Why you should always ditch the backpack while in a hot country
HOLIDAYMAKERS have been urged to avoid carrying around backpacks if they want to avoid heat exhaustion this summer.
As temperatures soar in top holiday destinations – and in the UK – tourists should prioritise keeping cool.
A backpack is the most convenient thing to carry around your things on holiday.
It’s hands-free, stores a lot of stuff and distributes weight well.
However, it could be making you feel a lot worse in the heat than you realise.
Backpacks tend to trap a lot of heat, Washington Post reports.
Holidaymakers are therefore better off opting for a lighter or looser design of bag like a cross-body.
As of recent times, the number of people seeking NHS advise on heat exhaustion have surged as temperatures soar across the UK.
Heat exhaustion occurs when your body gets too hot and it doesn’t usually need emergency medical help if you can cool down within 30 minutes.
But if you can’t cool down within than time, it might turn into heatstroke, which needs to be treated as an emergency.
Signs of heat exhaustion include:
- Tiredness
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Feeling sick
- Sweating or clammy skin
- Cramps
- Fast breathing or heartbeat
- A high temperature
- Being very thirsty
- Feeling weak
If someone is showing signs of heat exhaustion, they need to be cooled down and given fluids.
The NHS advises moving them to a cool place, removing unnecessary clothing, giving them a rehydration drink or cool water and cooling their skin with water, a fan or cold packs wrapped in a cloth.
If their condition doesn’t start to improve after 30 minutes of resting in a cool place, call 999.
How to stay safe in hot weather
The UK Health Security Agency advised you follow these tips to reduce your risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke:
- Keep out of the sun at the hottest time of the day, between 11am and 3pm
- If you are going to do a physical activity like exercising or walking the dog, plan to do these during times of the day when it is cooler such as the morning or evening
- Keep your home cool by closing windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun
- If you go outside, cover up with light clothing, a hat and sunglasses and slather on sun cream
- Drink plenty of fluids but limit booze
- Know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and what to do if you or someone else has them
- Check on family, friends and neighbours who may be at higher risk of becoming unwell, and if you are at higher risk, ask them to do the same for you
Source: UKHSA