What to do if you constantly want to sleep in the heat: 5 tips from a doctor

What to do if you constantly want to sleep in the heat: 5 tips from a doctor

They will help to maintain efficiency and concentration.

certified clinical geneticist, nutritionist, expert of UniProf Academy of Physicians.

Why do you feel like sleeping in the heat? How to fix it?

Why do you feel sleepy in the heat?

Dehydration

We all know how useful it is to drink clean water, but who of us systematically observes this “ritual” day after day? Most people are in a state of mild dehydration almost all the time, and in hot weather it becomes especially noticeable.

Violation of the water-salt balance

With sweat we lose fluid, as well as salts of potassium, calcium, magnesium. When the balance of electrolytes is disturbed, the blood becomes thicker and the heart has to work harder. This means that the whole body uses more energy, which makes you want to rest more.

Acceleration of metabolic processes

Increased air temperature increases heart rate and metabolic rate. Using various receptors on the skin, the body receives information from the environment and uses it to synchronize internal metabolic processes. In an attempt to lower body temperature, the entire body begins to work harder. All this depletes our energy reserves faster and we feel exhausted.

Additional load on the brain

The brain suffers from overheating more than any other organ. Remember the movie Sleepless, which came out in 2021? The characters died not from lack of sleep, but from overheating of the brain due to constant work without being able to sleep. In hot weather, blood rushes to the head, thus cooling the gray matter. The whole body mobilizes by distilling the blood and then goes into energy conservation mode. This is why there may be a sudden urge to sleep.

Abrupt change from bright sunshine to a dark room

A sudden change of environment can trick the brain into thinking it’s time to sleep. There is a slight disruption of circadian rhythms and partial synthesis of melatonin, the sleep hormone, not when it should be.

A drop in blood pressure

The dilation of blood vessels at the time of rising body temperature leads to a drop in blood pressure, which causes weakness and drowsiness. Therefore, not only in the hot summer time, but even after a sauna, bath or solarium you want to rest.

Increasing body temperature, losing electrolytes in the process of sweat secretion, the body loses energy. “Internal water” goes into a gaseous state, its molecules break apart, expending energy resources for this process. The more we sweat, the greater the risk of drowsiness and fatigue.

And what prevents us from sleeping at night, told in a previous article.

What to do to prevent excessive energy expenditure

• Avoid dehydration. It is important to drink water before you feel thirsty.
• Try to go for walks not in the sun (in the middle zone – before 12:00 and after 16:00, south – before 10:00).
• In the strongest heat, choose loose clothing made of natural “breathable” fabrics (cotton, linen). Preferably with long loose sleeves and head protection (hat, bandana, scarf, etc.) and eye protection (sunglasses, cap).
• It is better to cut down on strenuous exercise, especially strength training, ideally go to the pool or exercise indoors or in the not-so-“strong” hours of the sun.
• On a walk or just on the road you can take mineral water with high sodium content or salty snacks, nuts – sodium retains water and helps prevent dehydration.

Read about what happens to the body if you stay up all night here.