Elderly, children and frail people these days should stay home and cool. But even those who don’t have particular pathologies and divide themselves between work and sporting activities must be extremely careful: the heat wave that has hit Italy will not give a break for several days. According to the Ministry of Health, today the red dot will touch 8 cities: in addition to Rome and Rieti, we add Florence, Frosinone, Latina, Perugia (all four in red tomorrow too), and then Bolzano and Turin. The inhabitants of Bologna, on the other hand, will have to defend themselves from the heat starting tomorrow. The other cities, from north to south, today 6 and tomorrow 4, have the orange alert, which indicates the health risk only for the most fragile; all the other urban centers instead remain in a state of pre-alert (yellow dot). In Genoa and Naples, on the other hand, tomorrow you will be able to sleep peacefully (both in green).
Heat, red alert for 72 hours in Rome and seven other cities: here’s how to defend yourself
THE RECOMMENDATIONS
However, to prevent the heat from spoiling rest, especially for the approximately 12 million Italians who suffer from insomnia with anxiety, nervousness, moodiness, headaches and muscle tension, just follow a few simple rules, starting from when you go to the table. Indeed, as Coldiretti suggests, it is preferable to consume simple foods without heavy condiments, as well as fruit and vegetables. So it’s better not to have watermelons, melons, apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries, medlars and plums in your shopping cart, depending on your tastes, which «help fight the stuffiness, hydrate and fill up on natural vitamins. While among the vegetables that promote sleep – the association recalls – lettuce is in first place, followed by red radicchio and garlic». It goes without saying that efforts to keep away from insomnia become in vain if during the day we are unable to give up chocolate, cocoa, tea, coffee and of course spirits. Spicy dishes with curry, pepper, paprika or too much salt, canned ready-made products and stock cube soups also end up on the blacklist. However, the alternative is within everyone’s reach. «It is important to favor foods which, in balanced portions – suggests Coldiretti – help to relax: from pasta to rice, from barley to bread, perhaps eaten cold in the form of salads, while legumes, boiled eggs, , fish, fresh cheeses. Seasonal fruit is excellent which, with its simple natural sugars, helps to raise serotonin».
THE RISKS
The harmful effects of heat on health, especially for those taking medicines, are already known. This is why, to avoid harmful consequences for those at risk, as the Italian Red Cross summarizes in ten tips with the #earth effect campaign, common sense behavior must be followed, starting from when you go shopping in the morning: better to get up early ‘hour before and go out in the coolest hours, and if possible to stretch out a bit it is advisable to take a walk in the parks and in the wooded areas; the presence of vegetation, in fact, lowers the temperature by several degrees. You must also have everything you need to hydrate, for example with a bottle of fresh water, and to protect yourself from the sun’s rays, therefore wearing a hat, after having protected yourself with a sunscreen in any case. Be careful, then, not to neglect clothing: «Loose clothes and light, natural and light-colored fabrics can help regulate body temperature». But even when you stay at home, you need to follow some tricks to avoid feeling suffocated by the heat. «If you don’t have an air conditioner or want to limit its use – the Red Cross points out – keep the rooms cool by keeping windows and shutters closed during the day and opening them in the evening. If you use the air conditioner, do not exceed 5 degrees of difference with the outside. While, if you use a fan, remember not to point it directly at you or other people». If you experience heatstroke, you should seek medical help.
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