The Indian summer can be extremely miserable. To put an honest word to the feeling – summers can be killing and draining. You will be sweating all the time, drinking cold beverages, and staying indoors most of the time.
But the rising mercury doesn’t only bring with it a lot of distress but also a host of ailments that impact the entire body, including the skin, eyes and digestive system. If precautions are not taken, the blazing heat can lead to a slew of diseases along with the rising temperature.
By being aware of the sicknesses that summer can bring on, you can really glide through the summer and keep yourself safe, calm and cool.
In this blog post, we will highlight the most common health problems in summer and give you important information on how to avoid them. Read on to know more.
Heat-related diseases and prevention tips
Heat stroke
A common summertime ailment brought on by prolonged exposure to high temperatures is heat stroke. Also known as hyperthermia, it occurs when your body struggles to regulate its temperature.
Headaches, light-headedness, and weakness are signs of heat exhaustion that come on before heat stroke, which results in organ failure, unconsciousness, and death if not dealt with on time.
Using ice packs, water, or cold air to cool the body from the outside.
Food poisoning
One of the most common summertime illnesses is food poisoning, which is brought on by eating contaminated food. Summer heat increases the risk of food poisoning because the warm, muggy air fosters bacterial development, which can result in contaminated food. The contaminated food enters the body and triggers stomach ache, nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Practicing good food safety habits such as washing your hands before and after handling food, and making sure your meal is hot and well-cooked will help you stay protected from food poisoning. Steer clear of undercooked meat, food from street vendors, and unfiltered water to lower your chance of contracting food poisoning.
Sore eyes
Conjunctivitis, often known as sore eyes, is a viral infection that appears to be more common during the summer months when temperatures are higher. It affects the outer membrane of the eyeball and the inner eyelid.
Sore eyes can be kept at bay by:
- Wearing Sunglasses
- Refraining from touching the eyes
- Reducing the sharing of eye products
- Protecting the eyes while playing sports
Dehydration
One of the common summertime ailments is dehydration. We lose a lot of water and salts during summer in the form of sweat. Dehydration is the state that occurs when the body loses more water than it takes in. The body has to replenish this to function normally.
Signs of dehydration include dry mouth and tongue, intense fatigue, appetite loss, heat intolerance, dark urine, and severe thirst.
The easiest way to prevent dehydration is to start drinking water and other fluids before you start feeling thirsty. It is important to pay attention to thirst as it is a delayed sign of dehydration.
Avoiding strenuous activity in the sun, restricting high salt and high protein diet and keeping diarrhoea and vomiting in check can prevent adverse effects of dehydration.
Mumps
Mumps is a highly contagious summer ailment that spreads by respiratory droplets. It is characterised by fever and painful swelling in the salivary glands in front of the ears, causing puffy cheeks.
The best ways to treat mumps include lots of rest, applying heat or cold compresses to relieve pain, and drinking enough water. The best way to prevent mumps is to get the MMR vaccine.
Chickenpox
Summer is peak chickenpox season when the extremely contagious virus causes uncomfortable itchy skin blisters.
Chickenpox frequently causes itchy skin, scabs, redness, blisters, loss of appetite, high-grade fever, and headaches.
The primary goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms until the illness goes away on its own. Reducing the amount of itching is possible by keeping the body cool.
Over-the-counter creams, medications and pills are some of the treatment options for chickenpox apart from vaccination.
Closing thoughts
Surviving the warm summer days is a task. It is crucial to use extra caution with the rising temperatures. Most summer illnesses are transferred by other sick people via respiratory pathways. Hand washing and avoiding sharing food or beverages with others, particularly with the infected, can significantly lower the chances of becoming ill.
As much as it is important to be on your guard, it is also important that you enjoy the summer season by beating the heat and doing all the things you love. Happy summers!
