Stay Hydrated, Stay Happy: 10 Fun Ways to Beat the Heat! 💧☀️
It’s hot out. It’s been hot out all week and it’s gonna be sweltering for the next few days. I know weather talk is painful in it’s own right, but as autistic people we might:
🥵 be heat sensitive
🥵 struggle to hear the signals that tell us when we’re getting hot or overheating
🥵 be taking medications that increase heat intolerance (ADHD medication, anti-psychotics, the contraceptive pill and antidepressants can all do this)
In Monday’s support group session, we spoke about how the heat can be dysregulating and all of us were already starting to struggle.
Happening Soon… Autism support group sessions with spots available:
Staying hydrated can be a step towards managing dysregulation, so here are 10 hydration hacks to help you get through the heat.
Steep fruity tea in the fridge. You can steep in cold or hot water. Cold water is best done over night as it takes a while to steep. Hot water will steep the tea faster but then you need it to cool down. Either way, this one takes a bit of prep but IMO is very worth it.
Stock your fav ice lollies in the freezer. It’s better to have lollies over ice cream as they tend to have more water content, but obviously, go for whatever will keep you cool.
Drink sparkling flavoured water. This is for the sensory seekers who love a mouth sensation. You can also just drink sparkling water, no flavouring, but personally, I need a little something extra so I go for flavoured ones.
Eat water retentive foods. Think cucumber, melon, oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, soups and yogurt.
Drink juice. A tasty, sugar stacked alternative to water. Especially helpful if you struggle to eat in heat, it’ll help keep your energy up.
Take 5-10 sips of water between caffeinated drinks. This is a hack I *try* to stick to. I drink tea all day every day so I feel well liquidated (is that a proper use of that word? probably not), but I likely could be better hydrated. I think of this hack like task stacking, pairing sips of water with tea, a less enjoyable task with a more enjoyable one.
Add fruits or flavours to tap water. Squash is for adults too. If you want a little less sugar though, just add lemon, lime, berries, cucumber or even ginger to a glass of water.
Drink herbal tea. If you can hack a cup of something hot then this could be a good route to go down. I often end up with a mint tea in the evening, even when it's still boiling.
Carry a water bottle with you EVERYWHERE. If you’re going out it’s a must. If you’re in the house, it’s also a good idea. I tend to leave mine in the fridge for a little while or periodically add ice cubes to keep the water cool. You could also keep a separate bottle in the fridge and just top up a glass of cool water through the day.
Bonus tip from one of our support group attendees: Drink electrolytes. Adding these to some water can help you restore balance, especially if you’ve been sweating a lot through the heat.
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