Expect hot sunny days soon. Higher temperatures also cause fatigue. How is it that we get too tired? And what can we do about it? Thermophysiologist Koen Levels explains.
Our body has everything to do with your so-called energy management. Sometimes we think, where does the energy of the body go? Because of the heat, we need the energy to cool down. Cooling down takes a lot of energy. That means that you have less energy to be alert or to do active things,” says Levels.
Due to the warm weather, it is a lot more difficult for your body to get rid of its heat. That’s because your environment is also a lot warmer. “As a human being, you produce a lot of heat. You normally release this to the environment through your skin. That is almost impossible with the warm weather.”
Our body has therefore come up with a way to cool down, which only costs a lot more energy. Besides, we also sweat and stink. The reason we are tired of hot weather is, “The energy we use for sweating is more than the energy we use for anything else.”
Nevertheless, there are solutions to combat that fatigue—for example, a nice nap with your colleagues. “If you do work that takes a lot of energy, it is better to do this at times when it is not so hot. That’s why siestas (typical summer afternoon naps) are part of the work culture in some countries. If that would also be something for us on the warmer days.” won’t you enjoy it?
Due to the heat, it is possible that you do not fall asleep comfortably. “Try to cool your room with an air conditioner or fan. An air conditioner is actually best. If it is extremely hot, a fan does not make sense. Unless you put a few bottles of frozen water in front of it.”
It can only be quite good that you get a bad cold after a night under the air conditioning, says ENT doctor Jan-Pieter de Mönnik. “The low temperature gives excitation of your nasal mucosa, causing swelling and therefore snot. It happens especially at transitions between heat and cold. Some already suffer from it with the air conditioning of a car.”
We don’t have to sweat hard at night. “It’s not bad to sleep with the air conditioning on. It is better for your sleep when it is a bit colder. You just shouldn’t make it too cold. Many people put the air conditioning at 18 degrees, while outside, it is 30 degrees. That’s not advisable. You have to set your air conditioning around 21 degrees at most. Not colder.”
Source: Omroep Brabant
Translated by :Shanthi Ramani
