Posted on January 16, 2020

Health tips for the hot season

Category:Wellness

Infallible and timeless is the fact that seasons change with time, cold and heat, summer and winter are all fickle in occurrence from time to time. These changes impact greatly the way of life in terms of seasons of agriculture and many other mundane activities. For many, it also greatly impacts their health and it is from this fact that a need arises to take care of one’s self in according to the prevailing seasons. These nitty-gritty considerations come in handy so that a person may behave appropriately to mitigate the negative health effects that come with a specific season.

Weather is a well-known trigger for allergies. For example, dry and windy days increase the amount of pollen in the atmosphere causing hay fever. Air pollution increases on hot days which may impact negatively on asthma patients.

Researchers have also found that in Africa, the start of the dry season coincides with the rise of the cases of measles which is believed to be brought about by the higher concentration of people, as farmers move into cities and increase population densities in the cities allowing the disease to spread more easily. This shows that migratory patterns influenced by changes in seasons affect health trends.

To focus on the dry season, the dry season is a period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics.

There is nothing worse on a hot day than ending up with a sodden shirt because you’re overly sweating, after all, no one looks great standing in a shirt with big damp circles at the underarms. A deodorant may come in handy as an antiperspirant. They will block the sweat ducts so that the sweat doesn’t reach the skin and deodorants will also mask the smell produced by bacteria when we sweat.

During the hot month, too much sweat from the heat can leave your body dehydrated and it is important to keep yourself hydrated by drinking at least eight glasses of water a day.

There are many allergens such as dust and pollen which are airborne and increase in the atmosphere during the dry season. The allergic symptoms are seen in the areas that are in contact with air for example the nostrils, lungs, and eyes. The ambient particles can irritate the nose, sneezing, and itching of the eyes which are collectively known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Inhaled particles from the atmosphere increase mucus production when the body seeks to hold the particles and prevent them from going further down to the lungs; this worsens already existing conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The following actions include shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing follow as a result of increased mucus production.

Photosensitivity which is a reaction to increased intensity of light noticed in the dry season. The increased intensity of light can damage skin tissue in those who are predisposed to the sensitivity or worsen existing conditions such as Seborrhoeic dermatitis, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis among others.

Sun exposure can also cause chapped lips, especially as you age. Lip balm of a minimum SPF 15 comes in handy before going out. Lip inflammation (Actinic Cheilitis) due to long-term sunlight exposure is also commonplace in the dry season.

You can’t run away or do anything about the weather but you can do something about yourself to make sure you’re not too affected by the dry season. These are some of the things to do in the dry season if you’re to brave it out.

• Prepare for the allergies. If there are allergies that always appear in the same season every year, then it’s smart if you get ahead of them. You can begin taking your anti-allergy drugs about two weeks before you usually get your symptoms. This should be at the recommendation of your doctor so you’ll do well to ask first before self-medicating.
• Speak to your doctor in case of skin damage due to light, this helps determine the sort of sunscreen to use with the continued exposure to the sun rays.
• To prevent inflammation in the dry season, lip balm with anti-ultra-violet (UV) ingredients or sun-blocking agents can be applied before exposure to the sun. Or avoiding the midday sun.
• Clean up your environment. You might not be in control of the weather on the outside but you are definitely in control of what happens inside your house. Filter out mold, pollen, and dust that may cause these allergies.

Reference

1. “Dry season brings on measles in sub-Saharan Africa” Science daily. February 7, 2008