Grace Cottage Hospital’s Summer Safety Tips

How Grace Cottage’s Computer Department Stays Cool
(Tips are thanks to Wickipedia,a web-based encyclopedia)

• Wrap a piece of ice in a washcloth and hold it against the inside of your wrist. Never use ice by itself; make sure it is wrapped in fabric. Studies show that this will reduce your core body temperature by as much as three degrees Farenheit!

• Wear a short-sleeved shirt and put water on the sleeves. If there is a breeze or fan blowing on you, you will actually feel cold. Use a squirt bottle or a hose, if outside, to keep your sleeves wet.

• Drink water, even if you are not thirsty! You must replace fluids lost in perspiration to prevent dehydration. Avoid lemonade, iced tea, and other sugary drinks. Adding ice to water you drink does not actually help you cool off; the colder the water, the more energy your body spends getting it to body temperature!

• Keep the air flowing by turning on a fan. Do not make a fan out of paper and use it to wave air past your face and neck. Contrary to popular belief, the activity created by waving actually burns calories and raises your core temperature.

• Prepare your home against the heat. In the evening, open windows and use fans to create a cross-breeze. Before the sun hits the building the next morning, close windows, blinds, and curtains, and keep doors and windows closed throughout the day until it is cooler outside than it is inside. Then open everything up again.

• Eat less. Smaller meals with less protein will reduce metabolic heat. Whatever you do eat should be cool and not require heat to be prepared (e.g. salads, sandwiches, etc.)

• Take a glass and fill it almost to the brim with ice cubes. Then hold it up to your mouth and blow gently into the cup. The ice causes the air you are blowing into the cup to cool down drastically, and since the air only has one way out of the cup (the hole which should now be aiming right at your face) the cold air is forced out over your skin. This is a great alternative to air conditioning and is very simple.

• Eat spicy food. It’s not a coincidence that many people in hotter regions of the world eat spicy food. Spicy (hot to the taste) food increases perspiration which cools the body as it evaporates.
  

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