need urgent advice re heat

[hatetheheat2]

Ok I know I'm a wimp to be moaning but..

I don't handle heat very well at all. Mix that with the fact that it's currently the time of the month so I'm feeling generally hotter than normal anyway. I had to nip out with the kids about an hour ago as I needed to pick up my daughters medicine. We have a car that has no air con so I made sure the kids had water, ice lolly and window open for the journey. It was only a 30 min round trip including being in the shop.

As soon as we got out of the shop and back in the car I started to feel a bit unwell. I felt dizzy and a bit spaced out so I swung by the local drive through to grab a bottle of water and drank most of it in one go. Since then I've got a pounding headache, feel dizzy if I move and feel quite nauseous. Like I said I know I'm just being a wimp but I really don't feel great. Anyone have any suggestions of the best thing to do to help myself feel better quickly? I've got a 3 and 4 year old to look after so really can't be lying down for the afternoon!

Glad you felt better after a drink and a cool shower. It seemed obvious to me that it was heat exhaustion, I don't know why some people are so dismissive and unkind.

My advice for keeping your house cool:
Blackout blinds on all the windows especially the biggest ones and those that get the most sun. (I would advise getting fitted blackout blinds but you can also get the travel/stick on ones, which is a bit more faff but works just as well.) Keep the blinds closed when the sun is on that side of the house. Open your windows when it's cooler outside (ie night and early morning) and then close them when it's warmer outside; in a heat wave this is often by mid-morning or even before. The lack of air flow will be uncomfortable but you can use a fan. This will keep the house much cooler and more comfortable than having windows open.

Oh and another thing, if you can add some shade on the south side of your house, to block the sun before it gets to your windows, that will help a lot. There are loads of options, retractable awning, pergola, etc. In many European countries they have external shutters, I do wonder if it should become more of a "thing" in the UK now that we are getting so many heatwaves.

@AnotherEmma thank you that's really helpful advice. We've actually looked at getting an awning on the back of the house above the patio doors as we get all the heat on the back garden so I think that would really help. It would also mean the children would have more shade to play in. I think things like that are going to become more common place if the summers keep being like this

👍

I have a relative getting rid of a good gazebo and I have said I would like it just because I want to shade the south side of my house. It won't sort the top of the house but it's a start.

@hatetheheat2 something to consider if you're on anti-anxiety meds - it might be worth looking at the info leaflets as some can have quite nasty effects in hot sun, can exacerbate heat related symptoms and, in some cases, be actually dangerous at high temps.