Severe Dehydration & Heat Exhaustion

Beijing weather can be unforgiving in the summer. Last week, it was over 40°C for days in a row. That’s over 104°F. Stepping outside felt like walking into a roasting oven at full blast. It was unbearable. By law, the government must declare it an emergency and send people home from work if the temperature rose above 40°C so the local newspapers reported the temperature to be below 39.9°C. But on International online sites, it was well above the 40°C mark. And you’d have to be pretty dim not to realize the sweltering heat outside. As in any other major cities in the world, the contributing factor is man made global warming. The elderly Beijingers moaned that growing up, they’d never experienced heat to this extreme.

Coming from a temperate weathered city like Chicago where it is currently in the 60s°F(16°C) in the summer, this was like a death wish for me. My clothes clug to my body from sweat and I had to bring extra change in my bag to swap into at intervals. I had massive headaches no matter how much water I drank in addition to almost a complete loss of appetite. The usual 30 minute afternoon naps turned into 3 hour naps with the air conditioning in full blast and I still woke up sluggish. The mornings were really hard to wake up to and I had a hard time focusing on things. It felt like my brain went into hibernation mode and refused to come to. I kept getting cramps on my feet, toes and calves. My skin felt parched and paper thin. It felt like it was burning from inside out no matter how much I drank. And I drank over 2 liters a day. People said at least it’s dry air and windy in Beijing. It would’ve been worse if it was humid. But as a result of the dryness, there’s a lot of dust and sand in the air and when the wind blows, it’s not fun getting hot sand blown into your eyes. Hence, my irritability with pretty much everything from heat exhaustion.

Unbeknownst to me, I was suffering from severe dehydration. It was something my local friends were very much used to in the summers and knew of necessary precautions and solutions that I was completely ignorant of. So I discovered that the way to treat it was to rehydrate with foods rich in potassium and sodium in addition to water, to drink energy drinks to replenish the electrolytes, carbohydrates, and other nutrients that are lost from sweating but are necessary for regular bodily functions.

So I went bananas…literally. Bananas are a prime source of potassium. I had a couple throughout the day. Starches like congee and beans worked wonders. Suddenly, potatoes were delicious. It’s amazing how the mind can affect your taste buds when you go into survival mode. I never loved yogurt more in my entire life. Tomato paste works too. I supplemented water with orange juice and sports drinks. Sodium is found in carrots, beets, cheese and barley. I had barley from that category and within a couple days of replenishment from eating and drinking right, I went back to my chirpy self. Even as a national sportsperson in my teens, I’ve never had to pay such close attention to my diet. I’ll never underestimate the importance of eating right again. So if you intend to make a trip to Beijing in the summer. Be forewarned.

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