Acclimating to high heat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't acclimate to it. I just spent a week with someone who is most comfortable with the thermostat at 80 and they put it down to 74 for me. I am comfortable at 65, so was uncomfortable for the entire visit.

I overheat and pass out and take about 10-12 hours to recover. All I can do is keep the blinds down, windows open, fans on and bowls of ice in front of fans.

PP with the teen who can't tolerate heat. You should consult a doctor too, PP. My teen has passed out in heat, and feels very fatigued afterwards as well. But her new symptom is that now she can't breathe if she exercises even very moderately in any warm-ish conditions. She was diagnosed with asthma, but we want to refine the diagnosis, because the last time it happened it was 75F (!) and she was complaining of being way too hot.

Sounds like POTS / dysautonomia.

I was going to say the same thing. My teen is just like this and is being tested for POTS next week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is there anything beyond drinking water that helps you acclimate to high heat?

Get out in it. Immersion therapy so to speak. You get used to it quick, as long as you are healthy and not obese or have heart issues.

You eventually get used to it. Go out but not in the hottest parts of the day. Become a morning and an evening person.

I now live in AZ where it is 108 today and it honestly doesn't feel that bad. In the shade. It's taken about 5 years to get used to it. The lack of humidity helps but even with humidity you get used to it from just being there.

Water and electrolytes. More water than you think you need. And then some more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't acclimate to it. I just spent a week with someone who is most comfortable with the thermostat at 80 and they put it down to 74 for me. I am comfortable at 65, so was uncomfortable for the entire visit.

I overheat and pass out and take about 10-12 hours to recover. All I can do is keep the blinds down, windows open, fans on and bowls of ice in front of fans.

Do you have a medical condition? Only being comfortable at 65 does not sound normal to me.

Yes, my medical condition is that I overheat. I've been this way since preschool age. I can be okay outside at 70 if I'm on the shady side of the street and not in sunlight. But indoors at 74 I'm on the brink of breaking into a sweat, can't sleep comfortably even with a ceiling fan, and moving just a little slower than normal.

My son is similar

[Anonymous]

He might get used to it but not fully. My mother can’t tolerate heat and they live in the South and I also don’t deal well - sure I am better at it now than I was when I first moved to DC 20+ years ago, but I am still nowhere as good as DH and the kids. On the plus side, I tolerate the cold really well.

Basically, try to find a place with AC, drink a lot of water, don’t be outside in mid day if you can help it (if you can’t, be somewhere where you can duck in and be cool.)

[Anonymous]

I moved to Dallas and struggled for a while. It turned out that I had hypothyroidism and that made the heat much worse. Once I started to get that under control, it was easier to acclimate.

I definitely at and drank differently there than I do in my current location. It’s important to start the day with water and to add in a lot of hydrating foods like more fruits and vegetables than you’re used to. And if you are going outside and sweating, you have to be aggressive about electrolytes and salt or else all the water in the world won’t help. We spend a lot of time in SE Asia and I find that the combination of easy access to great produce and salty food makes it easy to combat the heat.

It’s good to spend a lot of time outside and then duck into AC right before you hit your limit. The worst thing you can do is to never go out and just go back and forth from ac to ac with no outdoor time. That makes the outside heat feel really shocking and can make you feel lethargic, nauseous and dizzy. Working out outside helped me acclimate more easily but you have to hydrate and fuel responsibly.

[Anonymous]

I spent a lot of time in a Middle Eastern desert.

1) breathable fabrics. Linen, cotton, etc.
2) loose clothes, and cover arms and shoulders
3) drink water. Like entire liters. One in the morning, one before bed, and continuously throughout the day.
4) drink hot tea. It sounds counterintuitive but it works
5) rest during peak heat. Lie flat if possible, with a fan
6) shower often

[Anonymous]

Neck fan
Cooling cloth
Hat, umbrella
Tuck a ice pack on back (waist)
Wash clothes the night before and hang dry, wear out damp
Shower in the day and go outv with damp hair

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spent a lot of time in a Middle Eastern desert.

1) breathable fabrics. Linen, cotton, etc.
2) loose clothes, and cover arms and shoulders
3) drink water. Like entire liters. One in the morning, one before bed, and continuously throughout the day.
4) drink hot tea. It sounds counterintuitive but it works
5) rest during peak heat. Lie flat if possible, with a fan
6) shower often

+1 to all this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't acclimate to it. I just spent a week with someone who is most comfortable with the thermostat at 80 and they put it down to 74 for me. I am comfortable at 65, so was uncomfortable for the entire visit.

I overheat and pass out and take about 10-12 hours to recover. All I can do is keep the blinds down, windows open, fans on and bowls of ice in front of fans.

PP with the teen who can't tolerate heat. You should consult a doctor too, PP. My teen has passed out in heat, and feels very fatigued afterwards as well. But her new symptom is that now she can't breathe if she exercises even very moderately in any warm-ish conditions. She was diagnosed with asthma, but we want to refine the diagnosis, because the last time it happened it was 75F (!) and she was complaining of being way too hot.

Sounds like POTS / dysautonomia.

I was about to say the same thing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't acclimate to it. I just spent a week with someone who is most comfortable with the thermostat at 80 and they put it down to 74 for me. I am comfortable at 65, so was uncomfortable for the entire visit.

I overheat and pass out and take about 10-12 hours to recover. All I can do is keep the blinds down, windows open, fans on and bowls of ice in front of fans.

Do you have a medical condition? Only being comfortable at 65 does not sound normal to me.

Yes, it's called hyperbole. I think a lot of Americans suffer from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is there anything beyond drinking water that helps you acclimate to high heat?

Get out in it. Immersion therapy so to speak. You get used to it quick, as long as you are healthy and not obese or have heart issues.

You eventually get used to it. Go out but not in the hottest parts of the day. Become a morning and an evening person.

I now live in AZ where it is 108 today and it honestly doesn't feel that bad. In the shade. It's taken about 5 years to get used to it. The lack of humidity helps but even with humidity you get used to it from just being there.

Water and electrolytes. More water than you think you need. And then some more.

Same timeline here. 5 years later, I don’t dread summers like I used to.