#thermoregulation — Public Fediverse posts

DATE: August 24, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

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TITLE: The physiological reasons the human brain struggles to process information in extreme heat

URL: https://www.psypost.org/the-physiological-reasons-the-human-brain-struggles-to-process-information-in-extreme-heat/

Ever feel that the arrival of summer sun makes you feel a bit dopey? You wouldn’t be the only one. Soaring temperatures are known for their ability to slow our thought processes, making even everyday tasks seem like a baffling ordeal.

But what is actually happening inside our heads when the heat is on? The explanation appears to lie in the extra work our brain and body have to do to keep us cool.

The brain and body are in constant conversation. When outdoor temperatures change, thermoreceptors which sit near the surface of the skin send signals to the hypothalamus – the brain’s temperature regulation centre.

When things become too hot or cold, the hypothalamus co-ordinates a series of responses to bring body temperature back towards normal (around 37°C). Keeping the core temperature at this level is critical for metabolism, activity of enzymes and many other essential body functions.

Being commander-in-chief of temperature regulation means that the brain becomes rather occupied when having to consistently regulate your temperature.

In hot weather, this means cooling the body down by switching on mechanisms that allow heat to radiate from the surface. This includes diverting blood to the skin, flattening skin hairs and sweating.

These responses are governed by nervous pathways that link the brain to blood vessels and sweat glands. This allows it to fine-tune the amount of heat the body sheds.

But the additional demand that keeping cool places on the brain may therefore leave less capacity for it to perform cognitive tasks which require sustained thought and attention.

This becomes particularly noticeable if you’re also exercising or exerting yourself at the same time. This is because working muscles and metabolism generate heat, which places additional strain on the body and brain’s cooling mechanisms.

Our neurons (nerve cells) may also start to function differently with rising heat. Neurons rely on the flow of electrical currents and the release of chemical neurotransmitters to function. These processes depend upon enzymes, proteins and the movement of charged ions in and out of the neuron – all of which are sensitive to temperature.

Although the brain is normally able to compensate and keep up with these demands, past a certain point the finely controlled balance becomes disrupted. This alters the way neurons fire and communicate with each other, which can affect processes such as memory, decision-making and concentration.

Another potential complication to consider is dehydration, which commonly occurs in hot weather as we lose more fluid in sweat. Failing to replace fluid losses adequately means additional strain is placed on the cardiovascular system as it tries to supply the skin and organs – including the brain – with blood.

Like many other organs, the brain is over 70% water. Even modest dehydration can result in impairment to attention, reaction times and short-term memory.

This is because dehydration can affect the brain in several ways. It can reduce cerebral blood flow, alter the way that neurons function and even affect the delicate balance of electrolytes needed for normal activity – all of which impact how well our brain works.

Another important consideration is not just how brain and body respond to heat in the moment, but also in the aftermath when they rest and recuperate – namely, through sleep. In hotter weather, it can become increasingly difficult to sleep. And, if you do manage to doze off, the time spent in deeper, restorative sleep may also be short-lived.

In disrupting sleep, hot weather adds another contribution to brain fog: inadequate sleep impairs attention, memory and thinking – furthering the effects of heat on cognitive performance.

Keeping cool

The degree to which the heat affects our thinking will probably vary between people. Some may cope well, whereas others may find difficulty in doing complex cognitive tasks or simple, everyday activities. This will be due in part to individual differences in physiology and heat tolerance.

Perception matters, too. Even a relatively small dip in attention or processing speed can feel much more dramatic when we notice ourselves struggling with something that would usually come easily.

Try not to be hard on yourself if this happens. Take a moment to chill, rehydrate and reclaim your thoughts.

You can fend off some of this summer brain fog by keeping yourself cool as best as you can. Simple measures such as cool clothing, bedding and taking regular breaks from heat exposure do work wonders. Good fluid intake is also paramount to making sure both body and brain stay hydrated.

While it’s frustrating when our brains just don’t feel like they’re firing on all cylinders on hot days, just remember that it’s only a temporary blip. And one that should start to ease off as we cool down.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/the-physiological-reasons-the-human-brain-struggles-to-process-information-in-extreme-heat/

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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #summerbrainfog #heatandcognition #heatstress #thermoregulation #dehydrationeffects #cognitiveperformance #neuroscience #braininheat #sleepandheat #hydrationmatters

Sensing warm and cool: how the body detects temperature changes

https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-07-sensing-warm-and-cool-how-body-detects-temperature-changes

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48953189

#HackerNews #sensingtemperature #bodytemperature #thermoregulation #temperaturechanges #healthscience

Try this for a few nights. You might fall asleep faster and wake up less tired.

