Ansha Zaman
Summers might be fun, warm and colorful in all other parts of the world but in Bangladesh, particularly Dhaka city summers are anything but fun. Here, in Dhaka city the sun wears you down and there is no respite for you even in your home, thanks to the frequent load shedding taking place. But, you can still make the heat more bearable by taking a few precautions.
-Water. Drink lots and lots of water and you will have saved yourself from being dehydrated. Dehydration is one of the major threats the summer heat poses. With enough fluid in your body, the sweating would not make you lethargic and you will remain active throughout the day. Carry a water bottle in your backpack all the time. Take a sip or two whenever you have time. Carrying wet tissues with you also helps.
-Watch your eating and drinking habits. Avoid Coke, Sprite, Pepsi or any other fizzy drink. As much as you would like to gulp down a bottle of chilled coke on a hot summer day, you would be better off staying away from it. Carbonated drinks absorb the water from the body. During summer losing this moisture may cause a number of illnesses. Without the right amount of moisture in the body a person may even die of a heat stroke. So next time you are at a restaurant go for the fruit juice instead of Sprite. Steer clear of oily, junk food for the same reason you should avoid fizzy drinks. If you have to attend a wedding do not stuff yourself with oily dishes. They will make your summers sluggish and sleepy. Increase intake of Vitamin C. Sudden temperature changes faced by the body as you move out of your A.C. room to the hot Dhaka streets and vice-versa may cause you to develop cold. To build up your resistance against cold or allergies, Vitamin C will help.
-Use protection against UV rays. With the advent of global warming and increasing depletion of the ozone layer, risks of diseases caused by UV rays have increased. It is always better to apply sunscreen lotion before walking outdoors. They give protection against the UV rays, thus preventing the many diseases the sun’s rays cause. Wearing a hat or using an umbrella also helps. Using an umbrella has the added advantage of giving you shade from the scorching heat of the sun. Also wear sunglasses. They would protect your eyes from UV rays.
-Enjoy the summer. Summers may be hot and hard but the silver lining here is that it also brings with it a huge array of fruits and vegetables. Mangoes, lychees, jackfruits – you don’t get these fruits around the year. So, treat yourself to a glass cold fruit juice when you are feeling the heat too much. Sunny weather also provides you with the opportunity of going outdoors for sports. Take advantage of it while it lasts. A couple of more months and before you know it summer will be gone. Rainy season will have arrived and you will be left, cursing the drizzles and looking for ways to endure the cold, humid days.