Protecting Yourself From Humidity Discomfort

Even though I live on the West Coast, I have spent enough time visiting family members on the East Coast to understand how awful humidity can be during the summer months of the year. Heat is bad enough already as it is, but when you add humidity into the mix, everything seems to get that much worse. When you walk outside, you feel like a heavy and warm blanket has suddenly and abruptly been draped across your shoulders and wrapped around your body, and you instantly begin to sweat. What's more is that you more than likely end up getting tired out that much more easily, since humidity in heat is really great at wearing a person down with very little effort.

However, in addition to just being uncomfortable, humid heat can actually have some negative physical consequences to your body, and you can begin to experience symptoms that you will need to have addressed right away in order to prevent your body from experiencing even worse symptoms later on in the day.

While I was spending time on the East Coast earlier this summer, I knew I should look up some helpful hints and tips on how to beat the heat, as well as the oppressive humidity that came along with it every single day. That's how I came across an article by Care 2 that provides some really great suggestions on how to deal with certain symptoms that your body takes on whenever it has experienced too much humid heat. Here is what I learned from the article.

One of the most common symptoms I get after spending too long standing outside in hot and humid weather is a dull, throbbing headache. I also get extremely fatigued and worn out, and I notice that my concentration is not as sharp as it normally can be. It turns out that this is actually very common in people who have experienced too much humidity in one day, since humid heat can very quickly deplete electrolytes as well as other important vitamins and minerals that are in your body. The easiest way to avoid these symptoms is to drink lots and lots of water - the article actually recommends you drink half of your body weight each day. You can also add sea salt to the water in order to help balance the levels of electrolytes in your body. 

If you experience itchy eyes or a stuffy nose, you may be dealing with allergies that are brought on by the humid heat. Make use of fans and be sure to ventilate your home to improve these symptoms.

Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Jinx McCombs