#Biohacking #SleepOptimization #Thermoregulation #Productivity #BedtimeRoutine #SleepQuality #Wellness #CircadianRhythm #Recovery #Energy (2/2)

Some #insects support passive #breathing via tracheae through #active #respiratorymovements, nsmed #convectiveventilation. Muscle contractions cause motions that e.g. dilate the #spiracles, allowing more efficient #gasexchange. The same time, the process also serves #thermoregulation. My example, the #robberfly #Tolmerus #cingulatus, demonstrates this #behavior.

Please watch my YouTube video; my channel needs more views.
https://youtu.be/zSOdFZF18yk?si=J67MJAevRUq-mP6i

©#StefanFWirth #Berlin2025

#Photos
© S.F.Wirth

Deconninck et al. provides a refreshed view of how plasticity in temperature preference can inform us about the thermoregulatory strategies of ectotherms. An all-new framework that they apply to Drosophila melanogaster.

Read now ahead of print!
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/736575

#Plasticity #Thermoregulation #Ectotherms #EEB

The claim is circulating that antidepressants can cause overheating and dehydration. This is a genuine public health message, but it's not so simple: diuretics, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, antipsychotics, and some antihistamines may also interact badly with hot weather.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/15/well/live/heat-weather-medication-safety.html (excerpt in a reply)

There's even doubt about antidepressants having this effect. A recent paper in eClinicalMedicine looked at all the studies they could find and concluded that there wasn't evidence of antidepressants causing overheating in hot weather - though some other medicines do.

"Current evidence supports strong anticholinergics, non-selective beta-blockers, adrenaline, and anti-Parkinson’s agents impairing thermoregulation during heat stress ... physicians should interpret with caution conventional public health messaging related to the thermoregulatory effects of some drugs (e.g., antidepressants) during hot weather."
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(24)00465-6/fulltext

#Antidepressants #Diuretics #AnticholinergicMedications #MedMastodon #BetaBlockers #HeatWaves #Thermoregulation #OverHeating #Dehydration #SideEffects #AdverseEffects #AdverseEvents #DrugSideEffects #DrugSafety #HeatStress #HotWeather #HotWeatherSafety #PublicHealth #ACEinhibitors #Antipsychotics

#Thyroid hormones play a pivotal role in #thermoregulation and the attunement to hot and cold #climate​s. Recent research found global patterns of variants in the UCP1 and UCP3 genes and #SPINA-GD (step-up #deiodinase activity), suggesting integrated adaptation.

https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14050454

23-Apr-2025
Remembering the cold: scientists discover how #memories control #metabolism

New multidisciplinary research led by Tomás Ryan from Trinity College Dublin shows that the brain forms memories of cold experiences and uses them to control our metabolism. This newly published study is the first to show that #cold memories form in the #brain – and map out how they subsequently drive #thermoregulation.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1081286 #science

The High Energetic Costs Of Changing Colors In Octopus

"Changing colors is as energetically demanding for octopuses as jogging for 23 minutes is for humans."

by @GrrlScientist via #Medium

#octopus #SciComm #colors #energetics #physiology #camouflage #communication #thermoregulation https://medium.com/grrlscientist/the-high-energetic-costs-of-changing-colors-in-octopus-ebcfe63f4432

The High Energetic Costs Of Changing Colors In Octopus

"Changing colors is as energetically demanding for octopuses as jogging for 23 minutes is for humans."

by @grrlscientist via #Medium

#octopus #SciComm #colors #energetics #physiology #camouflage #communication #thermoregulation https://medium.com/grrlscientist/the-high-energetic-costs-of-changing-colors-in-octopus-ebcfe63f4432

Wissenswertes zu #Hummeln 🙂
Aufheizen der Flugmuskulatur wie bei einem Motor.
Tatsächlich ist die Hummel wie nur wenige wechselwarm #Insekten in der Lage, auch bei kalten Außentemperaturen ihre Muskulatur auf konstant 30°C aufzuheizen. Dies geht nur durch eine effiziente #Thermoregulation, so dass es sogar eine Hummelart gibt, die ihre Nester im Gletschereis baut. Zum Aufwärmen „zittert“ die #Hummel mit der Flugmuskulatur, d.h., sie spannt die Muskeln immer wieder an. Dabei wird viel Energie verbraucht, und, wie bei einem Verbrennungsmotor, Energie in Form von Wärme frei (vgl. für Stoffwechselvorgänge Schönfeld 2002, Hoffmann 1978). Das heizt die Muskulatur bis auf 30°C auf. Dieses Zittern ist völlig geräuschlos, auch die Flügel sind völlig bewegungslos. Nur ein Pumpen am Abdomen ist zu erkennen, um die Muskulatur mit reichlich Sauerstoff zu versorgen.
https://aktion-hummelschutz.de/biologie/thermoregulation-bei-wechselwarmen-insekten/
#Bienen #Wildbienen #Wildbiene

The High Energetic Costs Of Changing Colors In Octopus

"Changing colors is as energetically demanding for octopuses as jogging for 23 minutes is for humans."

by @grrlscientist via #Medium

#octopus #SciComm #colors #energetics #physiology #camouflage #communication #thermoregulation https://medium.com/grrlscientist/the-high-energetic-costs-of-changing-colors-in-octopus-ebcfe63f4432

"Across 1520 species of birds, higher temperatures are associated with longer wing bones, as predicted by Allen's Rule... we interpret the positive relationship between temperature and wing-bone length to reflect increased demand for heat dissipation in warmer climates. Our findings highlight the role of thermoregulation in shaping even the most critical features of vertebrate anatomy."

