#drink more water than you think you need! electrolytes too if you're gonna be outside for long!

[hylianengineer]

I'm really mad about how my university is handling the heat wave - or rather, not handling it. They haven't sent out any notices or warnings. They haven't told people what safety precautions they should be taking. They are flat-out refusing to acknowledge this as a public safety risk.

EXTREME HEAT IS A SAFETY RISK! Heat related illness can KILL PEOPLE!

But we're not gonna talk about that. We'll complain about the weather like we always do and then we'll move on with our lives.

[lizzyscribbles]

Okay but can we talk about the amount of electrolytes (sodium specifically) that Bakugo must need to consume to exist??

Weird thing to fixate on, I know, blame my degree, but think about this: His quirk relies on his ability to sweat, which means the more he sweats the more he can use it. The main thing you lose when you sweat is water and sodium, the longer you sweat, the more those leave your body, that's common sense. Sodium helps you retain water and maintain the fluid balance inside and outside your body, which is why you see it hanging out with water so much and why it's such an important electrolyte that gets lost easily. Yes, technically, you also lose magnesium and potassium, but you lose less of those in sweat than sodium.

Most people don't actually need to supplement electrolytes, even those who exercise regularly, (this is excluding those with illnesses, just considering the average person here), you can get what you need from plain water. Even some athletes don't necessarily need to, it tends to depend heavily on how long you exercise, which is why you see people who do ultramarathons or ironmans downing them. There's ways to test whether or not you actually need them, but suffice it to say, more often than not, just drinking normal water is perfectly fine.

But Bakugo?? There's no way that boy doesn't burn through sodium like it's a fucking competition.

See, the key to whether or not electrolyte supplementation is needed is often found in how long you exercise for, as well as the environmental conditions. Say, if you're exercising outside in the spring for like, thirty minutes to an hours, just water is going to be all you need. Contrast that with a hero course student who likely exercises excessively, multiple times a day, every day, and has a quirk that relies on sweat. That is a recipe for ✨disaster✨ and you know what I don't see on his, or LITERALLY ANY OTHER HERO'S, costume??

A WATER BOTTLE.

I don't care if it ruins the aesthetic you're going for, dude, get a freaking water bottle and some little electrolyte packets before you pass out. How have any of these kids not thought of having some form of water on them while hero-ing?? Like y'all gonna be out on patrol for HOURS without any source of hydration? What a great way to die!

Honestly though, how many times do you think Bakugo just keeled over as a kid? Like dehydration can be a sneaky little shit, and with a quirk like that I'm sure they became besties.

Honestly, I wonder if he does actually carry electrolyte drinks and packets around with him because of that. Like, Izuku had to drag his ass back home too many times while they were out playing as kids and he got tired of it so he spent forever researching different electrolyte brands and sleuthing out which had the best water to sodium to sugar ratio (because you do want some sugar in your electrolyte drinks, the sodium uses it as a quick transport to get where it needs to go) for optimal rehydration. And now he's like, hyperaware of the symptoms and anytime his classmates look even a tiny bit like they might be dehydrated he just storms up and starts throwing electrolytes at their face like:

"DRINK YOUR WATER YOU IDIOTS, DO YOU WANT SURVIVE THE FUCKING LEAGUE OF VILLAINS JUST TO DIE OF DEHYDRATION?? THAT'S FUCKING PATHETIC. SIT DOWN AND DRINK THAT BEFORE YOU PASS OUT, DUMBASS."

All while violently shaking a water bottle with the electrolyte powder to shove down their throat.

Aggressive love, yk? At least he's trying.

[meantforinfinitesadness]

Alright, fellow overnight worker here. I saw you answered mah ask about the whole summer thing. SO. A few follow up items, because as someone who has been doing this 10+ years (You couldn't tell that by how creepy I am? -hands you flowers in a big blue vase-) I want to give you as good a head start as I can.

Recommendation: Black out Vinyl that attaches to your window. You can either go the darkest tint film like on a car so you can still see outside during the daylight when you pull back your curtains, or do me and go full blackout. By that, I mean I ALSO got two sets of blackout curtains, and tin-foiled over the vinyl in a fit of paranoia, because I still got sunlight through the vinyl. (Don't ask. I've got really good night vision.)

Recommendation: Even IF you have central air, learn to sleep with a fan. Not a small one, a huge one, like a whirlpool. You don't have to set it up to be blowing directly on you or anything, I actually have mine set to drag air away from my bed, which helps keep me cool enough to sleep. (My AC unit is in my living room, so I have to leave my door propped open and two fans set up, one for intake and one for outgoing.)

