Sunburn, Dehydration and Fatigue: The Best Ways to Protect yourself and Enjoy Summer

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Erin Brockmeyer, GoLocalPDX Natural Health Expert

Too much sun? This time of year, Portlanders are so starved for sun that they neglect to account for the pastiness of their skin or the heat of the day. Too much time in the sun can leave you vulnerable to a host of problems, the 3 most common of which are the subject of this article. Find out about the complications from and the simple ways to combat sunburn, fatigue and dehydration so you can take full advantage of the summer.

Sunburn

This is one of the most obvious and painful of the sun-related injuries. Whether you burn or not, skin damage will happen if you don’t protect yourself in the sun. Sunscreen is seen as the obvious solution these days, but ideally that would be something that you only use on a limited basis. Vitamin D is a great thing and it can be challenging to get enough of this vital vitamin when you live in the Pacific Northwest, so you don’t want to completely skip the sun exposure by relying too heavily on sunblock.

More important is to choose your sun wisely. Avoid the direct sun during the most intense times of the day (typically regarded as 10-4), and stick to indirect sunlight and shade during the hotter times. If you can’t (or don’t want to) avoid peak sun hours, then covering up is ideal, wearing hats and loose-fitting clothing with a tight knit. If you are going to be in the sun, opt for a sunscreen that meets the Environmental Working Group’s sunscreen list. To find out how much protection your sunscreen will afford you, check out the simple equation laid out by the American Skin Association.

If you have ignored all of the above recommendations, there are some foolproof ways to soothe sunburn.

First and best known is aloe. If you are prone to sunburn, it is a good idea to have some aloe on hand. Keep a plant at your house, or a real aloe (no added chemicals) gel in your medicine cabinet. Apply liberally post sunburn.

The other thing that works incredibly well is Vitamin E in the form of oil or lotion (aloe first, vitamin E next). Then take a healthy dose of Vitamin C. I prefer about 1000 mg, but you can safely take between 500-2000 mg twice/day depending on your digestive integrity. Vitamin C is water soluble, so if you get too much you will have diarrhea. Vitamin C helps speed tissue repair, which is vital during a sunburn. You can also pop an anti-inflammatory OTC medication like ibuprofen. It doesn’t take much, and you should always follow the directions on the package.

Lastly, for your sleeping comfort, wearing close-fitting clothes (contrary to what you might think), can provide you with protection from all those little things (like your bedding) that might tough and irritate your sunburn. For instance, instead of shorts or pajama pants, which themselves can irritate a sunburn on your legs, sleep in leggings. It will feel painful to put them on, but will allow for a better night of sleep. Follow these steps, and the next morning you will feel much better!

Fatigue

The heat wave that hit Portland a few weeks ago had many of my acupuncture patients complaining of a deep intense fatigue. A lot of you are like precious flowers in the sun, and you wilt just like they do. A lot of that fatigue comes from too much sun exposure. The sun kicks in a host of chemical reactions in your body, and even though some of these are advantageous (think Vitamin D), they can cause fatigue.

Your body temperature rises from being in the sun, and when you get hot your body uses a lot of energy trying to keep you cool, which leads to fatigue. Some people are much more sensitive to this process than are others, and those are the people who tend to be lethargic in hot weather. You also need to be aware of the possibility of dehydration from sun exposure. Just because you aren’t dripping with sweat doesn’t mean your requirement for hydration doesn’t increase.

Need tips for combating sun-related fatigue? First and foremost, hydrate. If need be, you can try a drink that promises to replenish electrolytes — coconut water or Recharge (natural Gatorade) are two good options. Secondly, give yourself breaks from the sun and from the heat. If you are especially fatigued and don’t have air conditioning, seek refuge in an air conditioned place during the hottest times of the day. Make sure you also give yourself extra time to sleep. Just because it is light out longer doesn’t mean you have to do more and stay up later than usual. Lastly, consider seeing an herbalist. In my practice I commonly treat people who are excessively sun fatigued with Chinese herbal formulas that help to boost their energy. Consulting a practitioner could also help alert you to any more serious underlying causes of your fatigue.

Dehydration

This has been mentioned under the “Fatigue” heading, but it deserves its own category because it is such a neglected and potentially dangerous side-effect of lovely hot sunshiny days. Mild dehydration can cause thirst, fatigue, headaches, and mild dizziness. To avoid this, simply drink water regularly throughout the day. By the time you think, “I’m thirsty, I’d better drink something” you have already dipped your toe in the dehydration pool, but just barely. The feeling of thirst means that you are only very very slightly dehydrated; it can easily be reversed by drinking some fluids.

