Sometimes in the dead of summer, the pleasant heat that you've been dying for in the bitter cold of winter turns into something a little bit more sinister and troubling.
And whether or not you believe in global warming, there have been some seriously epic record highs recorded in the past couple of summers across America.
But before you start to get too worried that the mercury is going to climb too high during your dog days of summer, realize that there are simple steps to take to keep yourself and your home safe during the worst days of July and August.
Of course, home security is secondary to the fact that, if you have young children and elderly relatives living with you, their health and safety should be your utmost priority in the event of a heat wave.
If you don't have air-conditioning and are about to experience a serious blast of heat, consider investing in some fans or a window unit.
If you do have a window unit already in, then you should figure out ways to safeguard yourself from potential robberies.
As a window air conditioning unit prevents you from being able to securely shut and lock all the windows in your home, some enterprising criminals will take that as an opportunity to break in, even if it's the hottest day of the year.
So try to invest in systems that make it more difficult to remove that window A/C.
With fans, you are doing wonders for your home's cooling, but not at the expense of home security.
If it's really, really hot and you need to cool down quickly, putting blocks of ice in front of the fan's breeze can help to bring down the temperature even more, and to feel a lot better.
This method paired with an ice-cold shower is effective in feeling slightly less disgusting during those dog days of summer.
Since a heat wave is a lot about your personal health and safety and not just your home security, it's also important to think of yourself during these seriously uncomfortable times.
Try to drink a lot more water than usual, as the heat will cause dehydration to happen a lot faster.
If you are having a difficult time keeping liquids down, it might be better to switch to something with electrolytes, like Gatorade.
If you have small children or elderly relatives in a house that is getting too hot, and they appear to be pained and thirsty, you need to move to a cooler space with better air conditioning.
If you're worried and hastily leaving, don't forget to keep things safe around your house.
Turn off some electronic devices if you are overloading the power with your A/C, and be sure to remember to set your home alarm system, lest criminals make off with your belongings because you were too busy worrying about the weather.
The one thing to remember about heat waves, though, is that most are over in less than a week.
So if you can find a way to ride it out with minimal discomfort, you can save a whole lot of money on things like hotel rooms and expensive air conditioning systems.
And if you're in good health, chances are that you can do it!
And whether or not you believe in global warming, there have been some seriously epic record highs recorded in the past couple of summers across America.
But before you start to get too worried that the mercury is going to climb too high during your dog days of summer, realize that there are simple steps to take to keep yourself and your home safe during the worst days of July and August.
Of course, home security is secondary to the fact that, if you have young children and elderly relatives living with you, their health and safety should be your utmost priority in the event of a heat wave.
If you don't have air-conditioning and are about to experience a serious blast of heat, consider investing in some fans or a window unit.
If you do have a window unit already in, then you should figure out ways to safeguard yourself from potential robberies.
As a window air conditioning unit prevents you from being able to securely shut and lock all the windows in your home, some enterprising criminals will take that as an opportunity to break in, even if it's the hottest day of the year.
So try to invest in systems that make it more difficult to remove that window A/C.
With fans, you are doing wonders for your home's cooling, but not at the expense of home security.
If it's really, really hot and you need to cool down quickly, putting blocks of ice in front of the fan's breeze can help to bring down the temperature even more, and to feel a lot better.
This method paired with an ice-cold shower is effective in feeling slightly less disgusting during those dog days of summer.
Since a heat wave is a lot about your personal health and safety and not just your home security, it's also important to think of yourself during these seriously uncomfortable times.
Try to drink a lot more water than usual, as the heat will cause dehydration to happen a lot faster.
If you are having a difficult time keeping liquids down, it might be better to switch to something with electrolytes, like Gatorade.
If you have small children or elderly relatives in a house that is getting too hot, and they appear to be pained and thirsty, you need to move to a cooler space with better air conditioning.
If you're worried and hastily leaving, don't forget to keep things safe around your house.
Turn off some electronic devices if you are overloading the power with your A/C, and be sure to remember to set your home alarm system, lest criminals make off with your belongings because you were too busy worrying about the weather.
The one thing to remember about heat waves, though, is that most are over in less than a week.
So if you can find a way to ride it out with minimal discomfort, you can save a whole lot of money on things like hotel rooms and expensive air conditioning systems.
And if you're in good health, chances are that you can do it!