HOLIDAYMAKERS have been urged to avoid carrying around backpacks if they want to avoid heat exhaustion this summer.
As temperatures soar in top holiday destinations – and in the UK – tourists should prioritise keeping cool.
A backpack is the most convenient thing to carry around your things on holiday.
It’s hands-free, stores a lot of stuff and distributes weight well.
However, it could be making you feel a lot worse in the heat than you realise.
Backpacks tend to trap a lot of heat, Washington Post reports.
Holidaymakers are therefore better off opting for a lighter or looser design of bag like a cross-body.
As of recent times, the number of people seeking NHS advise on heat exhaustion have surged as temperatures soar across the UK.
Heat exhaustion occurs when your body gets too hot and it doesn’t usually need emergency medical help if you can cool down within 30 minutes.
But if you can’t cool down within than time, it might turn into heatstroke, which needs to be treated as an emergency.
Signs of heat exhaustion include:
If someone is showing signs of heat exhaustion, they need to be cooled down and given fluids.
The NHS advises moving them to a cool place, removing unnecessary clothing, giving them a rehydration drink or cool water and cooling their skin with water, a fan or cold packs wrapped in a cloth.
If their condition doesn’t start to improve after 30 minutes of resting in a cool place, call 999.
The UK Health Security Agency advised you follow these tips to reduce your risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke:
Source: UKHSA
