Summer. We think sun, sea and sangria, we do not think sunstroke, dehydration and heat exhaustion but if we’re not careful and take the proper precautions then our summer may not be as good as expected.
Usually for those who holiday in good old England have no worries about sunstroke because we never get much sun! But with the lovely weather we’ve been experiencing in recent weeks we need to get clued up on the dangers we are at risk from,.
Let’s start with the biggy – the Sun! We all love to look a little bronzed over the summer months but being out in the direct sunlight for too long can lead to sunstroke and heat exhaustion. If you have sunstroke you’ll start to feel dizzy, have a headache and be hot and flush. Those kinds of symptoms can really ruin a holiday so protect your eyes and head from the suns rays with a hat and sunglasses. Make sure you go out in the early part of the day or when the sun is setting as it is at it’s coolest at these times. Keep yourself hydrated and don’t do too much vigorous exercise, pace yourself, after all it’s your holiday! Heat exhaustion can also be prevented similarly.
It’s not just when you’re on holiday you have to be careful, it’s everywhere! We all love a barbecue, right? Not when it ends up in A and E though! According to The British Red Cross over 500 people a year receive burn injuries from a barbecue, and it’s not just the pain of the burn which is a concern it’s the after effects such as infection and scarring. Make sure you run cold water over the burn immediately, if it’s only a small burn to the hand or finger then this should be fine after about 10 minutes under the tap, however if the burn is quite large and is blistering then don’t hesitate to go to the hospital. Definitely do not touch it as this can cause infection or cover it with plasters or cotton wool as this may stick to the burn and cause more pain trying to get it back off. A bit grim I know!
Moving on from the quite serious to the annoying ailments of summer; insect bites. They itch and itch and itch! And you scratch and scratch and scratch…and that doesn’t help! There are insect sprays which deter the insects from wanting to take a bite, but be warned you may also find nobody else wants to come near you either! Or there are bands that you can wear around the wrist or ankle which do the same job, and you may not feel like people are avoiding you as much!
There is just something about the summer months which makes people a little more care free, perhaps because work or university finishes for a spell or the sun makes us that little bit chirpier but these precautions (which there are many more of) are important. Surely if we do not hesitate wrapping up warm in the winter to prevent colds and flu then why risk damaging your skin by not slapping on a little sun lotion?
Related story: Heatwave warning
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