West Coast National Park, Langebaan

Drink more fluids (nonalcoholic), regardless of your activity level. Drink regularly, don’t wait till you are thirsty.

Don’t drink liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar–these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.

Spray away the heat - keep small spray bottles filled with water in the fridge and use chilled in the office or car – a fine mist on your face and pulse points (inner elbows, behind the ears and knees) will cool the blood down.

Stay indoors and, if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library–even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.

Close the curtains. While the sun is out it pays to draw curtains and close blinds. If the air outside is hotter than inside keep the windows closed.

Head for the basement/ ground floor. Remember that science lesson? Hot air rises. Stay on the ground floor or below if your building has a basement, even for short breaks, It is cooler.

Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath, or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off.

DIY Aircon. Got no aircon but have a box fan?  Place a tub of ice water behind the fan and wait. The cool air will be pulled away from the tub and cool down your home.

Flick a switch. Lights and appliances in your house, when on, can actually raise the temperature indoors. If you’re using fans and air con you’ll be using more electricity anyhow, so balance things out by switching off all unnecessary lights etc during the day.

Get a haircut. Seriously, long and / or thick hair acts like a wooly hat and if your head and feet are hot, the rest of your body struggles to cool down. If you’ve been considering a chop now’s the time to do it.

During very hot days try to wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.

NEVER leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle. It gets extremely hot in the car with temperatures that rise very quickly. Make sure young kids and especially babies drink a LOT more fluid, especially water. Use sunblock and sunhats and sun shades and don’t let them play outdoors between 10 a.m and 3 p.m.

Although any one at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others. Check regularly on people that suffer from the following conditions:

- Infants and young children

- People aged 65 or older

- People who have a mental illness

- Those who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood

Pressure

- Visit adults on a Regular basis at risk twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching.

If you really have to be outdoors or work in an outdoor environment try to limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours.

Do fewer exercises during these extreme hot days. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour.  A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. Warning: If you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage.

Try to rest often in shady areas.

Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat (also keeps you cooler) and sunglasses and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher especially with UVA/UV B protection.

Sleep with an ice block. No, really, this works. One of those ice packs used for cooler boxes can be wrapped in a hand towel and kept in the bed, basically as the opposite of a hot water bottle.

Don’t forget your pets. Pets feel the heat in a big way. So would you all covered in fur from nose to toes. Put out buckets of water for the day if you’re not around your pets and as with kids, whatever you do DON’T leave dogs locked in cars.

Enjoy an ice cream. . .