Story by Steven DiMartino

When the temperature starts to rise above 90 degrees and the humidity feels like the whole world is one big sauna, there are some ways to stay safe and cool.  So let’s go over them!

1. Drink water, and keep drinking water.  Your body gets dehydrated faster in the heat and making sure you are drinking plenty of water is very important.  Your body has a built in air conditioner, but needs water to keep on running.  Best part about water is it is free!
2. Don’t sweat too much!  Make sure you are wearing lite cotton cloths so you don’t overwork your built in air conditioning system.
3. Use a fan with your air conditioning!  So you have your air conditioner on, but the house still feels a bit too warm?  Use your fans!  A simple fan can make all the difference in moving air around and cooling a room a lot faster.  Think of a fan like the push needed for a cold front.  The fan allows for cooler air produced by the air conditioner to circulate throughout the room.  If you have a ceiling fan, be sure it is moving counter-clockwise, which leads to rising air.  Remember, rising air cools!
4. Don’t cook so much.  Seriously, that home made pizza can weight.  Using an oven can increase the heat on the bottom floors by an average of 1 to 4 degrees.  Sure, it doesn’t sound like a lot, but remember now your air conditioner has to work harder to cool off those 4 degrees.
5. You can work out, but be smart!  Work out in the morning, when temperatures are coolest and if possible, now is a great time to try out a new local gym.  They typically have a lot of great Summer sales going on!
6. Use your drapes!  An open window with direct sun light can warm up a room like an oven.  Get some dark drapes and help to block out the sun.  A shaded room can say 5 to 10 degrees cooler than with the drapes wide open.
7. Keep you doors open before going into your car.  This allows the heat that is building up in your car to escape.  Also, invest in a sun blocker, which will keep your car cooler much like drapes will for your room.
8. Cool your head before you go to sleep!  This is a personal favorite!  Nothing worse than going to bed hot.  Get an ice pack for your head and/or neck right before bed.  The ice pack helps to lower your core temperature and allows you to fall asleep faster.  Better sleep means your body can recover better and keep your internal air conditioner humming along.  This trick also helps if you are starting to overheat during the day.

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