HOW TO KEEP COOL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 88, 31 January 1947, Page 6

HOW TO KEEP COOL

If you are a victim of summer wilt, here are simple tricks to perk you up.

There's hardly a conversation between two wilted summer sufferers that doesn't begin with a listless sigh and a plaintive remark about the weather. As your spirits descend in ratio to the rising mercury, it becomes oppressively clear that mortals are far better equipped to withstand the rigours of cold than the seemingly inescapable onslaught of heat. But what can be done about it? Actually, plenty. According to doctors, ventilation engineers, dietitians and sundry citizens who have delved deeply into the problem of how to survive the heat and retain the spirit, it's just a question of how to go about it.

"There are two types of heat regulation in the human body. The first is increased or decreased formation of heat; the second is increased or decreased release of heat. Thus the body, as a unit, is very much like a room. If the room is too hot, you have two possibilities; either open the window or shut off the radiator.

In the body, the radiator is the metabolism, the internal glands that manufacture heat. The windows are the sweat glands and pores that release the heat. So what you want to do in December is shut down your internal radiator and open up your skin windows.

The best way to accomplish this is to steer clear of body heat-gen-erators, and gear yourself to heat releasers. Heavy foods, excitement and physical motion, for instance, all tend to step up the metabolism and consequently accelerate your internal radiator. Heavy makeup and tight-fitting clothes are among the things which interfere with the release of heat in the way nature intended.

If you choose your foods according to their weight and digestibility rather than their apparent coolness, you'll be much more comfortable in the long run. In other words, when the heat wave comes, let your internal self take it easy as well as your external self.

One of the most disagreeable and bitterly complained of aspects of hot weather is perspiration. People just don't like to perspire. But if you are among the ninety per cent, of humans who can perspire, you should rejoice, even if you do hate to feel sticky. People who' can't perspire are worse off by far. Perspiration serves to release internal heat, and the moisture also cools the skin in the process of drying. People who can't perspire store up a burning heat within, causing heat exhaustion and even fainting spells. If you have the natural distaste for looking wilted and drenched and want to go out in the evening looking pert and chipper, the best way to go about it is to work up a good sweat in the afternoon, fol low with a moderate shower and relax for an hour. You'll be at your crispest all evening. Go easy on the liquids, though—especially sweet or alcoholic beverage. The your body has to get rid of through more you drink the more fluid your body has to get rid of through the pores. Agreeable as it may sound, "a nice cold bath" in summertime doesn't help to cool you off. A cold bath constricts the blood vessels and prevents your normal dissipation of heat. A bath or shower at moderate temperature, on the other hand, soothes the system, releases internal heat and allows the body to slow dov/n its metabolic pace and thus cool off. A helpful tip about summer bathing is not to rub yourself dry with a towel. Instead, blot yourself dry—gently. Almost every household has an electric fan tucked away somewhere, but according to the manufacturers the successful use of the fan for cooling purposes is not widely recognised. To be comfortable and healthful, air should circulate in an ordinary-sized room once every two minutes, or thirty times per hour. When the body is overheated, it attracts a blanket of stale air around it. Air can only absorb so much moisture, and when the stale allaround you is saturated, your clothes begin to cling, you feel sticky, and you think you're a lot hotter than you are. A fan should be made to serve a double purpose; to circulate the air and to substitute for an airconditioning unit. Here is an easy way to make fans very useful. They can be set up by yourself for room comfort. The first involves only a bucket and a chunk of ice. Put the bucket of ice on the floor, set the fan next to it and direct its pressure right on the ice. During the daytime close the windows so that hot air can't come in and in a very short while your room

wil be as comfortable as an air-con-ditioned theatre. Because a house naturally accumulates heat, keeping it cool is a problem. The roof, the walls, the mortar, and even the furniture accumulate and retain heat. Hot air rises and, in summer, the average attic goes up. to 130 degrees F. and over.

If this hot air has no way of escape, it gradually permeates the rest of the house. By keeping the attic and cellar windows open at night, a natural chimney is created that sucks cool air into the house. By placing the fan in front of the open window facing out, a draft is created that will cool and circulate air throughout the entire house. It may sound silly to have your fan blowing out of the window, but in many cases it has been found to work much better than having it blowing into the room. Rooms that have two windows facing out in different directions, providing na-. tural cross-ventilation, can best be cooled on hot. still nights by placing the fan on a table in front of one of the open windows, facing outward. The fan so placed drives out the warm air and draws in cooler air to replace it and brings about a lively circulation through the room. Many people who live in city flats swear by large, leafy plants strategically placed in their rooms. It is no botanical secret that living plants, greens and ferns purify and oxygenise the air. So aside from the verdant psychological effect of foliage, it really does help cool a room. Plants also help absorb humidity by drawing moisture from the air.

The day has fortunately passed when women have to suffer to be beautiful. In summertime especially the fair sex can be a great deal more comfortable than men. An upsweep hairdo, a light dress, a pair of sandals and a generous sprinkling of eau de cologne is what the welldressed woman dons to keep her temperature down. Working housewives can find respite from the heat by taking occasional hot foot-baths, which serve to draw the blood away from the head. Running cool water on the wrists and cold application on the back of the neck are tried and true methods. Change of clothing, especially shoes and stockings, have a cooling effect. Boosts the morale, too.

Most important of all in the business of keeping cool is inner quiet. Don't rush, don't hurry, don't bustle. Try to maintain an imperturbable calm and treat minor annoyances casually. People of warm climates are noted for their easy-going attitudes; they've wisely adapted slowmotion because it's the only way to be comfortable in the heat.