Body heat is a common condition that people face throughout the world. It is commonly described as “heat stress.” This condition usually happens when the temperature of the body exceeds its normal temperature, i.e., 36.5 degrees Celsius to 37.5 degrees Celsius.
When the body is not able to cool down and return to its normal range, then it leads to body heat. This state causes a lot of uneasiness and discomfort to a person. Some of the probable signs are loss of sleep, burning sensation in the eyes, ulcers, rapid heart rate, acidity, gas, stomach issues, and more. Let us know more about body heat, its causes, and natural remedies to treat this condition.
Natural Remedies To Treat Body Heat
Body heat presents a lot of troublesome symptoms that can impair the functioning of major organs in the body. Fortunately, this problem is easy to treat with natural remedies available in your kitchen. Here are the most effective ways that will provide you lasting relief from this unbearable condition.
1. Consume cold water
When you feel an increase in heat levels in your body, you should drink high amounts of cold water. It will help cool down your body. You can also drink ice tea, and chilled lemon tea, to bring down the high temperature in the body.
2. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is touted for its soothing, healing, and cooling properties. The gel extracted from the leaves of this plant helps to reduce body temperature naturally. Apply freshly prepared Aloe Vera gel to your body to generate a cooling effect. Refrigerator the gel before applying it to get maximum benefit.
3. Buttermilk
The next and highly potent ingredient in our list is buttermilk. This is a delicious and healthy beverage that helps to reduce the temperature of the body naturally. This drink is rich in probiotics, minerals, and vitamins that enhance metabolism. Sipping it during the day helps your body to restore its natural energy and prevent it from getting exhausted by the heat.
4. Fenugreek tea
Fenugreek seed is a commonly used ingredient in our kitchen. These seeds are good for digestion, hair, weight loss, cholesterol management, and more. They produce a cooling sensation in your body. One of the simplest ways to consume them is in the form of chilled fenugreek tea. You would notice that the accumulated heat in your body will release in the form of sweat. For further information do check out the video.
5. Coconut water
Another hydrating and cooling drink on our list is “Coconut water.” This is a water-based drink that not just cools your body but also nourishes it. The high amounts of vitamins and minerals in the drink helps to cool down the body.
6. Fruits and vegetables
When it comes to natural sources of hydration, it is impossible to ignore the power of fruits and vegetables. They provide you the best relief from both internal as well as external heat. Some of the best fruits and vegetables to control body heat are oranges, watermelon, pomegranate, grapefruits, muskmelon, lemons, bitter gourd, cucumber, etc.
Loaded with water and fiber content, these fruits and veggies hydrate and nourishes your body. Make it a habit to consume these fruits and vegetables in the summer season daily.
7. Peppermint
Another important remedy for dealing with high body temperature is to eat Peppermint. It has “menthol” that is known to provide cooling properties. The results that you get from this remedy are instant.
Sip an iced peppermint tea during the day to get relief from the difficult symptoms of body heat. For enhanced benefits, you can also add some mint leaves in your tea. Mint is a great coolant and offers you a persistent effect for a sufficiently long duration.
8. Cold Milk and Honey
The combination of cold milk and honey also gives cooling benefits. It is another natural way to get relief from body heat.
9. Sandalwood
Sandalwood possesses remarkable cooling properties that you can instantly feel by applying on your skin. Due to this ability, it is added in the preparation of several creams, soaps, powders, deodorants, and various topical Ayurveda formulations.
10. Engage In Less Intense Body Movements
Intense physical activities can make your body hot. Due to this reason, you should avoid overexerting your body. Abstain from heavy exercise and reduce your movement.
11. Reduce sun exposure
Avoid going out at noon when the sun is at its peak. This can also help you control body temperature from increasing.
12. Wear comfortable, light and breathable clothes
Dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable and easy. Natural fabrics that include linen, cotton, etc. are ideal. They offer a good amount of ventilation and help pass heat through them easily. Avoid wearing synthetic fabrics such as nylon, acrylic, and more.