The right amount of fluids per day varies from person to person and also changes based on the activities you are doing, the temperature of the day, and even the foods you are eating. The best way to monitor proper hydration according to the Mayo Clinic is to pay attention to the color of your urine. Pale urine is a sign of good hydration, where as yellow or dark urine means you are dehydrated. Here is a fun urine color analysis chart!

It is especially important to pay attention to hydration of the elderly and young children on warm and sunny days, as they are much more vulnerable to the effects of the heat. Signs of extreme dehydration listed on the Mayo Clinic website include the following: extreme thirst, extreme fussiness or irritability in children, confusion or irritability in adults, very dry mouth and mucus membranes, little or no urination, rapid heartbeat and/or breathing, puckered skin, sunken eyes, sunken fontanel in babies, delirium. If you see these signs, simply hydrating likely won’t be enough, so you should seek immediate medical help.

Love your sunshine, Portlanders. Bask in it. Just use a little bit of common sense, and remember that your body has spent the last 9 months in sun deprivation. Adjust slowly, pay attention to the simple recommendations listed above, and you’ll be able to live each summer day to the fullest.

Erin Brockmeyer, LAc, is owner and acupuncturist at Solstice Natural Health in downtown Portland. She creates custom health plans for patients to help them tackle their most complicated health concerns, including infertility, prenatal care, fibromyalgia, thyroid conditions and chronic and acute pain conditions. Visit her website for more information and to download her free e-book 5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Health Today.

Related Slideshow: 7 Best Natural Solutions for Heartburn

The real cause of that burning gnawing pain in your chest and esophagus — heartburn — is not too much acid in your stomach. In fact, the vast majority of you have too little stomach acid. Yes, you read that correctly.

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1. Chew your food. This is one of the best kept secrets of weight loss, and it also helps resolve low stomach acid issues. First of all, you’ll eat slower, which means you’ll actually enjoy your food more and eat less. This puts less burden on your valve. The added benefit is that thinking about your food, savoring it, and chewing it well stimulates higher stomach acid production. In turn this will help your food break down better and you’ll absorb more nutrients. All in all, chewing well is an easy and cheap way to better health.

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2. Do not eat late at night. This is about transit time. The lower your stomach acid, the longer it takes you to breakdown food, which is why people with heartburn often experience worse symptoms when they lie down after eating. If your stomach is functioning at optimal levels it takes 6 hours for the contents of your stomach to empty, so imagine how long this could take if you have low stomach acid. Give your body a break and give yourself a few hours after eating before trying to sleep.

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3. Decrease caffeine and sugar if you have heartburn symptoms. These are known to weaken your esophageal sphincter, so lay off while you are treating the problem or you will be fighting a losing battle. The same goes for smoking (which you should have quit long ago — if you need tips see this article. And if you are eating them in excess, avoid chocolate, citrus, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and peppermint temporarily as these are all known to increase heartburn symptoms.

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4. Drink vinegar. Drinking vinegars are all the rage in Portland, and although they are great they can also be expensive. You can just buy yourself some good old raw unpasteurized Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar and drink 1 Tbsp of vinegar in a glass of water 20 minutes prior to each meal. This will increase your acid production in anticipation of eating so that you will breakdown your food more efficiently. You can add a bit of honey to make it more palatable. You can also drink this concoction as needed if heartburn symptoms occur.

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5. Avoid carbonated beverages. Carbonation can be a killer to people with heartburn. If you drink lots of fizzy water or soda and find yourself suffering from that burn, cut it out for a few days and you’ll likely notice a big difference.

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6. Increase your consumption of probiotic foods like sauerkraut and kimchi. Once again, these will aid you in breaking down your food so that it doesn’t sit in your stomach testing your gastric valve.

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7. See a practitioner trained in functional nutrition. Functional nutrition looks at how the body reacts to food and how it uses food to optimize or sabotage its necessary functions. Your practitioner will take a holistic approach to your heartburn because there are other body systems and food habits that are often involved with this disorder. If you start with the above tips you will have a great foundation for ridding yourself of heartburn, and your practitioner will be able to build a treatment plan from there.