Dr. Azibanigha Scott: 5 Tips to Surviving the Heatwave in Nigeria

You’ve definitely noticed the heatwave in the country! The hustle is real, and it’s important that we share tips to help us survive. Here are a few:

Drink plenty of water
On a normal day, you lose water via your lungs in form of water vapor when you breathe, via your kidney when you pee, via your skin when you sweat, through your digestive system, and through the many other chemical reactions that go on in your body. Given the heatwave, you have a higher chance of losing more fluid, hence you need to replace what you are losing to prevent dehydration. It is recommended that you take about three liters of water during this heatwave to stay adequately hydrated.

Maintain proper grooming
Given the heatwave in the country, it’s a good idea to keep hairs in private places short or clean shaven, because as your body sweats, sweat gets trapped between the hairs. Coupled with the bacteria on your skin, these can produce nasty odors, and superficial infections can arise in those private areas. For our beard gang brethren, please take good care of your beard.

Invest in a UV protection lotion
The ultraviolet rays of the sun have damaging effects on your skin. They damage skin cell DNA. Although we have a considerable amount of melanin that absorbs part of the UV rays, you still want to protect your skin. Invest in creams that have active ingredients that further protect your skin from the damaging effect of UV light. You can take it a step further by using sunscreen in extreme cases to prevent sun burns. Yup! Sun burn. Just because we are darker doesn’t mean we cannot have sun burns.

Develop a personal relationship with your deodorant
As a result of the really high temperatures we are experiencing, one of the mechanisms your body uses to regulate its temperature is by sweating. When you sweat, apart from the fact that the fluid evaporates, taking some heat with it in an attempt to cool your body temperature, there is also a reaction between the sweat and resident bacteria on your skin (don’t worry, everyone has bacteria on their skin, they protect the skin). When this reaction occurs, it can produce an odor. There is a higher chance of this happening because during this heat wave. Make it a point of duty to take adequate care of yourself; shower more, and use appropriate deodorants. Even if you don’t feel like it, at least be considerate of the people you interact with on a daily basis. Don’t go around dishing out odors.

Stay in cool environment
This is quite explanatory. Make sure the air conditioner is serviced and working. Get a fan if the bill is too high. Avoid being exposed to the sun as much as you can.

Stay safe.