For most of us summer means heat, watermelon and ice cream. When a heat wave hits our country, all hell breaks loose. It will be all over the news, social websites. It affects how we move, how we talk, how we think and our behavior. I don’t understand how they keep the summer races in this type of weather. You always have to be cautious in the heat and pay attention to your body, no matter how acclimated you think you are. When we think that we are burning, the government adds some fuel to the fire by power cuts.
In India, summer time is like living in a pot kept on fire. In some of the hilly and desert areas, water becomes a scarce resource during summer, making us feel like living in the stone age.. The month of May is the hottest month of the year when temperature crosses even the maximum mark. It is not advisable to the tourists to visit our country during summer for the fear of various infections and ailments like Cholera and diarrhea.
Ever wonder how the animals cope with the summer ? Especially the desert animals.
Not all animals have someone watching over them.
How animals cope with Summer:
Animals with whom we share our space in this world also feel the heat sting on their body and they have their own techniques to cool off their bodies.
So, how do the animals cope with this heat? To understand this we must look into how their bodies respond to the body heat. We human beings sweat with our body temperature. Animals are classified into warm blooded and cold blooded animals. Warm blooded animals are distinguished as mammals and birds. Like ourselves they tend to adjust their body according to the temperature. When they find themselves in a clod environment they adapt themselves by creating their own body heat.
Cold blooded animals are distinguished as Fishes, amphibians, arachnids and insects. They thrive in a warm temperature b keeping warm and in cold temperatures by keeping cool. In other words they “adopt” themselves to any kind of temperatures. But they are only really active in warmer environments.
Most warm blooded animals sweat. Some animals like dogs and cats have sweat glands only in their paws. You could have seen it in your house how when your pet leaves the sweat track while walking. Some large mammals shed their coats while they sense the temperatures have risen dramatically. Some small animals like pigeons and squirrels have a greater body temperature than us and hence they can withstand the heat better than us. Camels are one of a kind. In desert most animals avoid the scorching three digit temperature by going nocturnal. That is they involve in night activities rather than day.
The way the earth is affected by the temperature at certain times increases the aggression in animals. Talk about animal instincts!
How we could cope with Scorching Summer:
It is only obvious that we humans have survived the harsh things that other extinct animals could not do. “The Survival of the Fittest” so to speak. We just have to utilize what we already have to blend in this weather. Skin is your body’s largest organ. Keep it covered to prevent excess absorption of the sun’s heat and to prevent sunburns. Not only is sunburn uncomfortable, it inhibits your body’s ability to properly sweat and cool.
Start drinking lots of water and besides from water drink lots of other fluids. The ever popular lemonade is good choice. If not the now-a-days costlier tender coconut water is way good.
Eat a lot of salads and fresh fruits that naturally contain water, like water melon – in fact this fruit contains nearly 92% water and up to 14% of vitamin C. This will add to the moisture content that you will lose through sweating. Small amounts of vitamin B and potassium are also found in this fruit.
Drink water that is stored in earthenware pots. This method is popular in rural India so that they can beat the heat with cool drinking water. Avoid eating oily food and especially avoid eating cut fruit from vendors as it may have been exposed to flies and dust. For long lasting make-up, avoid moisturizer, especially if you have oily skin, and dust on some loose powder to seal the oil in.
Try to get some parking only in shady areas! This will ensure that your car does not heat up while you are out! People living in India enjoy a hot spicy meal even when it is hot, since the hot peppers will make them sweat and when sweat evaporates it makes one quite cool…So do try a spicy dish and enjoy a sweaty magic.
Take a day off to go to the swimming pool. Or if you are not so uptight about what others think of you, go to the streets and play with the kids in splashing water.
If all else fails, why don’t you take a break and head to any of India’s hill stations and refresh yourself with its breathtaking beauty?
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