By now, slathering on sunscreen before stepping\u00a0out the door should be a year-round habit, but your\u00a0epidermis is not the only thing being affected by\u00a0el sol. Other parts of your body can be negatively\u00a0affected by the sun, sounds and soaring heat of\u00a0the summer months. Here\u2019s how to protect five\u00a0of them from harm.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s hot, you\u2019re\u00a0at a greater risk for\u00a0dehydration, which over\u00a0time could lead to kidney\u00a0stones. \u201cKidney stones form\u00a0because of an imbalance of\u00a0salt and water within the\u00a0kidneys,\u201d says Jonathan\u00a0Harper, M.D., associate\u00a0professor of urology at the\u00a0University of Washington\u00a0in Seattle, adding that a\u00a0salty diet and inactivity also\u00a0can be contributing factors.\u00a0While kidney stones are\u00a0most common in adults\u00a030 to 50 years old, you\u2019re\u00a0at risk even if you\u2019re in\u00a0your 20s, and high-protein\u00a0diets such as Atkins, Paleo\u00a0and keto can cause other\u00a0urinary issues that may\u00a0increase kidney-stone risk,\u00a0Harper says.<\/p>\n
Safety check:<\/strong> Stay active, eat a lower-salt diet and stay well-hydrated, consuming anywhere from 80 to\u00a0100 ounces of water\u00a0daily. Adding electrolytes\u00a0to your water can help\u00a0replenish water loss from\u00a0sweating and help promote\u00a0hydration, and eating a\u00a0diet with a healthy balance\u00a0of macronutrients with\u00a0plenty of fresh produce can\u00a0help deflect kidney stones.<\/p>\n Ah, the sounds of summer \u2014\u00a0fireworks, outdoor concerts,\u00a0lawn mowers. Though you\u00a0might associate these noises\u00a0with happy, lazy days, if\u00a0you\u2019re not careful, they also\u00a0could mean noise-induced\u00a0hearing loss. Hearing loss\u00a0generally occurs over time\u00a0when noise is about 85\u00a0decibels, according to the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control\u00a0and Prevention. However,\u00a0some hearing loss can be\u00a0immediate at certain levels.\u00a0\u201cHair cells [in the ears]\u00a0can die, which will affect\u00a0your hearing,\u201d says Oliver\u00a0Adunka, M.D., director of\u00a0otology, neurology and\u00a0cranial base surgery at\u00a0The Ohio State University\u00a0Wexner Medical Center in\u00a0Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n Safety check:<\/strong> Because noise-induced\u00a0hearing loss is cumulative\u00a0and irreversible, your best\u00a0bet is to avoid loud noises, or\u00a0at least damper their effects.\u00a0When doing yard work,\u00a0watching fireworks or going\u00a0to concerts, wear ear plugs.\u00a0As for your headphones, if\u00a0you can\u2019t hear other people\u00a0talking or if people have to\u00a0shout to be heard from only\u00a03 feet away, your music is\u00a0too loud, according to the\u00a0Center for Hearing and\u00a0Communication.<\/p>\n Who doesn\u2019t love wearing\u00a0yoga pants all day or\u00a0kicking it at the pool in\u00a0your swimsuit? Trouble\u00a0is, bacteria loves heat,\u00a0and when you lounge\u00a0around in warm, wet\u00a0clothes, you\u2019re creating\u00a0the perfect foster home\u00a0for millions of yeasty\u00a0beasties. Bacteria trapped\u00a0in your clothing close to\u00a0your body means a greater\u00a0likelihood of infection,\u00a0and you might even\u00a0notice higher amounts\u00a0of vaginal discharge as\u00a0a result of the heat, says\u00a0Leah S. Millheiser, M.D.,\u00a0director of the Female\u00a0Sexual Medicine Program\u00a0at Stanford University.\u00a0Vulvar irritation,\u00a0especially if one labia is\u00a0longer than the other, also\u00a0can be more prevalent in\u00a0summer.<\/p>\n Safety check:<\/strong> Change your clothes\u00a0immediately after\u00a0working out, and if you\u2019re\u00a0prone to infections, keep\u00a0a dry bathing suit to swap\u00a0out with the wet one\u00a0between dips. To prevent\u00a0or quell irritation from\u00a0chafing, put Vaseline on\u00a0your labia three to four\u00a0times a day, especially\u00a0before exercising.<\/p>\n Just like your skin, your\u00a0eyes need protection from\u00a0the sun. However, 27\u00a0percent of Americans don\u2019t\u00a0wear sunglasses, according\u00a0to The Vision Council.\u00a0\u201cConditions like macular\u00a0degeneration, cataracts\u00a0and sunburn of the eyes\u00a0can occur from excessive\u00a0UV exposure,\u201d says Jeffrey\u00a0Anshel, O.D., optometrist\u00a0in Encinitas, California, and\u00a0author of Smart Medicine\u00a0for Your Eyes<\/em> (Square One,\u00a0January 2011), adding that\u00a0the effect of this exposure is\u00a0cumulative.