How to Stay Healthy in the Heat

Drink plenty of water

• Drink plenty of water even if you do not feel thirsty – check the colour of your wee – if it’s pale you’re drinking enough (check out the urine colour chart).
• If your doctor normally limits your fluids, check how much to drink during hot weather.
• Avoid alcoholic, hot or sugary drinks including tea and coffee (they can make dehydration worse).
• If you go outside, carry a bottle of water with you.
• Stock your fridge with cold water and freezer with ice.

Keep your body cool

• Drink cold drinks and eat smaller cold meals such as salads and fruit.
• Wear light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes made from natural fibres like cotton.
• Stay out of the sun.
• If you must go outside, apply sunscreen, wear a hat.
• Plan your day around the heat – avoid being outdoors between 11am and 5pm.
• Put wet towels or cool packs on your arms or neck or put your feet in cool water.
• Take cool showers or baths.
• Minimise physical activity, do all household chores early in the morning when it is coolest.

Keep your house cool

• Cool your house by closing windows, shutting curtains and blinds, opening windows at night if you can to let in cool air.
• Use air-conditioning if you have it (make sure it’s set to cool).
• If you don’t have to air-condition, spend time in a cool place like a library, shopping centre or cinema.
• Know which room in your house is the coolest (this will often be on the ground floor on the south side).
• If there is no power or you can’t get to an air-conditioned space, spend time in the coolest part of your house.
• Use your stove and oven as little as possible. 

Take care of others

• Visit or telephone elderly friends, neighbours and relatives, at least once a day.
• Check that they have water in the fridge.
• Encourage them to drink.
• Help them to find the coolest room in the house.
• Consider taking them to a cool place (e.g. a shopping centre, library or cinema).
• Take particular care to keep children cool and get them to drink lots as they won’t often do this by themselves.
• Never leave babies, children or animals alone in a car even if the air-conditioner is on.

Have a plan

• Know who to call if you need help.
• Follow your doctor’s advice if you have any medical conditions.
• If you feel unwell, seek medical advice from your doctor or nearest hospital.
• Know where to find your emergency kit in case of a power failure.
• Keep an eye on the weather forecast.
• Know what to do in case of a bushfire. Information on bushfire preparedness is available from the NSW Rural Fire Service.

Keep your food safe

• Make sure food that needs refrigeration is properly stored (the temperature in the fridge should be between 0°C and 5°C). Defrost foods in the fridge, not on the kitchen bench. For more information about keeping food safe please refer to the NSW Food Authority.
• If your fridge and freezer is affected by a power failure, please refer to the NSW Food Authority.

After the heat has passed

• Continue to drink plenty of fluids so your body can get back in balance.
• Take time to rest and recover as coping with extremely hot weather can be very tiring.
• Go to your doctor if you feel unwell after the heat has passed.
• Open windows and doors to let your house cool down but make sure you don’t compromise the security of your home.
• Contact family and friends to see if they have coped during the heat and if they now need help with anything.
• Think about how well you coped during this time of extreme heat and what, if anything, you would do differently next time.
• Make any changes in your home so it will be more comfortable for you during another time of extreme heat

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