An extreme heat wave is bearing down on Southern California and the American Southwest. With many people having moved to the desert during the last year, and this heatwave extending all the way to the pacific ocean, many more people will be affected than usual, and for the first time. Here in the desert we are used to living with the heat, everything is designed for it, and it’s certainly possible to live a more or less normal life during the summer. However it’s a tenuous situation, because when even one system goes down like the electrical grid or the water service, then it’s an emergency.
A Minor Mistake Or Accident Can Become Deadly In Extreme Heat:
If you got a flat tire or other minor car problem, or got a little lost on the hiking trail, under normal circumstances it would be an inconvenience, but hardly life or death. During extreme heat, any small deviation from normal can quickly become fatal. It’s so important to plan for resiliency, and to make sure you are always prepared for a minor emergency.
In The Car/ On the Road:
Make sure when you head out for the day in your car that you have a cooler with ice packs, plenty of water, and sunscreen (which will destabilize in a hot car), just in case you get stuck. Also make sure you have sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, an umbrella, and a blanket in case you need to change a tire or something. The ground will be too hot to sit or lie on when working, and the umbrella will protect you from sunstroke. Also make sure you know your route in case you lose connection to the GPS or your cell service. Never leave your pets or children in a parked car in the heat, the inside of the car heats up so fast from the greenhouse effect that it can kill your loved ones in less than 20 minutes. There is a reason people go to jail for leaving their children in hot unattended cars here in California. Lastly, if you don’t need to be out for the entire day, wake up early and run your errands in the morning.
On The Trail:
The most important advice for keeping safe while hiking during extreme heat is don’g do it! It’s not good for your health to die of dehydration and heat stroke on the hiking trail. So many people every single year of the last decade I have lived in California dozens of people have died every summer on hiking trails in the heat. Many of them were from further away and they didn’t care to make themselves aware of the summer conditions, but also many of them were from here in Southern California and the heat of the desert in summer is hardly kept a secret. As much as you understandably want to keep fit, and get fresh air and sunlight after being stuck inside in the air conditioning, it’s simply not worth your life, and/ or possibly the lives of people trying to rescue you. Now as I type this there is a search going on for a missing man near me in an incredibly remote and just punishingly hot and arid area. The search is in its 7th day, it’s 113 degrees with no shade in that area, I can’t imagine the person they are searching for is still alive, and how grueling and dangerous it must be for the search and rescue crews. Please do not be one of those people and keep yourself safe. Working out in the gym or at home is certainly not as much fun or strenuous as being outside, but during extreme heat it’s a life or death decision.
At Home:
In order to keep your home cool, keep it dark. Close the window coverings that face the sun to keep it from heating up the house, especially in the afternoon, but during a heat wave don’t underestimate how much even the morning sun can heat up your house. Use fans to circulate the air around your home, it will both make your air conditioning unit work up to 50% more efficiently, it will also help your body evaporate the heat and you will have the sensation of being cooler than it really is by up to 2-3 degrees. Don’t make more heat in the house, in the heat of the day minimize your use of appliances like the washer, dryer, dishwasher, toaster, big screen tv, or vacuum cleaner.
What to Eat:
Calorically dense and fatty foods raise your metabolic temperature because it takes so much energy to digest those foods. Eating fruits and vegetables, and other light foods satisfied your hunger but doesn’t raise your internal temperature as much. Not to mention that simply not cooking hot food will keep the house, and yourself cooler. Eat fruits and vegetables that are high in water content to keep yourself hydrated like melon and cucumber. I can always tell that it’s time to lose a few pounds when I start to feel warmer than usual. Not always, but often in the extreme heat my appetite diminishes, so it’s a great time of year to lose a few pounds, and you really will feel cooler when you have less insulation on your body.
What to Drink:
Drink plenty of water, and make sure to drink water before you feel thirsty. Our body’s thirst response is one of our weakest biofeedback signals. Although it’s certainly possible to drink too much water, you can actually kill yourself by drinking too much water, which would have to be gallons of it, most people in America are chronically dehydrated. While electrolyte water is great for when you need instant hydration, drinking too much of it can lead to kidney stones. Bottle water is bad for the environment in so many ways, from where it’s sourced from, to the amount of petroleum it takes to ship. The average bottle of water uses ¼ of its volume in gas or diesel to transport it to its destination. However, it’s better to drink bottled water than die of dehydration or poisoned by non-potable tap water. For everyone else who can safely drink their tap water, I suggest filtering it, and then taking re-fillable bottles of water when you go out of the house.