<\/p>\n Safety check:<\/strong> Always don sunglasses\u00a0when you\u2019re outside,\u00a0even when it\u2019s cloudy;\u00a0UV rays still penetrate\u00a0clouds like a knife through\u00a0butter. Choose sunglasses\u00a0with both UVA and UVB\u00a0protection and polarized\u00a0lenses, especially if you\u2019re\u00a0frequently around water.\u00a0If you wear them, opt for\u00a0UV-protective contact\u00a0lenses for an added layer\u00a0of protection. And don\u2019t\u00a0forget to wear a hat with a\u00a0brim, which shades your\u00a0face from direct UV rays,\u00a0Anshel says.<\/p>\n Because they don\u2019t offer\u00a0any support, flip-flops may\u00a0cause issues when worn\u00a0for prolonged durations of\u00a0walking and standing. \u201cThey\u00a0could affect your gait and\u00a0posture, which can lead to a\u00a0tremendous amount of stress\u00a0not only to the feet but also\u00a0the rest of the body,\u201d says\u00a0Miguel Cunha, DPM, founder\u00a0of Gotham Footcare in New\u00a0York City. Flip-flops alter the\u00a0biomechanics and distribution\u00a0of pressure and weight across\u00a0your feet, which can cause\u00a0overpronation, and because\u00a0there\u2019s little to no support,\u00a0your toes have to grip the shoe\u00a0with each step, causing strain\u00a0and tendonitis. What\u2019s more,\u00a0if you have underlying issues\u00a0like hammertoes, arch or heel\u00a0pain, or shinsplints, flip-flops\u00a0could worsen these conditions.<\/p>\n Safety check:<\/strong> Several companies now offer\u00a0ergonomic, biomechanically\u00a0correct flip-flop options\u00a0with arch support, heel\u00a0stabilization and extra\u00a0cushioning. If you have\u00a0traditional rubber shoes with\u00a0no support, wear them only\u00a0in short bursts, perhaps just to\u00a0and from the pool or a quick\u00a0step in and out of the house.\u00a0Of course, if you don\u2019t have\u00a0any foot issues, you could\u00a0technically go for longer\u00a0periods, as long as you\u2019re not\u00a0feeling any pain.<\/p>\n We independently source all of the products that we feature on oxygenmag.com. If you buy from the links on our site, we may receive an affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By now, slathering on sunscreen before stepping\u00a0out the door should be a year-round habit, but your\u00a0epidermis is not the only thing being affected by\u00a0el sol. Other parts of your body can be negatively\u00a0affected by the sun, sounds and soaring heat of\u00a0the summer months. Here\u2019s how to protect five\u00a0of them from harm. Kidneys Summer Hazard: Heat When it\u2019s hot, you\u2019re\u00a0at a greater risk for\u00a0dehydration, which over\u00a0time could lead to kidney\u00a0stones. \u201cKidney stones form\u00a0because of an imbalance of\u00a0salt and water within the\u00a0kidneys,\u201d says Jonathan\u00a0Harper, M.D., associate\u00a0professor of urology at the\u00a0University of Washington\u00a0in Seattle, adding that a\u00a0salty diet and inactivity also\u00a0can be contributing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2440,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[114,204,205,206,203,207],"class_list":["post-2436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens-health","tag-healthy-living","tag-mind-and-body","tag-motivation","tag-style-and-beauty","tag-womens-fitness-personalities","tag-womens-health","post--single"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2436"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2845,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436\/revisions\/2845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Ears<\/h2>\n
Summer Hazard: Loud Noises<\/h3>\n
How Loud are the Sounds of Summer?<\/h3>\n
\n\n
\n \nSounds<\/td>\n Decibel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Earbuds\/headphones<\/td>\n 85-110 dB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Lawn mower<\/td>\n 90-110 dB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Leaf blower<\/td>\n 95-115 dB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Concert<\/td>\n 100-120 dB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Fireworks<\/td>\n 150-175 dB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Vagina<\/h2>\n
Summer Hazard: Heat and Humidity<\/h3>\n
Eyes<\/h2>\n
Summer Hazard: Ultraviolet Rays<\/h3>\n
Feet<\/h2>\n
Summer Hazard: Flip-Flops<\/h3>\n