Drink water, avoid carbonated drinks: Doctors issue dos and don’ts to beat summer heat

Srinagar: Doctors have advised people to drink plenty of water as mercury soars across Kashmir.

For the last few days, Kashmir is witnessing hot weather as temperature crossed 33 degree Celsius.

Tuesday was the hottest day of the season.  Even the night temperature too showed an upward trend as the mercury settled at 19 degree Celsius on Tuesday.

Doctors have advised people to stay hydrated to beat the summer heat.

Head, Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Dr Muhammad Saleem Khan told The Kashmir Monitor that people should at least drink 2-3 liters of water each day.

“Intake of fluids becomes necessary for people during hot weather conditions. A person should drink at least 2-3 liters of water daily to avoid dehydration. People should not come under the direct sun also as dehydration could affect them,” he said.

Dr. Khan also advised people to avoid caffeinated and carbonated drinks.

“Caffeinated and carbonated (cold drinks) drinks could lead to frequent urination which means loss of water in the body. People should prefer to drink natural juices and water to avoid complications in summer,” he said.

Another expert Dr Mohammad Asif Lone said the children and elderly are more prone to dehydration during the current heat wave.

“Children, elderly and pregnant women should take utmost care to mitigate the impact of hot weather.  Dizziness, sweating profusely, and muscular cramps could be common among children due to dehydration. All these age groups should drink abundant water and stay indoors when the sun is overhead,” he said.

“On hot days, infants should be fed more breast milk. Water should be avoided especially for up top six months old infants,” he added.

Dr. Lone said the parents should advise children to stay indoors during hot weather.

“Parents can play indoor games with children such as carom, board games such as snake and ladder, chess, and ludo, read and listens to music,” he said.

Meanwhile, the MeT department has predicted hot weather to persist till June 23.