AccuWeather speaks with psychologist Dr. Susan Albers of the Cleveland Clinic. She shares how extreme heat can contribute to mental health issues such as anxiety, agitation and irritation.
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00:00How can extreme heat impact our moods and our actions?
00:05Studies have shown that excessive heat can trigger feelings of anxiety, irritation, agitation,
00:12and cognitive problems. During heat waves, we see a dramatic increase in emergency room visits
00:18due to mental health, suicide, domestic violence, crime. We know that heat doesn't cause mental
00:25health issues, but it does exacerbate them. Have you noticed a difference at all with
00:30your patients this week in your practice? How has the heat been impacting everyone's daily life?
00:37Our bodies and brains are so sensitive to temperature change. What I've noticed is that
00:44people are complaining of problem sleeping. The quality of our sleep is dramatically impacted
00:50by heat. People's heart rates are up. When we try and cool our bodies down, it releases cortisol,
00:57that stress hormone, and then that kicks you into that fight or flight mode. So that
01:01be why people are feeling a lot more agitated right now. It's a good time to check in on people
01:09who have mental health conditions to see how they're doing. Make sure that also the most
01:15important thing you can do is hydrate right now. Hydration
01:19is key to mitigating some of the negative effects of heat on mental health.