, if blood pressure drops, it can cause headaches. Perfumes and deodorants with a strong smell can also lead to a throbbing pain in the head in some people on hot days: Because fragrances dissolve faster in heat than in cold. This leads to complaints in people who are sensitive to smells.
What you can do about it: Drink at least two to three liters a day. Also, use unscented deodorants and avoid perfume if you may be sensitive to the fragrances it contains. Also, avoid sharp changes in temperature. If you are traveling in an air-conditioned car, you should switch off the air-conditioning shortly before you reach your destination so that your body can slowly get used to the outside temperature.
At night, the core body temperature drops – an important prerequisite for restful bed rest. If it is too hot in the bedroom, it can disturb sleep.
Here’s what you can do about it: Experts recommend a temperature of 15 to 18 degrees in the bedroom. Leave the shutters down during the day to keep the room from overheating. Also, only lie under a light blanket. On particularly hot nights, cooling batteries or a hot-water bottle with ice water also help. If you put your pajamas in the fridge for a short time in the evening, you can also achieve a cooling effect.
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Irritated airways
With rising temperatures, ozone levels also rise. This can lead to irritated airways and difficulty breathing in people who are particularly sensitive or who already have a lung condition such as asthma.
What you can do about it: Asthmatics, senior citizens and weakened people should mainly stay indoors on particularly hot days and avoid sporting and other strenuous activities outdoors. Postpone errands to the evening hours and the ozone levels should drop again.
When it is hot, the body changes blood flow to allow more blood to flow through the skin, thereby dissipating heat better. This means other organs get less blood. Since digestion requires sufficient blood to function optimally, the changed blood flow can affect the gastrointestinal tract, among other things. The result: an increased probability of gastrointestinal infections.
Here’s what you can do about it: When it’s hot, eat foods that are easy to digest, in order to protect your stomach and intestines during digestion. These include soups, juices, vegetables and green salads.
muscle cramps
With sweat, the body also loses large amounts of electrolytes. These include sodium, potassium and magnesium. A consequence of this can be muscle cramps.
Here’s what you can do about it: Replenish the salts that your body loses through sweating to compensate for the lack of electrolytes – for example with a heavily spiced soup. It makes sense to have hot meals and drinks when it’s hot and to resist the urge for ice cubes. Because with a cold drink, the body has to compensate for the temperature difference. This is an additional challenge for him.
When it’s hot, our IQ drops, sometimes even by 30 to 40 points. Studies show that. This is apparently due to the loss of fluid in the body associated with heat. If you only drink as much on hot days as on other days – or even less – you could lose brain power.
A corresponding experiment was carried out by Siegfried Lehrl, President of the Society for Brain Training. He observed people in a sauna, who were not only exposed to high temperatures during the investigation, but were also not allowed to drink anything. After that, the brain power of the subjects had dropped significantly.
Here’s what you can do about it: Apparently, it’s not the heat per se that affects our brain activity, but the loss of fluid in the body that threatens on hot days. Therefore, reach for the water bottle more often and make sure to drink at least two to three liters a day.
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