Want to keep cool in the heat wave? You may need to change your clothes
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
As Sacramento approaches a heat wave at the end of this week, you may be wondering how to dress to keep cool. The answer may be more counter-intuitive than you think.
In Sacramento’s dry heat, reach for long sleeves and loose pants. While many go for tank tops and shorts, science suggests that coverage can actually help keep you cooler by blocking the sun’s rays, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. It also better helps your skin better regulate sweat in non-humid climates like Sacramento.
If you’re looking for a long-sleeve shirt, choose one that is light-colored. Lighter fabrics reflect the sun’s rays, rather than absorbing them, according to a study done by researchers at the Qingdao University of Technology.
Lightweight fabrics are also better, as they tend to have open-weave structures, which allow cool air to pass through to your skin, and hot air to be expelled, according to Georgia Tech professor Sundaresan Jayaraman.
Open weave fabrics also allow better sweat regulation. You can tell if a fabric is open weave by determining how much space is between the individual threads. The best fabrics include looser linens, cotton, and rayon.
You can also look at the label of a garment to determine its Ultraviolet Protection Factor rating, or how many of the sun’s rays it blocks, the Skin Cancer Foundation said. These UPF ratings are about sun protection, rather than heat prevention, so they won’t always make you cooler.
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