Five Tips To Keep You Cool This Summer

Image: Nikolai Golovanoff

1. Spice it up
You may already eat red or green peppers with your summer meals. Smart. These contain capsaicin that bind to special receptors in nerve cells sending a signal of hotness to the brain. This puts the body into a sweat, releasing heat that cools you off.

2. Cool pulse points
Similar to how a radiator is able to pull off heat to cool an entire engine, simply wearing a cool wrist band against your palpable wrist pulse can cool you down. The key is that you should be able to feel your pulse close enough to the skin to be able to exchange heat.

3. Wear natural
Check the fabric of the next summer shirt you buy. Cotton and linen rule as the most breathable fabrics, and should be your top choices. Other than athletic wear with special technology, stay away from synthetic fabrics. There is nothing to beat a cotton kurta pajama.

4. Minty cool
Menthol, the active ingredient in mint, triggers a cold-sensing receptor that gives the feeling of coolness. Add mint to your drink, or apply a menthol gel on your skin before you head out into the sun. This will make you feel cool, though it won’t change your body temperature.

5. Water your drinks
A final word for the weary. Alcohol dehydrates, and water … well, it hydrates! Drink water through the day, and rehydrate with a salty sweet drink if you’ve been sweating.