Earlier this week, the health secretary of Santa Marta in Colombia announced in a press conference that people in the city should stop having sex to stay cool during this recent heat wave. The health secretary, Julio Salas, was serious when he made the suggestion, but that didn’t stop the press and media from initially laughing when he made the suggestion.
When Salas made the incredible piece of advice, he did so along with a list of other tips on how to keep cool. These tips included wearing loose clothing, and drinking a lot of water. He said that avoiding sex was logical, in the same way that people should refrain from any other strenuous activity in the extreme heat. The American Heart Association has said that sex is a moderate physical activity, comparing it to walking two flights of stairs.
Salas also said that if people are struggling to abstain from being intimate, then they should at least wait for the sun to come down because “it is better to do it at night when the ambient temperature is lower”. With a smile Salad also added that “If you have a good air conditioning, there is no problem.”
Santa Marta is a tourist destination in Colombia. Recently the city’s medical facilities have been overwhelmed by the number of people that have been complaining of heatstroke symptoms such as nausea and headaches. Temperatures in tropical countries like Colombia are expected to be high for the next few weeks, with temperatures averaging 30 degrees Celsius, or 85 degrees Fahrenheit.