Ways in which hot weather can affect memory and mood
| May 12, 2019, 12:54 IST
As much as people would like to believe that global warming is just a myth, we all know that it is a true phenomenon that is slowly destroying the world. One of the most common examples of global warming being true is the raised temperatures all over the world. This year, heat waves have been hitting countries like never before and in India too there were places that were hit by temperatures of 47 degrees in the first week of May.
While we already know that such high temperatures can cause considerable damage to health, it can also lead to severe dehydration and can cause heat strokes that are bad enough for a person to be hospitalised. And for people with pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease, raised temperatures are going to be even worse. Here are a few ways in which raised temperatures can affect your memory and mood.
- Can cause anger and rage: Yes, raised temperatures can cause confusion and lack of coordination. This shows especially when a person is driving because they're stuck in their seats and this can make them particularly prone to road rage. Studies have shown that an increase in temperature also led to an increase in interpersonal violence by 4% and raised homicides on average by 6%.
- Can affect mood and cause mental illness: Studies found that mental health risks go up during the summers when temperatures are elevated and the most common cases they get are suicide attempts. People who take medication for their mental health are more prone to heat strokes due to the medicine's interference in their body heat regulators. Due to this, these people have an even more adverse reaction to raised temperatures.
- Can affect memory and learning: It was found that students who were made to study in warm classrooms were a lot less able to actually learn things and retain information as compared to students in classrooms with normal temperatures. These students who were exposed to heat underperformed and underdelivered as well as struggled to perform basic tasks.
While there may not be a proper solution to these problems as of now, what one can do is stay indoors as much as possible and stay hydrated to avoid any heat-related issues from occurring. Stay tuned for more updates.
While we already know that such high temperatures can cause considerable damage to health, it can also lead to severe dehydration and can cause heat strokes that are bad enough for a person to be hospitalised. And for people with pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease, raised temperatures are going to be even worse. Here are a few ways in which raised temperatures can affect your memory and mood.
- Can cause anger and rage: Yes, raised temperatures can cause confusion and lack of coordination. This shows especially when a person is driving because they're stuck in their seats and this can make them particularly prone to road rage. Studies have shown that an increase in temperature also led to an increase in interpersonal violence by 4% and raised homicides on average by 6%.
- Can affect mood and cause mental illness: Studies found that mental health risks go up during the summers when temperatures are elevated and the most common cases they get are suicide attempts. People who take medication for their mental health are more prone to heat strokes due to the medicine's interference in their body heat regulators. Due to this, these people have an even more adverse reaction to raised temperatures.
- Can affect memory and learning: It was found that students who were made to study in warm classrooms were a lot less able to actually learn things and retain information as compared to students in classrooms with normal temperatures. These students who were exposed to heat underperformed and underdelivered as well as struggled to perform basic tasks.
While there may not be a proper solution to these problems as of now, what one can do is stay indoors as much as possible and stay hydrated to avoid any heat-related issues from occurring. Stay tuned for more updates.