How Dialysis Patients Can Beat The Heat During Summer

Some of the tips dialysis patients must follow to beat the heat during summer include drinking ample amounts of water, staying in the shade, avoiding Sun exposure, wearing sunglasses, consuming fruits

Summertime is approaching, which means kidney patients will experience warmer weather, longer days, and more challenges. They should follow simple tips to stay cool in summers and beat the heat.

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By Dr Apeksha Ekbote

Summertime is approaching, which means kidney patients will experience warmer weather, longer days, and more challenges. They should follow simple tips to stay cool in summers and beat the heat. These include drinking ample amounts of water, staying in the shade, avoiding Sun exposure, wearing sunglasses, consuming fruits, reducing the consumption of salt and sugar, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, and refraining from staying outdoors for too long, among others.

The following are some tips mentioned in detail.

• Try to stay in the shade and limit exposure to the sun that can cause perspiration and increase the urge to drink more fluids
• Wear sunglasses when you venture out to protect yourself from the heat 
• Wear light clothing preferably cottons 
• While drinking fluids, sip slowly rather than gulping the whole glass down. Use small measuring cups instead of large glasses. Sipping will let you savour the liquid longer
• Snack on frozen or cold fruits to help quench thirst
• Use mouthwash, sugar-free mints, gum, sour candy or lemon to quench your thirst
• Both salt and sugar attract water, and consuming them in large quantities can lead to increased thirst. Hence reduce the intake of salted foods and sweets so that you do not feel thirsty
• Brush or gargle frequently to keep your mouth fresh and throat moist 
• Cucumbers can be taken as salad to keep yourself cool and also quench the thirst
• You can savour chilled hung curd and its recipes such as a frozen yogurt or shrikhand 
• Have medicines with food so that you do not drink additional water during the day
• Avoid drinking caffeine or alcohol or ingesting large amounts of sugar, as these can actually cause your body to lose more fluids
• Stay Indoors - Restrict outdoor activities to the cooler parts of the day – early mornings before 11.00 am or late evenings after 5.00 pm
• Apply a moisturiser that contains aloe vera on sunburned skin. Sunburns slow the skin's ability to cool itself off

Simple tips if rightly followed can help you stay cool, prevent dehydration and fluid overload this summer. 

(The author is the chief dietician at NephroPlus).

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