Don’t let the heat ruin your summer

Getting sunburnt or suffering from heatstroke on holiday can be avoided with a few expert tips

While we hope for a long and hot summer, looking after yourself in the heat is essential. We all know it’s important to stay safe in the sun, which starts with wearing sunscreen with broad protection. This means looking for a high SPF, as well as a high number of stars out of five, to ensure that you’re getting protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Apply sunscreen generously and regularly – most of us don’t apply enough. Plus, don’t forget a hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes.

But what about if you do get sunburnt? Get out of the sun and into somewhere cool, preferably a cool shower or bath – or even just apply cool damp towels so that you can cool down the skin. Make sure you drink plenty of water too, and apply aftersun to soothe the skin. You can also take over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol, and avoid exposing the skin to further sunshine.

Sunburn is not the only health concern in the summer, heat stroke and heat exhaustion can also occur – which can be more serious if left untreated. That’s because the body exists in a limited range of temperature – think how unwell you feel when you have a fever and that’s only a degree or so hotter than usual.

In heat exhaustion, your body is working very hard to try to cool you down, so you may feel tired, dizzy, have a headache and the urge to cool off and have a drink. You may also feel sick, be passing only small amounts of dark concentrated urine and have abdominal

‘Apply sunscreen generously’

pain. To treat heat exhaustion, go out of the sun into a cool room, take off your clothes if you can and rest. A cool shower, cool sponge or a fan can help and drink plenty of fluids. You should feel better within about 30 minutes, but if you don’t or get worse, seek medical help. Heatstroke is a medical emergency – this is because your body’s systems to keep cool have become overwhelmed and your body temperature rises to over 40C. You may have nausea and vomiting, a headache, fast heartbeat and breathing, and you may also feel dizzy. It can lead to confusion as well as loss of consciousness or seizures and can even be fatal.

If you think you or someone you know has heatstroke, call 999 for an ambulance. Stay with the person as they may be too unwell to help themselves. Try to take them to a cool room, lie down and remove clothing if possible. Use a fan or sponge with cool water and if they can, encourage them to drink.

To prevent heatstroke in future, do your best to keep your home cool. Wear loose clothing in natural fibres and avoid strenuous physical activity in the heat, especially in the middle of the day when it’s hottest. Keep drinking water and look out for the elderly and young children who are particularly susceptible.