You’re drenched in sweat, couldn’t sleep last night and regret ever setting foot outside. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
A hot, humid air mass is blanketing much of the mid-Atlantic and Southeast United States, according to the National Weather Service. High temperatures are forecast to reach up to 100 degrees in those regions and above 90 degrees in other areas.
Globally, the world just experienced the hottest June ever recorded, according to NASA.
Alas, as rapper Nelly once prophesied in a hip-hop hit, “It’s getting hot in here.”
Now, the National Weather Service advises being mindful of heat-related health risks, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, as extremely high temperatures are one of the country’s leading weather-related killers (PDF) — linked to more deaths than tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, cold winter weather and rip currents.
So, who better to share a little perspective than those who brave the heat professionally? Three CNN correspondents who have conquered extreme weather in some of the world’s warmest places offer these tips:
Wonders of a ‘wet, cold bandana’
“Hang out in a place even hotter than outside (and) sweat. Then, when you step into the real outdoor heat, it feels cool,” said Arwa Damon, an award-winning senior international correspondent based in CNN’s Istanbul bureau.
Avoid eating heavy foods, and know where the bathrooms are, because you should be drinking plenty of water.
How much water? Well, if you’re not peeing, you have a problem, she notes.
Once you feel overheated, a “wet, cold bandana to the neck works wonders.” Not sure what to wear to hide your sweat? “If you work a job where you might sweat through your clothes, wear black. That’s the main reason why I always do: so people can’t see the sweat stains,” Damon said. “Ditch the jeans, but if you sweat a lot on your lower half, stick to dark colors.”
Oh, and for most of you: Be grateful you’re not wearing a flak jacket and helmet.
‘Ease off on the coffee’
Emmy-winning senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, based in Beirut, Lebanon, advises against sleeping in air-conditioning that’s on full blast. It may inhibit your body’s adjustment to the warmer temperatures outside in the “real world,” he said.
As for what to eat in extreme heat, “ease off on the coffee,” Paton Walsh said.
Don’t max out on sugary snacks, he added.
And as dreamy as it sounds to crack a cold one or sip something served with a tiny umbrella, “don’t drink more booze. … It’ll sting you with sweat and headaches the next day,” Paton Walsh said.
‘Try to remember how miserable winter is’
After all, “in extreme heat, you’re already dealing with enough liquid issues; don’t complicate it with alcohol,” said Ben Wedeman, CNN’s senior international correspondent based in Rome.
As you cut out alcohol, Wedeman advises sipping on something else. He drinks an least one electrolyte replacement a day.
“Otherwise, if you do day after day of lengthy exposure to heat, you start to feel really drained. In general, I start the day drinking lots of water and before going to sleep try to drink a liter,” Wedeman said. “Does it work? Who knows?”
“Always have a hat handy. One you can douse with water when need be, as well as a scarf for the same purpose,” he added.
It’s summer, so do go swimming when you can. Even better, “try to remember how miserable winter is.”