An Australian summer is a force to be reckoned with, where temperatures can reach up to a thong melting 50 degrees Celsius. Such temperatures can pose a threat to our wellbeing, with heatstroke and sunburn being a common cause of sickness and hospitalisation during the season.
We at the Riverlanderer care about our readers, and so we went and scoured the country’s experts for unique and unheard of tips on how to beat the heat. Here we list our top 5 that we discovered.
- Wear a hat
Starting off our list is the lovable hat. Yes. You heard right. Hats are best known for being stylish and make great additions to an outfit. But did you know that they also have another use? Hats can actually protect you from getting sunburnt on your face and neck. The way this works is that the material that makes up the hat blocks the UV light from hitting your skin. Who knew being hip could also protect you from sunburn?!
2. Keep your car sunshade on at all times
Next on our list is using a car sun shade! Trying to drive while the sun is in your eyes is not just torture, but it’s also dangerous. With intense sunlight blocking your vision you are at risk of having an accident. That’s why UV expert Sunin Mayise uses her car sun shade to block incoming sunlight that obscures her vision while driving.
“I just put the shade up on my windscreen and off I go” said Sunin. “It really keeps out the light so I can look at my phone more easily whilst cruising along. An added bonus is the reduced heat keeps my beer colder too”.
3. Stand in the shade
Yes. That’s right! The shade is essentially an area where the sun is not allowed to shine due to legal reasons. By standing in one of these areas, the sun is not legally allowed to shine on you which give you a chance to cool off before resuming work or leisure activities. Australia, despite having some of the hottest places on the planet, has a fantastic legal department, allowing us over 2000 different shaded areas.
4. Build up sun immunity
If you’re one of those people who like to be prepared then this tip is for you! By exposing yourself to the sun, or other hot objects, everyday leading up to summer, you’ll build up sun immunity. By badly burning yourself numerous times before the weather turns harsh you’ll build up natural protection against the sun’s summer rays. People will look at you in awe as you stand for hours on end out in the harsh summer sun with no pain because you’ve burned away all your nerve endings! Scorching!
5. Don’t add some coolant to your beverages
There’s nothing like a nice cool glass of water after working in the heat. But did you know that water evaporates when it gets hot? That’s why we have to keep drinking it constantly because the sun makes it evaporate from our bodies. This is not a very efficient system. Luckily, we aren’t the only ones, where cars experience this problem too, and lots has been done to prevent automotive overheating. Car coolants have been around for decades, with much better heat absorption and tolerance. Unfortunately this technology is not compatible with people. By adding portions of car coolant to your beverages*, you can increase the fluid retention in your body and stay hydrated for longer, with the only downside being an almost guaranteed death! Who knew??
So there you go! Some little known summer hacks to beat the heat! Let us know if you already knew about them and have used them before. Or better yet, tell us your favourite summer hack that isn’t on this list!
Stay safe this summer and merry Christmas from the Riverlanderer!
*The Riverlanderer’s legal team has advised us that ingesting coolant is poisonous and potentially lethal and we do not endorse the consumption of car coolant. Nor do we endorse an individual burning themselves to gain ”sun immunity” Nor do we endorse driving with a sun shade on your windscreen.
The Riverlanderer 