Summer Health

I love the great weather that comes with the summer months. The longer days, the yummy fruit, fresh veggies and the warmer weather, to name a few things I enjoy about summer. I enjoy swimming, hiking and gardening during this time of the year. There is so much to do outside.

It’s hard for me to remember to put on sunscreen every day and throughout the day as I’m exposed to the sun. I know this is important because my dermatologist said that putting on sunscreen several times is needed throughout the day. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States with an estimated percentage of 1 in 5 Americans affected. I was astonished as I hadn’t realized how common it was until I researched it on the internet. I do have family history of it on my father’s side; my father and his siblings all have had skin cancer at some point in their lives.

I have gotten lots of sunburns over the years and it definitely has aged my skin. I’m now being more conscientious because I don’t like the damage that sun exposure has done to my skin. It causes more freckles, and it ages my skin prematurely. Since I want to look nice for many years to come and decrease my skin cancer risk, I’m now making the effort to get up every morning and put on sunscreen at least one time per day. I use between SPF 30 to 50 depending on the day’s activities and the region of my body I apply it to.

I’ve always known that hydration is important, but this year it’s even more important to me due to health concerns. One easy sign you can count on is that if you’re thirsty, it means you’re dehydrated and should probably drink water as soon as possible. Another sign that you’re getting dehydrated is dry mouth. This happens because your body doesn’t have enough fluids to make saliva in your mouth. Make sure you grab a glass of water rather than a stick of gum.

Another way I can tell if I’m not drinking enough water is my urine color. If it’s tea colored or darker, that means that I’m drinking way too little throughout the day. Also, if I’m not peeing as much as usual, that means I’m dehydrated. How can I stay hydrated? Drink plenty of water and decrease the amount of tea or coffee that I’m drinking. I need to remind myself to drink water throughout the day.

Also, another thing to consider when you are outside, make sure that you’re careful about mosquitoes and ticks. If you’re going somewhere that has lots of high grasses or bushy areas, please be aware that there may be ticks in there, especially if there’s deer or other mammals in the area. Some ticks may carry diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, or bacteria and/or viruses that can make you sick. One way to decrease the chance of that is to wear long pants that are tucked into your socks and to do frequent tick checks during the time that you’re out and when you get home. You can also spay yourself with bug spray, that should decrease your chance of having a tick, but you should still check for ticks after your outside activity. Don’t forget your furry friends if you bring them along. Make sure that they have a tick collar on, or you give your furry friend a good tick check after you’re done with your activity.

When you’re out and about either early in the morning or in the evening, those are common times to get bitten by mosquitoes. It’s best to try to avoid getting mosquito bites by using bug spray to keep them from landing on or biting you. Mosquitoes can often carry common diseases that they transmit by biting you. At the very least, mosquito bites are very annoying because it can lead to itchy spots.

It can get incredibly hot during the summer, and I know that I am very sensitive to heat, and I tend to overheat very quickly. In order to get my fun time in the summer, I try to pay attention to the weather. It’s best to go out in the morning or evening when it’s cooler. It’s really important that you try to stay cool during the summer and not overheat. Getting too hot and dehydrated is no joke. You can progress quickly from heat, cramps, and heat exhaustion to heat stroke which is very serious.

These are some of the summertime concerns I have. I believe that if I’m careful and thoughtful about taking care of myself this summer, I shouldn’t really have any problems. Taking care of myself and my cat means I can have an easy, breezy, lazy summer. Hoping all of my readers have a safe and wonderful summer!