13. Eat light and healthy food.
Oily and spicy foods can contribute to body heat. It is required to reduce its consumption to a minimum. Protein-rich foods are considered to be a powerhouse of heat causing agents. Eggs, meat, and cinnamon powder that are the major sources of causing potential damage in the body. Eat more of raw and fiber-rich foods, buttermilk, and other light and easily digestible items in your diet. (1)
NOTE: [mks_highlight color=”#eeee22″]An overactive thyroid can be one of the reasons for causing excessive heat in the body. Make sure your thyroid gland is working properly, and the thyroid levels are under control.[/mks_highlight]
Causes For Body Heat
Several reasons constitute to increase in body heat. If you relate to any of these reasons, then you need to take measures to prevent such conditions.
- Living in places with high temperatures,
- Exposure to the heatwave
- Not drinking right amounts of water daily
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Engaging in strenuous physical activities or workouts
- Illnesses that contribute to fever,
- Consuming medications, recreational drugs, or external hormone supplements can also contribute to this condition. These medications speed up the rate of metabolism in the body and results in high body temperature.
- Wearing tight and synthetic clothes
- Drinking coffee, tea, and alcohol
- Pre-menopause and menopause where a woman experiences night sweats and hot flashes. Both these conditions elevate the temperature in the body.
- Imbalance in thyroid hormone (2)
Effects Of High Body Heat
According to health experts, the normal temperature of the body is measured to be 98.6ºF. Due to the above causes, the temperature of the body can go beyond this level. This state is called as body heat. It causes several discomforting symptoms in the body, such as a racing heart, sweating, confusion, digestion troubles, stomach ulcers, burning sensation in the eyes, jaundice, and more.
When the body temperature reaches dangerously high levels, i.e., beyond 103ºF, then you should seek urgent medical assistance. If the rectal temperature of a child below 3 months of age reaches 100.4ºF or more, then it also requires immediate medical attention.
If you experience uncontrollable heat in the body that is accompanied by the following symptoms, then also you should get reach out to your doctor at the earliest:
- troubled breathing
- irritability,
- sleepiness
- weakness
- stiffness in the neck
- sensitivity to light
- vomiting
- refusal to eat or drink
- excessive dehydration
- infection or rashes on the skin (3)
Body Heat Vs. Body Temperature
Our brain has a special temperature regulating region, “hypothalamus” that can naturally adjust the internal body temperature to match the normal/ideal temperature.
Our brain has a region called the hypothalamus. It is responsible to regulate the temperature of the body. It checks the existing temperature against the normal temperature of the body and then regulates it. When the body becomes excessively hot, then the region causes the body to sweat. In this way, the excess heat over and above the normal body temperature is eliminated.
Also, when the temperature of the body reaches below the normal temperature, then the hypothalamus initiates “shivering” to help the body warm-up. In this way, the hypothalamus works to restore the right temperature in the body. (4)
The Bottom Line
The body has a natural ability to lower its temperature by way of sweating or discharging heat into the surrounding water, or air. There are various natural and effective remedies that you can use to reduce the temperature of the body. Reducing sun exposure, wearing breathable clothes, limiting body movement, can all help in this condition. It is very important to properly hydrate yourself as it is the fundamental cause of an increase in body temperature.
FAQs
How can I cool down quickly?
Some of the highly effective ways that give you instant cooling effects are drinking cold water, taking a cold-water bath, and applying sandalwood paste on the skin.
Does banana reduce body heat naturally?
Yes. Banana, especially the ripe ones, has a cooling effect on the body. They are cold and sweet. They can moisten the intestine and reduce the build-up of heat in this organ. Also, they help in removing toxins from the body.
Does drinking water cool you down?
Drinking cool water and other liquids such as iced tea can work wonders in this condition. It hydrates the body and brings down the body temperature to normal levels naturally. It is the simplest and highly convenient way to combat body heat.
