Dysautonomia and the summer heat can be a terrible mix if you don’t have a dysautonomia toolkit. In this post, we are going to cover the best practices, best items, and all-around best way to beat the heat with dysautonomia and still be able to enjoy time outside during the summer.
Dysregulation of the Autonomic nervous system (Dysautonomia) comes with a wide range of symptoms: one being heat intolerance. Making the summer heat unbearable for most suffering from dysautonomia.
So you might be asking yourself; is it possible to enjoy the outdoors during summer with dysautonomia? And I can’t give you a defiant answer but I can share my personal experience after changing my diet, lifestyle, and tool bag for dysautonomia has led me to live a symptom-free life. Which I would have never thought possible after being told I had āsevere dysautonomiaā.
Recently at my neurologist appointment, my neurologist was shocked at the improvements I had; coming off all medication I was on for dysautonomia, and not having a single flare since. We talked about my diet changes, lifestyle changes, and so on. My neurologist told me I was in the 1% of her patients that did all the āhard things” that we know are good for us. And she was right, all the changes I have made to live a symptom-free life broke lifelong habits and comfort mechanisms I used to cope with. Making the lifestyle changes necessary to live a symptom-free life was and is not easy but is more than worth it for the life I live now!
Leave a comment if you want an in-depth post on everything I’ve done to heal my body! I have a few posts that encapsulate the gist that I will link below but I wouldn’t mind doing one specifically for dysautonomia.
- “Why I chose a functional medicine approach to healing my Autoimmune diseases”
- “Why I chose a paleo diet to heal my Autoimmune diseases”
Best practices for summer with Dysautonomia
Hydration
Hydrating goes without being said for people with dysautonomia BUT it’s extremely important to up your water during the summer months due to heat. As well as incorporate electrolytes like magnesium, potassium, and sodium into your diet a week before you’re going to be in the sun. Hydration starts a week before, not the day before! I will link a few electrolyte drink mixes below!
Salt intake
Keeping salt intake up consistently is very important for anyone with dysautonomia. When I struggled to get to my daily intake goal I would supplement with salt sticks. There are many brands you can get I would just make sure to do your research and look at what’s in them. I will link a few options I’ve tried below!
Eating well
For me, my diet directly impacts my diseases. I focus on eating a balanced diet filled with vegetables, fruits, and protein sources. The body is like a machine and you always want a well-oiled machine. The same way you want to fuel your body with nutrients packed foods.
My favorite products for summer
Mini fan
I have too many mini-fans to count at this point. I have one in every bag, car, room, etc that I use. Using a mini fan when outside has prevented me from getting overrated avoiding dizziness, nausea, and overheating. I love this one because it’s USB chargeable, easy to carry around, and is an affordable addition to my dysautonomia toolkit!
SPF clothing
SPF clothing along with wearing light colors has tremendously helped me when being out in the sun. Wearing SPF clothing makes me feel like the sun isn’t beating down on me as much, keeping me cooler. Even if you don’t go for SPF clothing, do yourself a favor and remember to wear light colors. Wearing dark colors traps the heat from the sun making you hotter.Ā
SPF umbrella
This may be a hit or miss for you; personally, I love my SPF umbrella. It really depends on the occasion if I’m going to bust it out but I love having it around if I need it. I feel at least a few degrees cooler underneath the umbrella. It keeps the sun from directly beating down on you. I have this one from Amazon. It’s affordable, reliable, and really works!
Water Bottle
Last on the list of the best products for summer living with dysautonomia; a good water bottle. Getting to your water intake goal every day is very important. Talk with your doctor to get your goal. A great way I have found to stick to my water goal is to have a water bottle everywhere I go. It’s also really important to have cold water to cool you off during the hots months of summer. I will link a few of my favorite water bottles I have tried below!
Having fun in the sun with dysautonomia is possible, it just takes a lot of preparation and accountability. Check out our other dysautonomia-related post I will link below! If you’re from tik tok leave a heart in the comments.
