How excessive heat can affect your mental health

Extreme heat is a mental health issue partly because it can disrupt the basics that keep mood stable: sleep, hydration, routine, and the ability to recover from stress. That makes the link easy to underestimate. Irritability or low energy during a heat wave may look like โ€œjust being uncomfortable,โ€ but in some people heat can add to an existing vulnerability rather than act as a stand-alone cause.

Itโ€™s also worth separating association from causation. Research on heat, climate events, and mental health is often observational, so it can be hard to tell how much of the effect comes from temperature itself versus related pressures such as poor sleep, air pollution, financial strain, medication changes, or reduced access to cooling and support. That doesnโ€™t make the concern less real; it just means the most honest interpretation is that heat can be one stressor in a larger chain.

For everyday life, the practical question is who needs a lower threshold for action. People with mood disorders, substance use problems, cognitive impairment, or medications that affect fluid balance may be more sensitive to heat-related changes in attention, agitation, and fatigue. Planning ahead matters more than trying to โ€œpush throughโ€ a hot day: monitor sleep, notice changes in concentration or patience, and make cooling part of the dayโ€™s routine rather than waiting for distress to build.

Red flags are behavioral before they are dramatic. A sudden rise in irritability, confusion, withdrawal, or unusual agitation during hot weather deserves attention, especially if it is new or worsening. In that setting, cooling down and checking in with a clinician is a sensible response, not an overreaction.

As Americans sweat through another scorching summer, one expert warns that while extreme heat can cause physical harm, it can also wreak havoc with your mental health.
Sizzling temperatures can make anyone irritable, but it can be far worse for some, especially those with mental health conditions, said Dr. Asim Shah, executive vice chair in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Excessive heat can trigger feelings of anger, irritability, aggression, discomfort, stress and fatigue because of its impact on serotonin, the neurotransmitter that regulates your sleep, mood and behaviors, Shah noted. The most vulnerable groups include people with preexistingย ย and people who abuse alcohol or other drugs. “Allย ย increase with heat because it results in more fatigue, irritability and anxiety, and it can exacerbate depressive episodes,” Shah explained in a Baylor news release. What are the signs of impending trouble? They tend to start with irritability, decreased motivation,ย ย and sometimes mental fogging. In worse cases, confusion and disorientation occur, Shah noted. While avoiding the heat may not be possible, Shah recommends hydrating and keeping your head covered when going outside. If it gets too hot, pour some water on your head to cool down and try doing things in the shade. If you normally go for walks outside, try walking in the mall or a large space with air conditioning.
If you take medications, consult with your provider because some medications for mental health, such as lithium for bipolar patients, don’t pair well with heat. Lithium goes through the kidney, so sweating can have an impact on the levels of the medication in your body, Shah explained. “If you are out in the heat and using lithium, levels may fluctuate. In that scenario, we have to be very careful and either adjust the dosage ofย ย or avoid heat,” he noted. Droughts and extreme changes in temperature can also increase levels of pollutants and allergens as air quality worsens. That can exacerbate mental health issues like depression, anxiety or PTSD. Some studies show that exposure to any natural climate disaster can raise the risk of depression by more than 30%, anxiety by 70% and both by over 87%, Shah said. Kids are not immune to the effects of intense heat, either. “Children are a vulnerable population due to their physical and cognitive immaturity. They are exposed to more pollutants and allergens as they spend more time outdoors,” Shah noted. If you feel affected by severe heat, call your doctor or mental health specialist.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-excessive-affect-mental-health.html

Enjoyed this article? Sign up for our newsletter to receive regular insights and stay connected.