Many regions of the United States, along with other parts of the world, are experiencing extreme heat this summer. In a recent NPR story, heat researcher Dr. Gulrez Shah Azhar shares practical strategies for staying cool without air conditioning, drawn from growing up in Uttar Pradesh, India, where temperatures soar past 120 degrees and few people can afford an AC unit. Each tip may seem small, he writes, but done together they can meaningfully help the body cool down.
Azhar begins with an important warning: at the first signs of heatstroke, such as fever, headache, nausea, confusion, or weakness, call an ambulance immediately and apply ice packs while waiting for help to arrive. Because heatstroke can be fatal, don’t delay.
Below are key highlights from the article:
- Drink plenty of fluids, and don’t skip food. Azhar stresses staying aware of hydration and sipping water during any activity. Electrolyte-replenishing drinks like coconut water, sugarcane juice, tangy raw-mango aam ka pana, and yogurt-based lassi help too. He also advises never heading out on an empty stomach; a cucumber or pineapple snack restores electrolytes.
- Put water on your body. Azhar notes that a cold shower brings body temperature down fast and even periodically splashing water on your face and hands or dousing your head helps when a full shower isn’t handy.
- Find, and make, cool spaces. Because heat rises, lower floors and shady verandas stay cooler. Azhar suggests blocking sun with heavy curtains, running fans, and moving furniture, even scooting your bed toward a window to catch a breeze. If indoors turns stuffy, a hammock’s gentle swinging creates cooling airflow.
- Borrow from traditional architecture. Azhar points to jaali, the carved lattice screens that block sun while speeding up passing air, and to evaporative tricks like hanging a water-sprayed grass or bamboo curtain that turns hot air into a cool breeze. The same principle powers the swamp cooler, a cheap, low-energy evaporative device that works best in dry climates.
- Dress smart and cover your head. Loose cotton and linen breathe well, Azhar notes. Light colors heat up more slowly for long stretches outdoors, while a wet towel or scarf worn on the head or around the neck, a practice as old as the turban, offers simple, effective relief.
- Time your day around the sun. Azhar advises avoiding exertion during the hottest hours and taking an afternoon rest, much as farmers in his home state work in the early morning and evening and markets reopen after dark.
- Stay in the shade. Azhar explains that the air temperature under a tree is the same as in the sun, but shade stops your skin from absorbing the sun’s rays and heating your body. He closes with gratitude to those who planted trees before him, and a note that planting them now for future generations is “what makes us a civilization.”
Extreme heat is dangerous, but as Azhar’s lifetime of experience shows, a handful of simple, low-cost habits can go a long way toward keeping you safe and comfortable. Stay hydrated, stay shaded, slow down when the sun is at its fiercest, and take any sign of heat illness seriously.
Acknowledgement: This summary was generated using AI writing tools as part of my experimental learning process. For more information, check out the original article listed below.