How Heat and Humidity in Houston Can Worsen Your Mental Health

Krystin Holmes, a licensed marriage and family therapist at the Harris Center for Mental Health, said a person’s mental health suffers when heat prevents them from doing activities they normally would.

“Mental health symptoms can be exacerbated by excessive heat,” Holmes said. “Sometimes people isolate themselves and stay indoors, don’t see their friends as much and skip activities just because of the intense heat. »

Intense heat can also increase mood swings, irritability and episodes of road rage.

“People get upset when the temperature rises,” Holmes said.

Although mental health problems caused by intense heat are not clinically diagnosed as a true disorder, such as seasonal affective disorder, researchers are still trying to understand the influence of temperatures on mental health.

According to a 2023 study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, understanding the psychological and physical effects of intense heat is a growing area of ​​research as global temperatures reach unprecedented levels.

The study found that high temperatures can cause feelings of anxiety and unease when the body’s stress response is activated, leading to increased levels of stress hormones.

Stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, can cause emotional reactions like frustration and impatience that can trigger interpersonal conflicts during heat exposure. High temperatures can also disrupt sleep patterns, which can harm mental well-being and lead to decreased motivation.

“The physiological pressure of high temperatures can drain energy levels and dampen enthusiasm, which could lead to reduced participation in social, work and leisure activities,” according to the study.

Numerous studies have also found correlations between aggressive driving and extreme heat.

Leigh Richardson, director of the Brain Performance Center in Dallas, told Britain’s Guardian newspaper last summer that heat accelerates our brain’s activation, putting it into a “fight-flight-freeze cycle that threatens our psychological safety” during conduct.

“When we feel threatened, we can become more impulsive and reactive. Getting into a car that registers 108 degrees at the end of a long day, thinking about errands to run on the way home, is overwhelming and the heat makes us tired,” Richardson told the Guardian. “When someone cuts us off or won’t let us change lanes, our brains can quickly enter a fight cycle, causing us to react in an agitated way.”

Holmes has a strategy for dealing with patients who experience mood swings and anger: the rule of five.

“Is this going to be a problem in the next five minutes?” The next five days? The next five years? Very often the answer is no, I can let it go,” Holmes said.

In addition to seeking professional help, Holmes encouraged her clients to plan before or after the hottest parts of the day, plan their activities indoors, use cooling centers and stay hydrated .