These 5 mistakes to avoid when you want to cool down

A heat wave has been sweeping across the country since Sunday, July 28, with a northern half expected to rise on Tuesday. A total of 41 departments are on orange heat alert. To lower body temperature, some people take cold showers, hydrate with very cold water, or even sleep with a fan all night. Wrong. Some reflexes are not updated or even have the opposite effect. Review.

Drink extremely cold

Nothing beats a good iced tea in hot weather. However, the latter is not always useful for the body, as Dr. Thomas Kasab of pharmacology explains in a conversation with us. “The body always tries to normalize itself. So when you enjoy a cold drink, it uses a lot of energy to heat up. This causes an increase in temperature and loss of water, leading to dehydration.” Not forgetting that too cold drinks can also damage our digestive system. “Drinking cold water all at once or in very large quantities can significantly speed up transit. This can cause such problems as diarrhea,” emphasizes the pharmacist.

When the temperature outside rises, some drinks are also not recommended. “You should avoid anything alcoholic because it does not quench your thirst, it dehydrates you. All diuretic beverages, such as coffee and certain teas, should be avoided; they tend to draw water from the body and, therefore, dehydrate it,” adds the specialist.

Take a cold shower

It is often a cold shower, taken during the day or before bed, that saves you. Except that the body absolutely does not like this kind of temperature change; “We must avoid excessive contrasts and use temperate water between 20 and 22 degrees.” As with drinks, a shower that’s too cold will only raise your body temperature. Since the latter wakes up the body and makes the body warm, it is not recommended for those with insomnia. In order to sleep, the body needs to lower its temperature.

Very cold water before bed, however, continues to be helpful in reducing the feeling of heaviness in the legs. For that, we direct the jet of water from the legs to the end of the thighs. This helps to stimulate blood circulation,” says Thomas Kassab.

It is good to remember. doing somersaults to suddenly dive into the water to cool off is strongly discouraged. The water may not be hot enough and the temperature difference is such that there is a risk of dehydration. Always get wet gradually, starting at the back of your neck.

Turn on the air conditioner

When the air conditioning temperature is too low, the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures is too large. Again, this opposition disrupts the organism, which uses its energy to try to regulate itself. The latter heats up instead of cooling down. Obviously, air conditioning can make you sick. “If you stay in an air-conditioned room for too long, you dry out the ENT area (ears, throat and nose, editor’s note)”, warns the specialist.

Sleep with a fan

When the heat becomes suffocating and sleep is impossible, placing a fan in front of the bed and facing you is an extremely effective solution. However, “so it can send allergens to the face and nose. The same goes for dust or pollution. It is better to keep the fan away from yourself to avoid any form of allergy or asthma,” advises the pharmacist. Not to mention that the fan can also make you sick due to its continuous cold blowing…

Open your windows wide

“Despite popular belief, leaving windows open is absolutely not recommended at the risk of letting hot air in. In order to limit the rise in temperature in the house, on the contrary, it is necessary to close the shutters completely, to open the windows a little, so that the air duct enters,” the specialist clarifies.