SAN ANTONIO — The heat can definitely impact your physical health, and we're now learning the toll it can take on your mental health. We dug into several studies that show the many ways heat can give you "Summer Depression."
Depression, obesity, and even productivity at work and in school. The heat could be bringing you down in more ways than you know. Dr. Barbara Robles-Ramamurthy, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry with UT Health San Antonio told us, "It can range from just feeling comfortable, more irritable, being frustrated that you cannot do your usual activities right to actually seeing more of an impact on your mental health."
We start with a Rutgers study in Boston that tracked students in dorms without air conditioning for 12 days and found their academic performance declined during an extended heat wave. Loka Pandya, a motivational speaker and Chief Joy Officer said, "It starts to make us a little, like distracted and focused on the things that aren't being productive and focus on the things that are making us sadder, restricting us."
Heading over to China, another study found productivity at work was affected by heat too. Where workers' mental performance declined by six to 10 percent when the temperature was between 75 and 82 degrees. The ideal temperature for working? Studies say is a much cooler 72. Dr. Robles-Ramamurthy added, "A higher temperature, more extreme heat can impact our attention and our concentration and motivation, all of which are very important for learning in professional productivity."
Finally, both the U.S. and Mexico worked together in a study about global warming where the effect of the hotter temperatures could result in up to 40,000 additional suicides in both countries combined by 2050. Pandya added, "Naturally, what happens when you get super hot, you're not getting that sunlight either coming in either. So it's making you more sad and more depressed. And when that happens, you start thinking, Well, what am I doing here?"
Both experts also tell us depression resulting from the heat can also lead to more eating, and that combined with less activity can result in increased obesity.
If that depression is leading to suicidal thoughts we want to remind you there is a National Suicide Hotline. The number is 1-800-273-TALK. The hotline is free and available 24/7.