It’s not unknown that temperature does have an effect on people’s moods — people lose their cool (literally and figuratively) under the summer heat, with road rage incidents and violent crimes shooting up during the warm seasons.
What’s not known to many is the exact link between high temperatures and high tempers. Science, however, has an explanation. Here are the reasons people get cranky when it’s hot:
Your body becomes more active.
As the temperature in your environment rises, internal temperature rises as well. When this happens, your body goes into an active mode of some sorts. The heart rate goes up, and the blood pressure surges. This increased physical arousal can be a little risky because it’s associated with potential aggressive behavior. That doesn’t stop there, though.
When you’re cranky because of the heat, you’re usually not aware that you are. Why? Because you feel terribly tired. With your body overworking, but your perception of it being inactive, you could be mindlessly turning grumpy. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution: Keep your home and office cool. If you notice leaks and strange sounds coming out of your equipment, get air conditioning repair. Many Salt Lake City, Utah companies have 24/7 services you can take advantage of.
You become easily dehydrated.
The body responds to heat and cools off by sweating. This means you would easily slip into dehydration if you don’t replenish those lost fluids. According to research, even mild cases can lead to a slump in the ability to concentrate and energy level. Without that mental clarity and physical strength then, you get cranky at the littlest of things.
The thing about dehydration is it’s easy to overlook. When you’re too busy with work or preoccupied with house chores, you fail to realize that you’ve gone through half a day already without drinking water. What you should do then is to include drinking in your routines. For instance, after you wake up, drink. Before you go to the office, drink. Once you get to your work desk, drink. You may also use apps that remind you to hydrate. These usually have trackers on them, calculating how much you’ve drunk the whole day, so you would grow more conscious about hydration.
You can’t get a decent sleep.
For sure, you’re familiar with restless summer nights when you can’t get a decent amount of sleep. You see, temperature plays a big role in inducing and maintaining sleep. When your room is sweltering hot, your body finds it difficult to cool down, an important ingredient in putting you to snooze mode.
Lack of sleep leads to increased irritability and decreased concentration, the dangerous combo that would certainly make for a grumpy you. When it’s warm outside, lower your thermostat. Sleep experts recommend putting your thermostat in 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit for better rest.
It’s no coincidence that as the temperatures go up, the cranky attitude emerges as well. Now that you know the science behind it, you can keep calm by keeping cool from here on.
