Health Notes: When the Heat Changes More Than the Temperature

If you have noticed yourself feeling more irritable, anxious, foggy, or simply exhausted during a stretch of hot weather, you are not imagining it.

Most of us think about extreme heat in terms of sunburn, dehydration, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke. What we do not discuss nearly as often is the effect prolonged heat can have on our mood, thinking, sleep, and ability to manage everyday stress.

When temperatures climb, the body must work harder to regulate its internal temperature and maintain adequate hydration. Add humidity, disrupted routines, or several days without relief, and it is understandable that many people begin to feel mentally drained as well as physically uncomfortable.

You may notice yourself becoming less patient with your family, more frustrated in traffic, or quicker to react to ordinary inconveniences. Tasks that are usually manageable may suddenly feel overwhelming. Concentration and motivation can decline, and even small decisions may require more effort than usual.

For people already living with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or another mental health condition, prolonged heat may make existing symptoms more difficult to manage. Even people without a diagnosed mental health condition often describe feeling “off” during periods of extreme heat.

Heat Can Interfere With Sleep

Sleep plays an important role in how we feel during hot weather.

Our bodies naturally cool as we prepare for sleep. When nighttime temperatures remain high, it can be more difficult to fall asleep and remain comfortable throughout the night. After several nights of disrupted sleep, we are often more emotionally reactive, less patient, and less able to cope with stress.

Sometimes what feels like worsening anxiety or irritability is actually a combination of heat, poor sleep, dehydration, and accumulated stress.

Mental Health Medications and Hot Weather

Hot weather deserves extra attention when you take prescription medication.

Some psychiatric medications can affect sweating, alertness, fluid balance, or the body’s ability to regulate temperature. These may include certain antipsychotics, antidepressants, stimulants, medications with anticholinergic effects, and some antiseizure medications that are also used in mental health treatment.

Lithium deserves particular attention because dehydration and changes in fluid or sodium balance can increase lithium levels and raise the risk of toxicity.

This does not mean you should stop, skip, or change your medication when the temperature rises. Suddenly changing a psychiatric medication can create serious problems of its own. Instead, ask your prescriber or pharmacist whether any of your medications may affect your ability to tolerate heat and what precautions are appropriate for you.

Pay attention to how you feel, stay adequately hydrated unless you have been given different medical instructions, limit strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day, and have a plan for reaching a cooler environment.

Medication storage matters as well. Do not leave prescriptions in a hot vehicle or another location exposed to extreme temperatures. Follow the storage instructions on the label, and contact your pharmacist if you are unsure whether a medication may have been damaged by heat.

Small Adjustments Can Help

Staying hydrated throughout the day helps support both physical and mental functioning. When possible, schedule outdoor activities during the cooler morning or evening hours, wear lightweight clothing, and take breaks in air-conditioned spaces.

Fans may help when indoor temperatures are below 90°F, but they should not be relied upon as the primary cooling method in hotter rooms. When indoor temperatures climb above that level, seek an air-conditioned or otherwise cooled location whenever possible.

Just as importantly, give yourself a little extra grace.

Feeling less productive, more easily irritated, or mentally tired after several days of intense heat does not necessarily mean something is wrong with you. Your mind and body may simply be responding to a demanding environment.

Know When Heat Becomes an Emergency

Confusion, slurred speech, seizures, loss of consciousness, or a very high body temperature can indicate heatstroke. Call 911 immediately, move the person to a cooler area, and begin cooling them while help is on the way.

Feeling faint, dizzy, unusually weak, nauseated, or unsteady is also a warning sign. Stop activity, move to a cool place, and seek medical care if symptoms are significant or do not improve promptly.

Persistent sadness, worsening anxiety, unusual agitation, major sleep disruption, or a noticeable change in psychiatric symptoms also deserves attention, especially when those changes begin interfering with daily life. Contact your healthcare provider rather than assuming you simply have to wait for the weather to change.

Summer is often presented as a carefree season, but it does not always feel easy. Our minds are affected by our environment just as our bodies are.

This week’s Health Note is simple: drink the water, seek relief from the heat, take your medications as prescribed, and ask questions when you are unsure.

Sometimes it is not only the temperature that is running high.

Christine Aman MBA, MSN, APRN, NPc
Inspired Life Wellness Clinic