As I rushed to an appointment one recent afternoon in New York City, the intense sun felt like it was scorching my skin and hair. Sweat formed under my sunglasses, and my T-shirt and shorts clung to my damp skin. I was extremely uncomfortable.
I should have been accustomed to the heat. I grew up in southern India, where temperatures regularly exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit. However, I had abandoned all the techniques and strategies I used back then.
To start with, I was walking outside around 3 p.m. In India, I rarely went out between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and if I did, I was fully prepared to face the sun. I usually carried an umbrella, similar to how women in Victorian England carried parasols, to protect my head and face. And I wore salwar kameez, a tunic and loosefitting bottoms made of thin, gauzy cotton.
It turns out that these methods, widely used throughout South Asia, are based on solid science, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. As climate change causes temperatures to soar worldwide, people who are unaccustomed to dealing with heat could benefit from adopting a few strategies from regions that have long experienced hot weather.
Covering up
In New York, I only carry an umbrella when it’s raining, and I rarely wear a hat except at the beach. “But in a situation where you’re out in the direct sun, having something to protect you from that direct sun radiation is important,” said Dr. Jill Tirabassi, a sports medicine expert at the University at Buffalo.
Likewise, wearing minimal clothing in an attempt to stay cool (or get a tan) exposes you to harmful solar radiation. A better option is to cover up. “You actually want to have breathable layers that will help dissipate your body heat,” Dr. Tirabassi said.
People in hot regions, including African deserts, also dress in thin, loosefitting clothes, in light colors that reflect the sun’s rays, allow air to circulate, and facilitate sweat evaporation, rather than trapping heat like darker colors do. Clothes made of thin cotton, linen, or bamboo are the most breathable, while synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon are the least.
“Allowing that sweat to evaporate is a crucial way to cool your body when you’re moving or exercising,” Dr. Tirabassi said.
Getting wet
One habit I picked up after observing the locals during summers in France is to spritz my face with water. It can also cool the skin — as long as it’s not too humid — when the water evaporates.
“It’s kind of replicating what the body does when it sweats,” said Dr. Cecilia Sorensen, an emergency medicine physician and director of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education at Columbia University.
“Having that layer of cool water or precipitation on your skin actually speeds up your body’s ability to release heat,” she said.
Cool, damp cloths can achieve the same goal. In northern India, men often wrap a wet scarf or towel around their neck or head, said Sanjiv Phansalkar, a rural development expert at the nonprofit…
2023-08-17 04:00:59
Original from www.nytimes.com
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