It’s extremely warm at the moment, with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius. How can you possibly work well from home in a warm attic room without air conditioning? Professor of Physiology Maria Hopman gives very useful tips. Like: “Expose yourself to the heat”.
Professor of Physiology Maria Hopman: “Our body works best when our body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. It’s okay to be a bit hot, but the heat in the days ahead means that your heat balance will be disturbed by the ambient temperature. And that feels uncomfortable. Your body tries to release heat by perspiring; it has to work harder to make itself cooler and as a result you lose extra moisture. If you stay in a room with high temperatures for a longer period, you can easily become a bit dehydrated. This makes you drowsy and less concentrated.” If you want to remain productive in this heat, take the following tips to heart.
Tip 1: drink and eat
“Put a bottle of water next to your computer and drink regularly. By perspiring you lose more moisture than you think. Perspiring doesn’t necessarily mean that the sweat drips from your body; you also perspire without noticing it. And if you don’t drink enough, your body will slowly become dehydrated and you’ll become drowsier.”
How much should you drink? “That depends on what you’re used to and what you can handle. But definitely a litre a day. And it’s extra refreshing to put ice cubes in your water. But a cup of tea is also good: tea can open the pores of your skin, thus making it easier for your body to release warmth. The very best is to alternate cold and warm water. And one extra remark: don’t drink sugary beverages all day; you’ll gain weight.
Also keep eating normally. When it’s hot you might not feel like eating but you have to eat to replace the amount of salt that’s lost by perspiring. And don’t replace that salt with salty liquorice. Your regular meals will do the trick.”
Tip 2: go outside
“It sounds contradictory, but go outside regularly and expose yourself to the heat. You may think: it’s cooler inside and that feels better. But the heat wave has just begun, and we humans have to get used to the heat. Our bodies have to learn to adapt to those conditions. So take a short walk a few times a day – at least you’ll get some exercise – and your body will learn to adjust. You’ll also perspire faster, which benefits thermoregulation. The moister that evaporates on your skin removes warmth from your body. And this helps to train you to deal better with the heat.”
Isn’t it more refreshing to work in an air-conditioned room? “Of course that’s enjoyable and you should use it if you have it, but when you go outside again, you’ll find it harder to deal with the heat. Going outside regularly so that your body can get used to the heat works the best in the long run.”
Tip 3: wear light clothing and cool your house at night
Maria Hopman: “It goes without saying, but make the external conditions as cool as possible. So wear light clothing and open the attic window at night, for example, to cool and ventilate that room. Then it will be cool again in the morning.”
Tip 4: feet in cold water and fan on
Maria Hopman: “You have good circulation in your feet and hands. When sitting at your computer, if you put your feet in a basin of cold water, that will quickly affect your entire body; your body temperature will rise less quickly. But you can also use a fan to feel less warm: the room won’t become cooler, but the moisture on your skin evaporates more quickly if the wind circulates. Compare it to walking and cycling; your skin feels cooler when you bike than when you walk because sweat evaporates more easily. You can imitate that with a fan. You can increase the effect of the fan by spraying your skin with a plant sprayer.”
And a 5th tip to finish it off
Maria Hopman: “One final remark: stay calm. By getting excited, angry or annoyed, you increase your adrenaline level. And then you’ll start producing warmth yourself, which will make you feel even hotter.”
Image source: Pixabay