Life in the heat

Life in the heat covers the part of the year that shapes everything else in the Gulf. From late spring to early autumn, days in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are long and hot, the coast can be heavy with humidity, and much of life moves indoors, into cars, offices and air-conditioned malls. These articles explain what heat does to the body: how you lose water and salt through sweat, why warm nights change sleep, and how the body works harder to keep itself cool. They cover the practical questions too. When to walk or run, how much to drink, how to keep a bedroom cool, and how to look after children, older relatives and people who work outside. Each page defines its terms and gives the source and date for every figure it uses. Facts come from health authorities such as the WHO, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Dubai Health Authority and the Saudi Ministry of Health. This is general information, not medical advice. Heat illness can be serious. If someone becomes confused, faints or stops making sense in the heat, call emergency services. Sisly reads sleep, activity and skin temperature against your own normal, so a summer week can sit beside a cooler one and the difference is there to see.