Servus! We have around 34 degrees in Munich today, and in England (where I come from) there is also a Hitzewelle where it is around 30 – 31 degrees. After melting today at work it gave me the idea to write this post to help you guys with a few tips on how to manage the heat and learn a bit of German at the same time!

Bleib kühl! Stay cool! Photo by Lee Jordan on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

To start with, here are some keywords:

die Hitzewelle                                              the heatwave
die Temperatur                                            the temperature
die Sonnencreme                                         the sun cream
die Flüssigkeit                                               the liquid
der Grad                                          the degree (for example: 31 Grad – 31 degrees)
trinken                                                           to drink
abkühlen                                                       to cool off
 

– Trinken Sie genugend Flüssigkeiten!
Drink enough liquids!

– Lassen Sie die Vorhänge zu während des Tages
Leave the curtains closed during the day

– Füllen Sie eine Wärmflasche mit eiskaltem Wasser auf und legen Sie es in das Bett um besser zu schlafen
Fill a hot water bottle with ice cold water and put it in your bed to help you sleep better

– Nehmen Sie ein kaltes Fußbad
Take a cold footbath

– Trinken Sie keine eiskalten Getränke oder Alkohol
Don’t drink ice cold drinks or alcohol (ice cold drinks make your body think you are cold, and actually produces heat! That’s why it’s better to drink drinks at room temperature or even hotter. Alcohol can lead to dehydration which of course won’t help during a heatwave).

– Nutzen Sie ein Feuchtigkeitsspray
Use a facial moisture spray

– Essen Sie lieber öfter und dafür kleinere Mahlzeiten
Eat smaller meals more often (rather than eating big meals where your digestive system has to work harder, your body will not have to work as hard and therefore won’t produce as much heat with smaller meals, also eating more often will prevent fainting as when it’s hot you usually eat less than normal).

In Germany the room temperature at a work place shouldn’t be over 35 degrees. If the room temperature goes over 35 degrees the employees have the right to move to a room that is cooler, or go home. If the employees go home it is called Hitzefrei (literally translates to “heat free”).

Do you have any other tips to stay cool in the heat? What’s the weather like where you are? I hope you enjoyed the post and I’m looking forward to reading your comments.

Bleib kühl!
Stay cool!

Larissa