Why do we feel more tired, frustrated, and less hungry during the summer?

At this time of the year, we all feel a little tired, more devoid of energy, and more frustrated than usual. Perhaps you have noticed that your coworker has the same problem. So do most of the people you've recently met. It's all the heat that increases body temperature and changes our behavior. Three French doctors: Rémi Mifsud, Alexander Murcier, Xavier Ballongue explain the phenomenon for “Madam-Le Figaro”.

Heat directly affects our fatigue. When it gets too hot, body temperature rises. Thus, the body needs to spend energy to regulate”, Alexandra Murcier explains. This action provokes fatigue, headaches, and sometimes even nausea. So does the loss of hydration, and in particular the loss of salt, through sweat, result in body fatigue.

When we sweat, the loss of these two elements causes a tension cell. So it must be compensated by mixing some salt into a bottle of water. Be careful that you drink it in small amounts so that you do not provoke a breakdown in your blood balance because you will not feel well”, points out Dr. Rémi Mifsud.

Lowering Sports Skills

If temperatures show 30 degrees, don't try to break new records in the gym. Our muscle capacity is reduced by increasing heat. You'll get tired, you'll have less resistance, especially if you don't consume water”, says dietologist Alexandra Murcier. “Recuperation is difficult and we lose a little bit of our reflexes. So we can't go any faster”.

The Loss of Emotion

In fact, it is not that we are less hungry but that our bodies need less calories because of temperatures. You also want to eat easier. In winter, on the contrary, the body burns more calories to heat, which also increases the sense of hunger. And now the body is more “occupying” to reduce temperatures than to feed. It avoids making other efforts, such as those of eating and digesting.

Bad Humor

When temperatures change, it affects our mood. According to Rémi Mifsud “when we sweat we start and feel bad. Conclusion: We get frustrated and we get angry fast, fast and quick.” High temperatures make us nervous, more than we usually are. But Dr. Ballongue stops underlining the positive effects of the sun. “generally the sun has more positive effects than negative. It's morale and it's an excellent antidepressive”.

The Fall of Libido

If the return of the sun in spring generally “drives off <x1 hormones, summer heat can stem the sexual desire. When it's over 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, we don't want to have intense sexual activity. The temperature affects our form and can cause an immediate decline in lybidos”, says Alexander Murcier.