Fans feel amazing in the heat. But here’s a shocker: in temperatures above 90°F, fans don’t actually lower your body temperature. They just trick the thermal sensors on your skin into signaling to your brain that everything‘s fine – while your core keeps overheating. The fixer simple: wet, your skin first. A spray bottle, a damp shirt, a sponge can give your fan something to actually evaporate. Research shows that a fan plus wet skin can reduce heat strain even in temperatures up to 116°F. It also cuts dehydration by about 50%. #heatwave #heatwaves #climatechange #Summer

Here's something that you're not gonna believe at first, but it might save your life or your grandparents' life. In a heatwave, electric fans do not cool you down. All they do is trick your brain into believing that you're cooler. I know, you're saying, "Wait a minute, I've used fans my whole life, lady." And yes, you do feel cooler if it's less than about 90 degrees outside. In a heatwave, the neurobiology changes, isn't that fascinating? I didn't even know this until I wrote this story for the Washington Post last year. Fans stimulate the thermal sensors on our skin, which sends a signal up to our brain saying, "Look, we're cooling down." And that actually tells your brain to say, "Okay, we don't need to sweat as hard." That is a big mistake because fans are not actually cooling your core. Even though you feel better, you're actually approaching heat exhaustion. The solution is water. Get yourself one of those little handheld fans that sprays mist all over you. Yeah, might ruin your hair. Who cares? This is a heatwave. Put an icy towel around your neck. You don't have air conditioning, or your parents don't have air conditioning, or your grandparents don't have air conditioning. health. Um.