Know your susceptibility to sunlight: This is gonna sound weird, but hear me out. Your body LOVES sunlight. 15 minutes a day probably doesn't feel like enough. As the length of daylight intensifies, so too will your body's interest in being awake during the day. When this happens, you need to do yourself a MAJOR favor and figure out just how much sunlight you can have before it starts giving you insomnia.

Don't forget your sunlight. I don't mean just getting into the car with your family, I mean actually standing outside in it and screaming (internally) your hatred for being outside in it (SUNSCREEN) before going back inside. I find early morning sunlight will mess my sleep schedule up like no tomorrow, so in the summer I try to get all of my sunlight in the mid-afternoon/evening, before my second set of sleep. (Yeah, I sleep twice a day, in 2-4 hour naps. I blame college. If I randomly start posting at you during the day and never at night again, I quit my job to finish college.)

Water. And if you can stomach it, some kind of electrolyte like Pedialite. Reason? Being up all night means you're not drinking during the hot parts of the day, and in your sleep you loose a lot more water than you think you do. Save yourself the Summer Headache, make sure you're getting enough fluids.

You might already be doing these things, which great! But if not, they're just recommendations for you, because I'd hate for you to wind up like me. LOL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!!!!!

I'm taking all of this into my brain and I'm very ready to utilize it all. This is very helpful. Seriously, thank you so much!!!

[disease-danger-darkness-silence]

Adding, as someone who's lived in a desert for most of their life:

Iodized salt is your friend. Get a big $1.50 container of Morton's. You can add a teaspoon and a half to a 20oz bottle of water and boom, electrolytes, in your water and thus your body.

Plan to eat cool things, like fruits, salads, and cold cut sandwiches. Not only do most them have extra water (have we mentioned water? Seriously. So much water) in them, but they'll keep you from feeling overheated.

Do not bake things. The oven WILL make you miserable if you're inside. In fact, try to keep the hot stuff to pressure cookers, instant pots, rice cookers, etc. They keep the heat contained, and you can usually conveniently vent that heat in a specific direction - like a fan blowing outside. In fact, if you have a BBQ or hot plate, consider doing as much cooking as possible outside.

Tip I learned from a friend going through menopause: get a brand-new bundle of bar rag style towels (usually come in 20 packs) from Walmart or something. Fold them, stack them, and stick them in your freezer, dry. If the heat gets completely unbearable, you can grab one, put it on the back of your neck to lower your temperature, and fold it back up to be put back into the freezer (if it's not too grungy). Obviously, this only works if you have power.

Speaking of power, if you have a car, they have all sorts of inverters. You can charge your phone off of your car, or even have power to chill some water if you have a desktop mini-fridge.

If you're like me and you work from home, and you're not leaving any time soon, wear like... The bare minimum. I am currently wearing thin leggings and a tank top with flip-flops. I haven't left the house in two days. On days where it's super hot? I'll literally just wear my underwear unless I have to be around our roommate.

If you have pets, change their water out as frequently as possible, and top it off regularly. They're (possibly) covered in fur and definitely not feeling awesome. If you have outdoor pets, keep them indoors with fans on, or pen them in a shady spot. Many fruits and veggies are pet-safe - ask a veterinarian or rescue group what would be best to feed to your particular pet cold. Dogs like frozen treats. Cats do too. There are tons of recipes out there.

If you feel overheated you probably are. Drink water and follow all of the advice in OPs post. If you're able to, a quick sluice in a cool shower will help. Air dry, don't towel off.

If you're feeling dehydrated, you probably are. Don't guzzle the water if you feel like you may be dehydrated. Slow, small sips until you start to feel better, or small slices of melon, apple, or orange.

Avoid caffeine where possible. If you must have it, have it cold and follow it with an equal amount of water. If, like me, you have ADHD and have to take amphetamines every day, drink like... A lot more water than you think you should. You should probably always have a bottle of water in your hand and just be sipping it constantly.

This is the time to stop giving a fuck. An undercut haircut will make you feel SO much less overheated. If you're OK being bald, buzz that shit (and use good sunscreen or get a hat, bc your scalp will burn). Hair is heavy and, by nature, designed to hold heat in. An undercut is a good balance for people who aren't comfortable going bald. Another option is just to get thinning shears and go to town.

Charge all of your shit every day, even if it's not your habit. You never know when your power is gonna go out - rolling blackouts are the norm in drought/heat wave conditions. And you will be bored as FUCK, so make sure you have books, cards, etc. on-hand.

Because of the power issue, try and stock up on stuff you can eat without needing to heat it up (that lasts for a while). Snack foods like chips, crackers, granola bars, etc. Are a good option, but don't forget canned stuff - it's all pre-cooked. It's not the most pleasant or healthy dinner, but I've definitely made myself a meal of cold chef boyardee ravioli and canned green beans. It's calories.

