I nearly passed out at an outdoor concert in August a few years ago. Ninety-five degrees, direct sun, and I had been standing for two hours. My vision started to go spotty. Someone handed me a cold water bottle and told me to hold it against my wrists — not drink it. Within a minute I felt noticeably clearer.

That was when I learned that where you apply cold matters more than how cold it is. Your body has specific cooling points, and targeting them cools you down faster than chugging ice water.

The pulse point method

Your blood runs close to the surface of your skin at certain spots — wrists, neck, temples, inside of elbows, behind the knees, and the tops of your feet. Apply cold to these areas and the chilled blood circulates through your body, lowering your core temperature from the inside.

An ice pack, a cold water bottle, or even a washcloth soaked in cold water works. Hold it against one wrist for 30 seconds, then switch. Two wrists plus the back of your neck covers the major pulse points. You will feel the effect within a minute or two.

The evaporative cooling trick

Your body’s built-in cooling system is sweat evaporation. But in high humidity, sweat sits on your skin instead of evaporating. A wet bandana or thin scarf around your neck mimics sweating — the water evaporates and draws heat away from the carotid arteries, which supply blood to your brain. Cooling your brain reduces the perception of heat even if your core temperature has not dropped yet.

Rewet the bandana every 20 minutes. In dry heat this works even better because evaporation happens faster.

What to drink (and what not to)

Cool water, not ice cold. Ice water causes your body to generate heat to warm the water to body temperature — counterproductive. Small sips every few minutes are better than chugging, which can cause stomach cramps.

Skip the iced coffee and alcohol. Both are diuretics that dehydrate you. Sports drinks help if you have been sweating heavily for over an hour, but for normal overheating, water is all you need.

Warning signs to take seriously

If you stop sweating despite being hot, feel confused or nauseous, or your skin is hot and dry, you may be heading into heat stroke — a medical emergency. Get to shade or air conditioning immediately, cool down with whatever you have, and call for help if symptoms do not improve within minutes. Heat stroke can cause organ damage and is fatal if untreated.