With another week coming to a close, talkheath’s weekly round-up of the top news in the world of health is here. This week, health news has been dominated by the prolonged heatwave currently affecting the UK. With this in mind, we’ll be taking a closer look at the weather, how it can impact your health and wellbeing and what you can do to minimise any potential risks. So, let’s begin.
The effect of a heatwave
The UK is currently experiencing one of the longest heatwaves in recent history. In fact, studies suggest that these rising heatwaves may become the normal within the next generation’s lifetime. And it’s not just the UK, Spain and Portugal could break European heat records. While this is a great excuse to abscond to beer gardens, get the barbeques out and revel in the glorious sun, there are some obvious, and not so obvious, risks that come alongside the sunshine.
During particularly hot summer months, there is a sharp rise in the pollen count which can trigger hayfever, an increased risk of skin cancer and the heat can even impact your daily exercise routine. Alongside this, a new report has also found that there has been a sharp increase in the amount of insect bites being reported to the NHS 111 number. There has also been new research exploring the psychological impacts of a heatwave, where the studies found that there was a telling change to how people act during prolonged exposure to heat.
While this may all sound doom and gloom, there is plenty you can do to help alleviate the risks and ensure that the sun is a reason to rejoice!
The guide to surviving a heatwave
One of the most prevalent risks of a heatwave is the increased threat of skin cancer. With recent research finding that many people are applying sunscreen incorrectly, it is worth stating that taking care of your skin during these hot periods is of upmost importance. There are plenty of other risks associated with UV rays, which you can find out more about here.
Luckily, if you’re looking for the best way to keep safe during these sunny months, take a look at this guide from The Telegraph giving you some helpful pointers on how to take care of your skin and avoid getting burnt to minimise the risks of skin cancer.
If you suffer with hayfever, then this guide from the Independent has a range of tips and tricks to help you deal with the symptoms and triggers.
From a wellbeing point of view, there’s a guide on maintaining your exercise routine and another on how to ensure you get a good night’s sleep from The Independent and i news, respectively, that would be worth a read.
If you are after further guidance and support, our talkmenshealth and talkwomenshealth sections of the website have a huge range of articles that can help too.
So, that’s it for this week’s round up. If you want to continue the conversation, head over to our forums. For now, goodbye, and enjoy the sun!
talkhealth
This is the talkhealth blog spot, where we post on a wide range of health conditions, topics, issues and concerns. We post when we see something that we believe is of interest to our visitors. Our posts do not reflect any particular view or standpoint of talkhealth, but are merely to raise attention and awareness.
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