The impact of summer heat on your mental health
If living in a warmer climate with more extreme temperatures in summer is going to be a norm in the future, then we need to understand how it impacts us so that we can be prepared. Unfortunately, just because the sun is shining doesn’t mean our problems melt away; in fact there can be a surprising downturn in mood for some. Understanding how mental health may decline in heat can empower people to monitor moods, manage sleep and reach out for help if needed.
When the weather is so hot in the UK, a place that doesn’t have the infrastructure for heat, the conditions are uncomfortable and demotivating, sapping energy and driving us inside to dark and artificially lit rooms, or into air conditioned buildings and cars. We have the added inconveniences of sleepless nights, applying greasy sun cream, and wearing sun hats. All of these changes to ‘usual’ life make heat potentially stressful, anxiety-provoking and depressing.
Our body core temperature needs to be in a very small range of 36.5 to 37.5 in order to function. More than a 3 degree centigrade movement in either direction is life threatening. The hotter it is, the more our bodies need to work to keep cool by the main mechanism of sweating. We need to protect it by ensuring we drink enough water to sweat, to replace water lost through sweat and urine, and to make sure we stay out of the high heat and not exercise in it. See the NHS advice on coping in a heatwave.
“Heat can cause lethargy which may feed depression, making it twice as hard to engage in healthy and beneficial activity, such as socialising, exercising or personal interests.”
Soaring temperatures can also increase aggression and violence with research showing a correlation between crime and higher temperatures. Feelings of distress, being irritable and jittery have also been attributed to higher temperatures. At the same time, the heat can cause lethargy which may feed depression, making it twice as hard to engage in healthy and beneficial activity, such as socialising, exercising or personal interests.
The modern-day phenomenon of FOMO (fear of missing out) has also been shown to increase during the summer with social media eagerly documenting every exciting moment of travel and holiday on social platforms. This gives rise to feelings of isolation and reduced confidence and self-esteem.
Summer isn’t for everyone - increased travel, wearing fewer clothes and feeling more social expectations can provoke anxiety for some who feel out of their comfort zones in the different summer circumstances. There is also the outside space to look after as well as the indoor space, holidays to prepare for, and if you have children to ferry around to summer activities it can be non-stop.
Awareness is the key. If you understand the pressure summer and the heat puts on your mental health and you recognise any of the above is impacting you, then you can take steps to put things in place so that you have the support you need to survive the summer. Awareness will allow you to prioritise keeping cool and keeping calm while the heat rises.
Take a look at our Insights page for more advice and information.