Question: How can extreme temperatures affect both mental and physical health? Could extreme weather help mental or physical health?

Chris Tyler answered on 9 Nov 2017:

Thanks for the question! There is some very new data to suggest that heat can be used to help suffers of diabetes and cardiovascular disease – it seems to help with the movement of sugar within the body but also with the redistribution of blood flow (think about how red you go when you’re hot- the blood is flowing to the skin).

Despite this new data heat is more commonly thought of a bad thing for health. If you get too hot you can get heat cramp or heat stroke and these can be very dangerous especially for vulnerable populations (e.g. the very old and the very young). High temperatures can also impair your ability to perform complex tasks and so the brain is taxed more in the heat than in the cool. Fortunately, we have evolved to manage our own temperature and comfort very well so often we make choices to prevent these things happening (e.g. stop moving, find shade, drink, use cool towels) but in circumstances where this is not always possible (e.g. long military drills) it is not uncommon to see individuals faint due to the heat alone.