Heat can harm your body and your mind

A construction worker wipes his forehead in the heat

Summer is upon us and things are heating up, literally. That’s worrisome given the effect that heat has on human health, both on the body and the mind.

The first major heat wave of the season scorched the western United States in recent weeks, with temperatures climbing to 114 degrees Fahrenheit in Las Vegas, and to a record-breaking 118 degrees in Phoenix.

The Pacific Northwest shattered previously recorded temperature highs, with many regions trapped under what experts called a blistering “heat dome.” In Boston, while a heat emergency was in effect, the city tied its record highs—which had stood since 1933—on June 28 and 29.

These hot days are not isolated events, and they are only going to get more common: the first comprehensive worldwide assessment of heat waves, a report released last summer, uncovered that in nearly every part of the world, heat waves have been increasing in frequency and duration since the 1950s.


 Get The Latest By Email

Weekly Magazine Daily Inspiration

Gregory Wellenius, professor of environmental health and director of the Program on Climate and Health at Boston University researches the human health impacts of a rapidly changing climate. His team aims to ensure that our communities are as resilient, sustainable, and healthy as possible, studying how climate change mitigation and adaptation policies can benefit human health.

Here, he answers some questions about how heat exposure impacts physical and mental health, policies that can ensure equitable access to “cooling centers,” and tips for staying safe when temperatures reach dangerous highs:

About The Author

Boston University

books_health

This article originally appeared on Futurity

More By This Author

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES

English Afrikaans Arabic Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Danish Dutch Filipino Finnish French German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Malay Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese

follow InnerSelf on

facebook icontwitter iconyoutube iconinstagram iconpintrest iconrss icon

 Get The Latest By Email

Weekly Magazine Daily Inspiration

Thursday, 15 April 2021 07:13

As a species, humans are wired to collaborate. That’s why lockdowns and remote work have felt difficult for many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tuesday, 25 July 2023 17:28

Certain foods or dietary patterns are linked with better control of your asthma. Others may make it worse. Depending on what you’ve eaten, you can see the effects in hours.

Saturday, 15 May 2021 16:24

There exist several approaches to obtaining optimal health, all of them important, each of them acting in some way on all the aspects of our beings. I know that if a technique were valid for...

Saturday, 01 May 2021 08:12

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts have become popular in recent years for a number of reasons. They don’t require as much time as a regular workout (some can take as little as 10...

Thursday, 27 May 2021 05:24

Life, by its very nature is … alive! Because it is alive, it is not just responding in a set, mechanical way, but rather it is responsive to what is needed and helpful and useful. Cells might...

Thursday, 13 May 2021 08:34

Iron deficiency is a common nutritional disorder worldwide, and pre-menopausal women are most at risk of being diagnosed with it.

New Attitudes - New Possibilities

InnerSelf.comClimateImpactNews.com | InnerPower.net
MightyNatural.com | WholisticPolitics.com | InnerSelf Market
Copyright ©1985 - 2021 InnerSelf Publications. All Rights Reserved.