The Minnesota Department of Health offers these tips to beat the heat:
- Drink more fluids than usual but avoid fluids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar. Check with your doctor if you have been advised to limit your intake of fluids or placed on diuretics.
- Stay indoors in an air-conditioned location, if possible. If your home is not air-conditioned, spending a few hours a day in an air-conditioned public place like a public library or shopping mall will help your body cope with the heat.
- Don't rely on electric fans -- they may make you more comfortable, but don't do much to prevent heat-related illness.
- Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
ADVERTISEMENT
- Never leave people or animals in a closed, parked vehicle.
- Check regularly on people who may be at higher risk of heat-related illness -- infants and young children, people more than 65, people with mental illness and people with chronic health problems like heart disease or high blood pressure.
- If you must spend time outdoors, try to limit your activity to morning and evening. Try to take rest breaks in shady areas.
- Limit physical exercise. Again, when you do exercise, be sure to take in plenty of fluids.
n When you're outdoors, wear hats and use sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun.