Eventually you will probably get tired of drinking water, and I suggest that you avoid sugary soft drinks, juices, and especially drinks with caffeine during extreme heat. Caffeine dehydrates us, and when stuck inside all day, can make us feel anxious, so after your cup or two of coffee in the morning, lay off for the rest of the day. My favorite way to stay hydrated is to either make non-caffeinated herbal tea and let it cool, and then drink it on ice, or to infuse pitchers of water with slices of fruit and cucumber so that it at least has a subtle flavor. Also, reduce your alcohol consumption since that really dehydrates you.
Pets:
Keep your pets safe in the heat, they have no one else to do it, and you are their only protector and advocate. For dogs, make sure you walk them first thing in the morning, and take every precaution to keep them from burning their paws on hot concrete. It doesn’t even have to be that hot for the asphalt or concrete to heat up to the point of injuring their paws. When I see people out here in the desert it makes me so mad, I wish I could walk their owners on bare feet on the sizzling asphalt and see how they liked it. You can literally fry an egg on the street or sidewalk during the summer here, why on earth would you subject your pet to that? This is why, although it’s great to remove your turf lawns and switch to desert landscaping, if you have a dog, I suggest keeping a small patch so that they still have a place to use when they need to relieve themselves, better yet put up a sunshade on that area for the summer.
Cats and dogs alike need plenty of water in the summer, and a cool surface to sprawl out and wait out the heat of the day. If you have carpeted floors in your home, put a smooth cotton pillow case or sheet down on the floor. Better yet, use a large porcelain or stone tile, or even a big stone cutting board on the floor. The carpet is so hot for them and is insulating their body-heat, so giving them something smooth and cool to lay out on is a huge relief for them. After all, they have fur coats to keep the heat inside rather than evaporate it away. I picked up a large 2x3 ft remnant porcelain tile at my local tile store to give my cats a cold surface in my carpeted primary bedroom.
Shed Those Clothes!:
My last piece of advice is to suggest that if privacy allows, you remove some layers of clothing. If there’s no one around to see you, why be uncomfortable and run your AC at a cooler temperature than you need to? Your skin was made to evaporate the heat from your body, so why make that natural process less efficient by covering up with clothing? Place a towel or washable blanket over your favorite chair or sofa. It’s amazing how much you can sweat just sitting down, so don’t get your upholstered furniture sweaty when you can just sweat onto a towel that gets washed.
Please take this heat wave seriously, it’s going to be extremely hot in many areas closer to the coast that do not typically get this high level of heat. When it comes to extreme heat, you have to adapt to it, it won’t adapt to you. So for this time period, change your routines and your activities to prioritize your health and safety. Even if it upends your typical routine and schedule, it’s worth it if it keeps you and your loved ones safe.
Thank you so much for reading,
All the best,
William Z. Brennan (but you can call me Will) & Desert Mountain Apothecary
The Original Desert Apothecary for Mind Body & Spirit: Desert Mountain Apothecary – Desert Roots & Mountain Botanicals
About William Z. Brennan:
William Z. Brennan is a natural lifestyle expert, founder of Desert Mountain Apothecary & author of upcoming e-book Natural Lifestyle Optimization.
Supreme Spiritual Siphon – Drawing from Wild Desert Roots & Grateful Mountain Botanicals
About Desert Mountain Apothecary:
The original desert apothecary for mind, body & spirit: desert roots & desert mountain botanicals: Desert Mountain Apothecary by William Z. Brennan. Supremely natural natural skincare & botanical fragrance hand made with love from the purest natural source plant-based ingredients.
About Natural Lifestyle Optimization:
William Z. Brennan is the author of upcoming e-book Natural Lifestyle Optimization, a new way of harnessing habits and routines towards a transformation and renewal of mind, body & spirit. Pre-order your copy of Natural Lifestyle Optimization today!
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