With many of us enjoying the outdoor music festivals over the next few weekends, here are a few survival tips:
1) Plenty of sunblock. Is SPF 30 twice as strong as SPF 15? No. SPF 15 blocks out 93% of the harmful rays while SPF 30 blocks out 97%. That said, if you are going to be in the sun all day, use a sweat resistant lotion that has a SPF rating over 30. Also look for broad spectrum protection in your sunblock as this will protect you from harmful UVA and UVB rays.
2) Plenty of water. The simple rule of thumb is to take your weight, divide by three and drink that number of ounces of water a day. If you are out in the sun, you will need to drink more. For the mathematically challenged, this translates to about 1/2 of a gallon and more if you are spending serious time in the sun.
If you are partaking in adult beverages, try and drink at least two waters for every adult beverage that you have as the combination of alcohol and sun dehydrates quickly. Coffees and sodas also speed up dehydration.
3) Be careful with food. If what you are about to eat has been in the sun for over two hours, you have an increased risk of norovirus aka food poisoning. Raw foods like sushi are a high risk food. So too is rice as it can quickly breed bacteria. Salads can be a problem if these raw protects are not adequately washed.
4) Hats. Wear them as they are a great source of protection.
5) Purell. Let’s face it, hygiene at music festivals can be a challenge. Bring a bottle of hand sanitizer and use it regularly.
Follow these tips and you should be able to focus on fun without a sunburn, sunstroke or dehydration headaches.
