The expert warned about the danger of sudden cooling in the heat

Trying to cool off on a hot summer day by going to a store or office with a powerful air conditioner, or getting into an icy shower after the beach, can lead to serious consequences for the body. On Tuesday, May 26, Nikolay Zenchenko, senior lecturer at the Department of Physics and Technical Mechanics of the RTU MIREA, warned about this.

"When a person stays in the heat for a long time, his body actively cools down through perspiration and dilation of skin vessels to release heat into the environment. The blood vessels on the periphery are dilated, and blood rushes to the surface of the body to release excess heat. At this moment, the core temperature of the body is maintained at a normal level due to the powerful operation of thermoregulation mechanisms," he explained in an interview with Lenta.Ru .

When a person abruptly enters an air-conditioned room where the temperature is 10-15 degrees lower, heated sweat evaporates sharply from the surface of the skin, which causes it to cool down sharply, and the body does not have time to adapt. There is an instant vasoconstriction in the cold and peripheral vessels spasm, he added.

"The blood that has just been actively circulating near the surface is sharply redistributed to the internal organs. This creates a sharp pressure drop and additional stress on the heart and blood vessels. This is especially dangerous for people with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, as well as for the elderly," the expert said.

He added that instead of a gradual decrease in body temperature, heat stroke occurs "on the contrary" — hypothermia on the background of overheating. This condition is no less dangerous than heat stroke, Zenchenko warned.

The specialist stressed that after a long stay in the sun, it is absolutely forbidden to dive into icy water, pour cold water from a hose or get up under a very cold shower — a sharp spasm of blood vessels can be so strong that it will cause cardiac arrest. That's why doctors recommend cooling down gradually, allowing the body to get used to it.

"The ideal way to cool off in the heat is to go into the shade, drink warm water (it is absorbed faster than ice water), wipe your face and neck with a damp towel at room temperature. And it is better to adjust the air conditioner not to +18 degrees, but to the difference from the street temperature of 5-7 degrees," Zenchenko concluded.

Scorched by the sun: an abnormal heat wave is coming to Central Russia

The weather in the capital will return to the climatic norm only on the evening of May 22, meteorologists predict.

On the same day, methodologist Svetlana Khan said that air conditioners in public transport help to tolerate the heat, but a strong stream of cold air can harm your health, RT reports.

Earlier, on May 23, Tuvio brand product manager Irina Babayants told Izvestia that with the onset of the warm season, many people are starting to use humidifiers more often, hoping to make the microclimate in the house more comfortable. However, in summer, improper operation of the appliance can lead to stuffiness, condensation, dampness, and mold.

Interior designer and architect Maria Borovskaya said that it is possible to reduce the temperature in an apartment without air conditioning by using blackout curtains with a reflective layer that creates an air gap between them and the window, writes RIAMO.

In turn, nutritionist Anton Polyakov named food and drinks that should be discarded in 30-degree heat. The specialist noted that alcohol should be excluded from the diet, as it contributes to the loss of body fluids. According to him, coffee and tea have a similar effect, NSN reports.