Why Do We Get Hot?
There could be many reasons for why we feel hot. The most common causes are anxiety, stress, spicy foods, hot foods, caffeine, hot weather, and hormones. All of these things can raise our body temperatures, and all of this definitely makes us feel the heat.
I made the decision to create this particular blog post because I have been getting hot lately, especially at night. I know that I’m not the only one. I’ve realized that the reason for me feeling this way recently is due to hormones. This really can happen at different ages, but our hormones change. As they change, we can experience different things that we haven’t felt before.
Use Vegan Beauty Power Lifestyle and Ayurveda as Tools and Practices
Ayurveda is such an incredible guide to living well. I don’t agree with every single thing that Ayurveda teaches, but a lot of it is amazing.
Ayurveda began in India over 5,000 years ago. It’s a holistic healing system that combines a whole lifestyle approach, including herbal medicine, philosophy, and spirituality.
Ayurveda literally translates to life knowledge. It is a combination of the mind, body, senses, and the soul. Everything is connected and affects each other.
Kimberly Snyder describes the principles of Ayurveda: 1.) Food is medicine, 2.) Wellness is governed by our daily habits, and 3.) Lifestyle recommendations are based on an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional makeup, and shift with the seasons.
A blog post of hers gives a quick description and explanation of Ayurveda. She is who introduced Ayurveda to me, and I’ve learned so much from her over the years. Kimberly Snyder is the founder of Solluna, and the four cornerstones of Solluna are food, body (exercise, sleep, skincare, digestion, supplements, etc.), emotional wellbeing, and spiritual growth.
A lot of the principles of the Vegan Beauty Power Lifestyle are modeled after Kimberly Snyder’s Beauty Detox Lifestyle and Solluna because she is my mentor I learn from regarding living a healthy vegan lifestyle as well as is very similar to the lifestyle I live and believe in.
Taking this quiz to figure out which dosha you are will also be helpful to you as you navigate and live your healthy vegan lifestyle. Doshas are a part of Ayurveda, and are a personalized way to better your health. The Doshas are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, and they stem from physical, emotional, and mental characteristics of each individual person.
Avoid Drinking Cold Water
It’s probably widely believed that drinking cold water will cool you down, but it actually shocks your body. It negatively affects your digestive system. Stick with drinking room temperature water.
Use Ice on Your Body
Putting an ice pack on you, using an ice roller, or using a cold wash cloth on you can cool you off and help to lower your body temperature.
Go Outside
Depending on what the weather is and what season it is will affect this, but at night, the outside temperature tends to be cooler. If you’re hot at night, go outside, and you will immediately feel relief. You can just stand outside, sit, or even step in the grass to cool off, and it won’t take that long at all to feel better.
Hydrate
Make sure you’re hydrated enough. There are mny different options. Obviously, it’s important to drink enough water throughout the day, but it’s also great to drink other liquids as well. Smoothies, juices, plant milks, coconut water, and kombucha are all a wonderful addition to water. You can also make water cool you off maybe more by infusing it with cucumber, orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, mint, spearmint and/or strawberries.
Eat Hydrating Foods
There are many hydrating foods that will help to cool you off. Cucumbers, melons, squash, celery, berries, peaches, leafy greens, citrus, tomatoes, bell peppers, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, pineapple, apples, radishes, kiwi, potatoes, eggplant, jicama, coconut yogurt, pears, mangos, grapes, bananas, coconuts, persimmons, and homemade soups all have a high water content and are hydrating.
Eat Cooling Herbs and Spices
Cooling herbs and spices are considered to be mint, dill, basil, coriander, cardamom, fennel, and cilantro. They’re perfect to add to soups, pizzas, wraps, burgers, pasta dishes, burritos, salads, quinoa dishes, rice, and many other meals.
Use Cooling Essential Oils
Using certain essential oils can help to cool your body down. These can be used externally on your skin, pillow, clothes, and in an oil diffuser. Spearmint, peppermint, lavender, sandalwood, jasmine, eucalyptus, vetiver, frankincense, lime, rosemary, rose, bergamot, roman chamomile, lemon, orange, lemongrass, grapefruit, and clary sage are all considered to be cooling essential oils.
Take a Cool Shower
Taking a cool shower always helps to cool you down when you’re hot. It’s even better if you use a peppermint soap, like Dr. Bronner’s, and use fresh eucalyptus in the shower, too.
Fans and Fresh Air Forever
I will alwys be incredibly grateful for fresh air and fans. They both can cool you down quickly and effectively. Any kind of fan is great, and opening your windows will help tremendously as well.
Extras
There are other things you can do to cool off, too. Skincare with particular ingredients such as bergamot, cardamom, peppermint, rose, lemongrass, lemon, lime, orange, rosemary, eucalyptus, aloe vera, coconut, green tea, spearmint, shea butter, and lavender are cooling. Soapwalla (skincare, soaps, lip balms, moisturizers, etc.), Crazy Rumors (lip balms), and Dr. Bronner’s (soaps and coconut oil) are all so amazing.
Floral waters are another beautiful thing that I’m sure you’ll love as much as I do. S.W. Basics has the best floral waters, and their rose water and peppermint water are both especially cooling. They also have phenomenal orange blossom water and lavender water.
Brushing your teeth with Tooth Soap is so wonderful for your teeth, and since they contain essential oils, some of them are cooling essestial oils (peppermint, spearmint, fennel, and citrus). I don’t remember the last time I used anything other than Tooth Soap to brush my teeth with. It’s been years!
Ending Thoughts
Feeling hot can be uncomfortable, make us irritable, and make us feel overwhelmed. Whether you’re hot because of the weather, something you ate, exercising, hormones, stress, anxiety, or something else, there are simple things you can do to cool off that won’t negatively affect you. Doing these as much or as little as you want is up to you and your specific situation. Always listen to your body, and be amazing to yourself!