tips for staying hydrated/keeping cool this summer!!
hey guys! as we all know, summer is coming for the northern hemisphere, which means higher temperatures, humidity and general grossness. for people on depression medication, a common side affect is your body heating up more than normal. On many add/adhd medications (especially adderall and vyvanse) moderate to severe dehydration/dry mouth is also common. iâve compiled a few tips to help keep everyone safe this summer!!Â
(these tips have been complied by someone who is AFAB. i donât know if much changes if youâre AMAB so feel free to add on!)
-first things first, on a normal day you should be taking in half of your body weight in fluid ounces, and even more on hot days!!
-that might seem like a lot (and you might have to pee a bit more) but you feel so much better and it helps you battle the heat!
-I tend to use my 16 ounce travel cup and refill it a few times. iâve found that drinking with a straw almost makes it seem to go by faster
-when youâre drinking, try not to make your water absolutely freezing. Chilled is good, but if youâre coming from a hot temperature and drink a lot of icey water fast, you might go into shock! no buenoÂ
-if you put your cup in the fridge over the night (especially metal ones) itâll keep it nice and cold!
-Do not freeze water in glass bottles or in metal bottles overnight. Please. Glass will shatter everywhere and the metal will warp and could break the bottle (I know from experience)
-What you could do, however, is take a plastic bottle and fill that about half way with water. Seal it tightly and lean it on its side in the freezer overnight. youâll have the perfect half-icepack water bottle for the next day!
-i get sick of the taste of water really quickly, so put some cucumber slices, pieces of strawberries or even watermelon in there (avoid the seeds, though). youâll get fruit and water!! (and itâs better than mix-ins or those liquid squirt ins)
-i try to avoid putting lemon in mine/drinking lemonade in general. it tends to make my dry mouth worse bc of the citric acid.Â
-generally i try to avoid drinking a lot of citric acid bc it just soaks in all the water you drank so itâs almost counter productive (it does taste hella good though)
-also, while drinking water is HELLA important, donât rely solely on that! Especially if youâre doing activities or work in the heat and youâre sweating, youâre losing important things other than water. gatorade/powerade is really good for refreshing the electrolytes you lose! itâs also low in sugar which will keep you from crashing too hard.
-i also avoid high sugared drinks. the crash is really nasty in the heat and it also dries me out too. iâd rather add fruit to my water.
-try to space out your drinking throughout the day. you want to make sure youâre fully hydrated at all times, so you donât overheat!
When trying to stay cool!!
-invest in a really crappy hand-held fan. you know those ones that you see in the dollar stores- the plastic ones that fold up all cool like? i have one that i got in the seventh grade and i keep it on me to help move the stagnant air around me if itâs gross and it feels really niceÂ
-please, please PLEASE do not spray yourself with water.  a lot of the times when i go out in the summer i see those âmisting stationsâ or little sprinklers that are supposed to refresh you? do not use them. please. the cooler water will make your body think that itâs getting colder outside and to compensate for that it will raise your internal heat, only making you hotter.Â
-Instead, take a damp, cool (NOT COLD), washcloth or napkin and press it gently across the back of your neck. or, do the same on your wrists at the pulse! those will help cool your internal temperature instead of raising it.
-if you can, take a dip in the pool or a cool shower. i just canât stress enough that itâs not freezing.Â
-be careful with AC if you have access to it!!!! try not to make the temperature a massive change from the outside heat!! especially when going in/out of stores or homes both friends and i have nearly collapsed because of the sudden change.Â
-(a few summers ago it was really really hot and my dad and I went into the local hardware store for parts for the lawn mower. the AC was at about 75 when it was ~99 outside. at first it felt blissful, but when i stepped outside i actually blacked out for a few seconds. be. careful. with. your. AC. i really canât stress it enough)
-try to avoid warm drinks! this might be a no-brainer for some but i made the mistake of having hot tea a few summers ago and i felt very heat sick all day
-for Britâs/tea lovers who donât want to give up on their amazing drink, make sunlight tea! A large pitcher/drink container and fill it to about Ÿ to all the way full with ice. then, a bunch of tea bags on top/scattered about. if you want, you could put water at the bottom to help with the steeping of said tea. then, place in the sunlight and wait for the ice to melt. you end up with a relatively cool tea!
-keep up your potassium and blood sugar! both will keep heat sickness away. (bananas are high in potassium and everyone loves ice cream!)
-dress in lighter colors! dark colors trap heat and sunlight which isnât fun
-for the lovelies with vâs- cotton underwear are best. polyester/nylon isnât the most breathable and traps sweat which can make the risk of infection skyrocket
-i love skinny jeans and tight shorts as much as anyone else, but you might want to ease off of them during the summer. it traps your natural body heat closer to you and tighter shirts can make it a bit harder to breathe
-friends with breasts!! i put a little deodorant underneath and in between my chest when i wear a bra. it helps with sweat! (i also do this when i wear sports bras but Iâm not sure if you should do it when wearing a binder)
-also, for bra-wearers! i really like non-underwired bras in the summer. itâs one less thing, ya feel?
-my lovelies who bind!! (!here!) is an article that has a bunch of good tips to help when binding throughout the summer!
-for the darlings who have thick thighs! i share your pain, and chafing is the worst thing ever. i own several pairs of spandex/running shorts that i wear when Iâm wearing a skirt/an outfit that doesnât block the areas where i chafeÂ
-that being said, tight clothing isnât always gonna be your friend, or you donât want the spandex to show underneath something else. i keep a travel sized stick of my fav deodorant or a little thing of baby powder in my bag when i go out! a few swipes of that and youâre free to go!
-(however, for my loves with vâs, i would be careful with using baby powder, especially near your bits. a woman linked her ovarian cancer to her use of talcum [baby] powder. thereâs no evidence that proves it but i prefer deodorant anyway.)
Feel free to add more if you know anything else! these are just little things my parents taught me growing up that have helped me over the years!
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