With Ireland due to swelter in 30° degree heat early next week, it is more important than ever to be aware of how to stay safe in hot weather. 

Inevitably, most people will find themselves sweating more than normal and Fiann O'Nuaillan, author of First Aid From The Garden, says this isn’t something we should resist or be ashamed of: 

“When we sweat it’s a good thing because that puts a film of moisture between our skin and the dry skin area outside,” he explained to Lunchtime Live. 

“So that’s part of our cooling system. 

“So don’t stop hydrating because you think you’re sweating too much and you’re embarrassed by a wet back or wet soggy underarm. 

“Keep drinking the fluids to stay hydrated because that keeps the pores active.” 

Members of the public enjoying the sun on Sandycove Beach. Photograph: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

Hydration 

In normal temperatures people are advised to drink two litres of liquid every day to make sure their body remains sufficiently hydrated. 

However, in extreme weather it is advisable to drink more because your body sweats much of it out: 

“It depends on how much you’re sweating or again if you’ve gone into prickly heat and you’ve stopped actually sweating at that point,” Mr O'Nuaillan continued. 

“There is a danger in drinking too much water.” 

JM5566 Happy dogs playing and running on the beach in shallow water on sunny day at the ocean in Provincetown, MA

Sunburn 

Keeping your skin safe is another issue that people will have to deal with and while prevention is better than cure, there are ways to handle sunburn:  

“The lactic acid that’s contained within dairy products in yoghurt and cream is really good for not only taking down the inflammation but kick-starting the skin into rejuvenation. 

“The Ph in the dairy stops the skin from ongoing burning but the lactic acid takes the kind of dead cell layer off and allows the natural regeneration of your skin to come back. 

“Now slap on as much sunbloc as you can and that’s the thing with this hot weather, you really don’t want to be out in the sun, you want to be inside preferably where the interior temperature is lower and you want to be kind of pulling the curtains and drawing the shades and closing the blinds and trying to keep your house as cool as possible. 

“Maybe have a fan on or fan yourself with a magazine. Or if it’s getting too hot for you, run your wrists under cool water.” 

Main image: People diving and swimming around the Vico Baths in Killiney, Dublin, 20-07-2021. Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews