Health: Safety Tips for Hot Summer Days

Recently we all had to travel to TriCities with my husband because he had a work meeting there. He is unable to travel alone due to sleep issues.

It was a hot day. It was 88 at 10am when we arrived in TriCities. I am sure by 3pm it must have been close to 98 degrees. I am one who wilts in the heat. His work meeting was being held at a park and there was no place for me to escape the heat. We were going to be out in the heat for 5 and half hours. A migraine headache was beginning to come on and I realized I was going to be in trouble before the day was done if I didn't take measures to curb it quickly.

I realized I had not eaten since 7am that morning...about half an hour earlier than I usually eat. So I ate something to keep my blood sugar up. Falling blood sugar will contribute to headache. I had some Excedrin Migraine along and thankful had one already cut into fourths in my purse. If I take a whole or half, the caffiene in them makes my heart race and makes me feel weak. So I took a fourth of an Excedrin and since it was hot I realized I would need to drink lots of water. I also remembered that if you squeeze the pressure point between the thumb and index finger, this is supposed to help a headache too. I don't know if there is really anything to it or if it is just a matter of distracting you from the headache, but I did it anyway. Thirty minutes after the quarter of Excedrin, I took a Tylenol. These things coupled with finding a good place in the shade where I could lay down helped me to beat the headache demon.

So, if you have to be out in the hot weather, here are some things to remember:

• Drink plenty of water


• Make sure you have a snack available to keep your blood sugar up


• Make sure you put on sunscreen and reapply as necessary


• Have some pain reliever on hand if headache sets in


• Stay in the shade as much as possible


• If you have a rag, get it wet and mop your face and neck with it and lay it across the back of your neck


• If you get sunburned, poke a pin in a Vitamin E capsule and rub the Vitamin E on the sunburn or if you are near a Walmart buy a bottle of Vitamin E oil. It's only about $3.50 and is in the Vitamin/Herb section of the store


• If you have Aloe Vera, rub that in the burn, later after the Vitamin E ...this takes the sting and itch away and in the case of my son, the next morning you couldn't even tell he had a sunburn.


• Wear a hat with a big bill on it...like a baseball cap or a sunhat.

Have a safe and fun summer in the sun!