12 Tips to Avoid Common Health Problems During Summers

List of Diseases Common in the Summer Season

The summer season brings with it several diseases as bacteria and viruses thrive in dry and hot weather. Take a look at some common health problems that may appear during summers:

• Heatstroke
• Dehydration
• Headache
• Sunburn
• Flu
• Mumps
• Summer depression
• Asthma attack
• Sore eyes
• Chickenpox
• Food poisoning
• Cough and cold
• Cholera
• Typhoid
• Diarrhoea
• Measles
• Dysentery
• Diseases due to mosquito bites
• Rashes
• Jaundice

These health problems can ruin your summer. But they can also dig a hole in your pockets if your condition deteriorates and you need to be hospitalized. Therefore, you must ensure to cover yourself and your family under a health insurance policy to stay covered against emergency medical expenses.

Tips to Prevent Common Health Problems in Summers

Take a look at some of the most effective tips to prevent common health problems during the summer season:

1. Keep Yourself Hydrated

The most important thing is to keep yourself hydrated during the summer season. Drink lots of water and increase your fluid intake to keep yourself hydrated, especially while travelling. You can drink up to 10-12 glasses of fluids in a day, which can include coconut water, lemon water, buttermilk, etc.

2. Wash Your Hands Before Touching the Food

Always wash your hands before you touch food, eat or use a washroom. Even while cooking, make sure to clean your hands with soap and water. This is essential because water-borne diseases and food poisoning occurs through water and food contamination.

3. Wear Loose-fitted & Light-coloured Clothes

It is important to wear clothes that are loose and in light colours during summer. Tight clothes prevent your body from sweating. Moreover, dark colours absorb more heat, which can make you uncomfortable. Therefore, you must wear loose-fitted and light-coloured clothes, preferably in breathable fabrics like cotton.

4. Avoid Sun Exposure in the Afternoon

During summers, avoid stepping out in the sun, especially between 12 pm to 3 pm. Sun rays are directly perpendicular during this time, which is why the chances of sun damage and sunburn are more. Besides, UV rays can also get absorbed into your skin at this time. Hence, you must avoid going out in the sun between 12 to 3 pm. In case you do, make sure to use sunglasses, umbrellas and hats.

5. Avoid Exerting When Outdoors

Avoid exerting yourself too much when you are travelling or are outdoors. Too much exertion can tire you out easily and leave you dehydrated. Hence, you must avoid doing heavy exercises outdoors and instead, seek shade and rest when you feel tired.

6. Do Not Sit in a Car Parked in the Sun

During summers, avoid parking your car directly under the sun. If you do, make sure that nobody is sitting in the car at that time with the windows closed. This is because the heat can make the temperature of your car rise making the person sitting in the car uncomfortable. In some cases, the person seated in the car can also pass out from the heat. Hence, make sure to park your car in the shade and nobody is seated in it.

7. Wear Sunscreen in the Day

Every time you step out of your house during the day, make sure to wear sunscreen. The sunscreen will protect your skin from harmful UV rays as well as from several skin diseases. Therefore, make sure to wear sunscreen with at least SPF 20 every time you step out of the sun.

8. Avoid Street Food

One of the best ways to avoid food poisoning and related diseases is by eating home-cooked food. Eating outside the home, especially street foods, can lead to multiple health problems as the food can easily get contaminated. You should also avoid consuming undercooked food. Instead, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, such as watermelon, sugarcane, cucumber, etc.

9. Keep ORS Handy

Make sure to keep a few packets of ORS or oral rehydration solution handy at home. ORS solution can help in case you feel dehydrated or unwell. ORS sachets can easily be purchased at local medicine shops. In case you can’t find one, you can make the solution at home by mixing 6 tsp of sugar with 0.5 tsp of salt in one-litre water that was first boiled and then cooled down.

10. Use Mosquito Repellent

Mosquitoes are a big carrier of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria. Therefore, it is important to use mosquito repellents and cover your hands and legs when you go outdoors. Also, make sure there are no uncovered places where water is getting collected as it could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

11. Keep Your Windows Shut in the Afternoon

During summers, make sure to keep your windows shut during the afternoon time. This is important because heat waves blow during the afternoon time in summer. If you keep the windows open, heat may get trapped indoors making the room hot.

12. Get Yourself Vaccinated

Make sure that you are appropriately vaccinated against certain diseases that are common in the summer season. For instance, you must opt for a vaccination with MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) to stay protected against these diseases. In case you are not vaccinated, make sure to get yourself and your family vaccinated against these diseases at the earliest.

Summing It Up

Summers can give rise to a number of health problems due to the increase of heat and dryness in the air. To protect yourself from such health problems, make sure to follow the prevention tips mentioned above. Apart from these tips, you must also cover yourself and your family under a health insurance policy so that you are prepared for any medical emergency resulting from these diseases.