You may not know that heat can make you cranky. Maybe you’ve experienced it, but did you realize that there is a scientific explanation for why you feel extra on edge during a heat wave?
First, heat can impact serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate your mood. This can lead to higher levels of stress and fatigue. Heat also raises cortisol levels, which can trigger a stress response.
When you feel grumpy for seemingly no reason, check the temperature. It may be that on a hot day, you are simply extra susceptible to triggers that would otherwise be meaningless.
It’s important to remember that temperature and its effects are universal. We all experience bad moods from time to time, and these can be exacerbated by heat.
To recover from a bad mood due to excessive heat, we have a few tricks for you:
- Take a step back from everything. Turn away from your phone and other cortisol-spiking mechanisms that will potentially make your mood feel worse. Don’t feel like you need to respond to everything right away, unless it's an emergency. You want to avoid raising your heart rate to feel calm and cool.
- Turn to exercise, even just a walk. Yes, we’re telling you to take another walk, but make it something to look forward to! Treat yourself to a coffee and put on a favorite playlist. Even a small amount of outdoor activity will make you feel drastically better. And if it's particularly hot, make sure you bring a cold water bottle!
- Don’t worry about cooking. Take the pressure (and the extra heat!) off and don’t turn on the stove. Try “assembling” meals instead and take the opportunity to step away from work and enjoy the break.
Recovering from a bad mood, especially when other factors are at play besides temperature, can feel insurmountable in the moment. But there are tools we can implement that are scientifically proven to help lower our heart rates, cool us down mentally and physically, and help us continue our day on a more positive note.