It's wasteful, but if you get to a legitimate drought situation you're gonna need to conserve water so consider getting some disposable plates, cups, cutlery, etc. So you don't have to wash dishes as often. It also conserves your energy, which the heat leeches off of you.

Breathe. It's awful but if you're careful you'll be fine.

How to Stay Cool Without A/C

A lot of Northerners were very kind during the freeze in Texas this winter with tips on how to stay warm for people who had lost heat. This is an attempt to repay that favor for people in the Pacific Northwest and other northerly locations who are facing dangerous heatwaves without built-in A/C. My qualifications to give this advice are that I was a summer camp attendee and counselor with no A/C for many summers in humid-ass central Texas with highs over 100F basically every day. Hopefully some of it will be of use to somebody who isn’t used to the heat.

1) PUT ICE WATER IN YOUR BODY. Ice water is your best friend and the #1 way to drop your body temp. Drink more than you think you need (like, at least a half-gallon a day and closer to a gallon or more if you have to be outside doing manual work all day) to cool your insides down and stay hydrated. Have some bananas, trail mix, or a sports drink to help replace the electrolytes you’re sweating out and keep you from getting cramps, but try to have most of your fluid intake be water. I used to take a giant water bottle, fill it part way with water, and freeze it on its side so the ice would slowly melt over the course of the day and my water would stay cold longer.

2) PUT ICE WATER ON YOUR BODY. Cold water, ice, or a damp rag on your head and neck, the backs of your knees, the insides of your elbows, and under your armpits will help you cool down the best, because your blood runs close to the surface in those places. Cold packs designed for injuries or lunchboxes, bags of frozen vegetables, etc. can substitute for ice water as well. Even room-temp water will pull heat away from your body better than body-temp sweat will, especially if it’s humid, so if you don’t have enough ice, the sink, bathtub, or hose will do fine. Dipping your feet into cool water helps a ton as well if you have to sit and work and don’t want your clothes to be wet.

3) WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GET SO MUCH ICE?  To make sure you have enough ice to last you the weekend, especially through a potential power failure, I recommend getting a cooler (even one of the cheap styrofoam ones is fine in a pinch) and ~10lbs of ice from the big coolers at most gas stations, drug stores, or grocery stores. Try to do this now, before anybody loses power, and store as much in your freezer as you have space for to keep it from melting. You can use it for drinking or to keep your food cold in a power failure. You can use it for a party later if you don’t end up needing it during the heat wave, but you will probably be very happy you had it.

4) AIR FLOW. Being inside a room with the windows closed is the worst possible place to be if you don’t have A/C, because glass windows create a greenhouse effect and the hot air can’t escape. If at all possible, find a shaded place outside where you can catch any possible breeze. If not, open all your windows and, if it’s safe, doors so you can get a cross-breeze. Hopefully you have window screens to keep pets and kids in and bugs out. If not, you’re gonna have to do your own risk assessment. Fans of all sizes and descriptions are your friend; ceiling fans should be set to spin counterclockwise in summer. Even if you have A/C, finding or making a handheld fan will be worthwhile for when you have to venture outside. If you aren’t in a situation where you need to conserve ice, blowing air over a cooler full of ice will give you a makeshift A/C. 

5) SHADE. You will probably immediately notice that direct sunlight is a miserable place to be when it’s super hot. Find or make a shaded location, and don’t be afraid to move around to avoid the sun as the day goes on. Stay on the shady side of the sidewalk whenever you walk someplace. Try to shade your windows as best you can without obstructing airflow using blinds, curtains, shutters, etc. especially if they’re directly in the path of the sun. Do not be a jerk to your neighbors if their shade solutions are ugly. If you can get a shade for your car windshield, I highly recommend it, as the steering wheel, dashboard, seatbelts, and even seats can quickly become too hot to touch in a sealed car and will hold that heat for a long time.

6) CLOTHING. Light-colored, loose clothing that is as close to 100% cotton or linen as you can find is your friend. It doesn’t necessarily have to be short as long as it’s breathable. You will sweat through anything you wear, so I personally prefer only wearing machine-washable stuff. Sun hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, aloe gel for sunburns, mosquito repellent, anti-chafing supplies, etc are all worth looking into if you aren’t used to spending time in the heat.

7) TIMING. Try to stay out of the sun and avoid doing anything strenuous in the middle of the day when the heat is the worst. If you have a choice, plan to be more active early in the morning and late at night when the temperature is more bearable, and take a break in the middle of the afternoon.

Here’s a graphic from the CDC about how to recognize heat-related illnesses and what to do about them. I will add to this that if it’s hot and you stop sweating, you are getting to a dangerous level of dehydration and need to drink something BEFORE you start having more serious problems.