Summertime can be fun for the whole family, but you should stay aware of potential health dangers.
Try these tips to keep you and your family safe in the summer sun:
Don’t forget the sunscreen. Unprotected exposure to the sun not only causes painful sunburn. It also increases your risk for skin cancer and skin damage. Protect yourself by selecting a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or more, which guards against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Apply 30 minutes before going outside, even on cloudy days.
Reapply every two hours and each time you get out of the water, even if the sunscreen is water-resistant.
Drink up. Water is vital to your well-being, especially in rising temperatures. You can avoid dangerous heat-related illnesses, such as dehydration, heatstroke and heat exhaustion, by drinking plenty of water to replace what you lose through sweating.
In hot weather, men should aim to drink at least 15.5 cups of fluid daily, while women should try to drink 11.5 cups.
Teach the kids how to swim. Swimming is an important life skill. Most children are ready to learn to swim by their fourth birthday.
Learning basic water survival skills, such as floating and treading water, will help reduce their risks of drowning.
Stay on watch. Designate an adult who will pay close attention to the children in the water during pool parties, even those who know how to swim.
Sources: American Academy of Family Physicians; American Academy of Pediatrics; AARP