Dr. Sıdıka Oksay, Psychiatry Specialist at Private Ümit Hospital, mentioned that hot weather increases stress and suggested that citizens with sensitivity should go out at certain hours.
Dr. Oksay talked about the effect of hot weather on people's mood. Stating that people have difficulty in adaptation in hot weather, Dr. Sıdıka Oksay mentioned that the heat also increases stress. Pointing out that with stress, people may experience palpitations, restlessness, blurred mind, Dr. Oksay suggested protection against hot weather. Dr. Oksay, who recommended not going out in the middle of the day as a precaution and taking a cold shower when exposed to heat, stated that it is important to lower body temperature.
“Temperatures are a factor that increases stress”
Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Sıdıka Oksay, who mentioned that the heat increases the stress of the person, said, “Everything that the human body has difficulty adapting to is a stress factor. Temperatures that the person has difficulty in adapting are also a factor that increases stress. In cases that increase physical and mental stress, stress hormones are secreted more in the body. As a result, palpitations, restlessness, getting angry more easily, clouding of the mind, low mood and feeling bad about oneself can be experienced. By increasing stress hormones, the air temperature increases palpitations and causes symptoms similar to panic attacks, as well as physical heat stroke conditions can cause symptoms such as cold sweating similar to panic attacks.”
“As a society, we have difficulty coping with the heat”
Speaking about the measures that can be taken against the heat, Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Oksay continued as follows:
“Especially in these cases, we should take more effective measures to cope with the heat, not to go out in the middle of the day, not to be exposed to intense heat, when we are exposed to heat, we should give our body time to lower our body temperature by taking a cold shower or taking shelter in a cool place. It can be meaningful to drink sips of cold water. Special groups such as people with psychiatric illnesses and those who use medication, those who use some blood pressure medications, and older people may be more exposed to the negative effects of heat as they will have difficulty in regulating the temperature in their bodies. As a society, we find it difficult to cope with the heat. This leads to sleep and physical distress. This can lead to things like low mood, low morale and more irritability. So we need to pay more attention to staying cool and calm in hot weather. The times when the sun's rays are steeper are the hotter times. We should extend it even more in the morning, they usually say between 12:00 and 16:00, but when we think about this heat, if you have work to go out and do, I would say try to do it after 19:00 in the evening or before 10:00 in the morning. Because we are experiencing extra intense heat according to our habits.”
