When you live in a warm state such as Gold Coast, you know how hot it can get during the summer months. Not just that but people have found themselves fainting and feeling lethargic due to heat exhaustion. If you do not drink enough water or wear the right clothes and protect yourself from the harmful rays of the sun especially between peak hours of 11 am to 3 pm in the afternoon, you can suffer some unfavorable health conditions.
This article focuses on this and provides you with solutions and benefits thereof, so you will live more freely even under the sun. Check out this precautionary sun advice.
The Harmful Effects of Prolonged Sun Exposure
Sunlight is nature’s way of telling us we can go outside and enjoy our day. But too much of it, just like anything else can be bad for you. The sun’s rays have been known to help alleviate symptoms of emotional conditions such as depression. Plus, it enhances your overall mood, relieves stress symptoms, improves sleep and gives you Vitamin D which has so many benefits.
The recommended time to get sun exposure if you’re doing it every day is up to 20 minutes. Any more than this will call for the use of a high SPF sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and loose but sturdy material clothing to protect your body. Sunlight can also harm your eyes if you do not wear sunglasses.
When you stay in the sun for long periods and constantly every day, there are a bunch of things that can go wrong with the body and some of these includes:
You Can Easily Cause Damage to Your Eyes
UV or ultraviolet rays have been seen to damage the back of the eye or what’s known as the retina of the eyes. This study shows these effects and the importance of wearing sunglasses, this information can be found here.
A cloudy appearance along the cornea can develop which can get worse over time and prevent clear vision. People have also been known to develop cataracts which can cause failed or blurry vision.
A Common Thing Is Heat Stroke
This is a very familiar term to a lot of people. But for those who are not clued up, getting heat stroke is no joke. It is the second stage of heat exhaustion if left alone and not immediately treated. When the temperature of your body rises suddenly to possible 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some cases and as short a period as 15 minutes, it could lead to this and medical attention is needed.
Symptoms include profuse sweating, hot dry skin, seizures, loss of consciousness which causes fainting (falling to the ground), slurred speech, and confusion to name a few.
It Can Give You Skin Cancer
No worse enemy of this than the sun, unfortunately. This is one of the worse things that can take place with too much sunlight. There are different types of cancers too, namely: Malignant Melanoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), and Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC).
This, however, unlike the other side-effects, happens over a period of a few years, when things start looking different, the skin clinics usually look for any of the three above and the characteristics than resemble them the closest.
It is very important to keep a keen eye on your skin after you have been outside on a hot day. If you see anything unusual contact a clinic or your general practitioner for further advice. It is vital to do this immediately to avoid it from spreading any further or getting worse.
You Can Get Severe Sunburn
Also, a very common side-effect of prolonged exposure to UV rays. This is a cheeky one because you don’t notice the effects immediately, and it takes about 5 hours for it to take effect. One needs to be very careful with this.
Some people also get it from tanning salons, while staying under the UV light in beds. Symptoms include blisters, swelling of the feet and hands, skin turns a red hue, when touched your skin is painful or tender, nausea, fever, and chills can also occur, this is known as a sunburn fever.
You can Get Age Spots and Wrinkles
Not everyone is bothered about their skin when it comes to wrinkles, but for those that are, it is always best to wear sunscreen all over your body including your face and reapply it every 2 hours after exposure.
Sun can cause fine lines or deep wrinkles on your face if you’re not careful. To avoid this from happening, if you’re on holiday or in your backyard, sit under a shade sails Gold Coast protection, which can block out up to 98% of harmful UV rays, especially if your children are involved.
The sun can damage the collagen on the skin, which turns it into a fragile and sagging layer, that becomes weak as you get older. Your skin starts to get fragile with age in any case, so why would you want to harm it anymore?
Investing in things like protected covering such as shade sails, or shelters made of sturdy materials, and trying to stay out of the heat on most days, is your best to avoid any of the above complications that can get worse if not paid attention to. A lot of the damage can be prevented with a few easy things such as mentioned above, sunscreen, clothing, sunglasses, and sun hats or caps.