#thermoregulation
#avians
#birds

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.70033?af=R

@ScienceScholar

Why are the researchers assuming this is an evolutionary change? Not every physical change over generations is due to a change in gene frequencies.

~

Another interesting change:

Decreasing human body temperature in the United States since the industrial revolution
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.49555

#biology #anatomy #physiology #vasculature
#thermoregulation

Intriguing bit in this video about ketamine + rapamycin improving heat tolerance (this is not a recommendation - I don't know enough about it)

https://youtu.be/9Z4Eg1dtyOc?si=EXVnqvV6-vd7rqEj&t=2188

#thermoregulation #physiology #ketamine #rapamycin #HeatTolerance #neuroscience #POTS

I've been thinking a lot about finding that human body temperature has been decreasing since the Industrial Revolution for a while now.
https://elifesciences.org/articles/49555

Today I say a post about rising CO2 and wondered what effect ambient CO2 might have on Na/K ATPase. While we are taught that heat is generated in the mitochondrion via futile cycling of protons across the mt. membrane, Na/K ATPase activity also contributes. Ectotherms have lower Na/K ATPase activity than endotherms.

So I wondered if CO2 levels affect Na/K ATPase activity, and I found this -
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7073107/

Unfortunately I don't have time to read the article and it may be weeks before I can read it.

CO2 levels have been increasing since the Industrial Revolution, Na/K ATPase activity is reduced by CO2 ( in lung epithelium) - could rising CO2 levels be causing the decrease in body temperature?
It's an interesting idea, but I would have to study a lot more to be able to gauge its plausibility.

If there is something to it - it seems like it would be a big deal, just like the decrease in body temperature is, IMO, a big deal.

#thermoregulation #physiology #CO2 #ClimateChange #BodyTemperature #NaKATPase #SodiumPump

Beyond beauty, colour serves important functions for #frogs and #toads around the world
https://communities.springernature.com/posts/beyond-beauty-colour-serves-important-functions-for-frogs-and-toads-around-the-world paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43729-7

"The study documents for the first time the importance of colour-based #thermoregulation, #UVprotection, and #pathogen resistance in #anurans... Thermoregulation and #UV-protection was generally of greater importance in temperate regions, and pathogen resistance was of greater importance in the #tropics."

The distinctive large ears of bat-eared foxes serve a dual purpose: They aid in #thermoregulation and play a crucial role in detecting the sounds of underground prey. According to the African #Wildlife Federation, “their large ears can hear beetle larvae hatching from dung balls.” 🦊💩🪲😋

👉 Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/bat-eared-foxes-in-kenya

#Africa #animals #kenya #nature

Popular belief: "If you want to keep your feet warm, wear a hat". Based on thermal camera images of birds from 14 species in cold conditions, birds lose more heat via their bills than their legs.

#Science #Biology #Physiology #Heat #Thermoregulation #temperature #Bird

📄 McQueen et al. (2023) Birds are better at regulating heat loss through their legs than their bills: implications for body shape evolution in response to climate. Biology Letters 19:20230373 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0373

#Bergmann's rule states that #endotherms have a large body #size in high latitudes and #cold #climates. New research suggest that whether Bergmann's rule applies to a particular taxon is mediated by not only #geographic and biological features, but also potential alternate #strategies that species might have for #thermoregulation: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.16860?campaign=wolearlyview

@justliz It’s just news, and in #science “new news” needs to get verified and that takes time. The implications of the reported discovery about #climate temperature regulation are irrelevant for human life. It is some consolation, I suppose, that #Earth has #homeostatic #thermoregulation and may retain the ability to support life even if we don’t make it through the next 100,000 years.

Hallo zusammen, ich bin vor ein paar Tagen eingezogen - Zeit für eine richtige Einführung, denn ich bin #neuhier. Ich arbeite an #Openscience #Openaccess und #Wissenschaftskommunikation, zu meinen anderen Interessen gehören #Biologie #Hummeln #Physiologie #Thermoregulation - und #Paddeln

Mein erster Eindruck: mir gefällt es hier. Vielen Dank an die alteingesessenen #Fediverse-Bewohner für ein herzliches Willkommen und all eure Hilfe und Geduld!

Hello everyone, I moved in a few days ago - time for a proper #introduction. I am working on #openscience #openaccess and #scholcomm, my other interests include #biology #bumblebee #physiology #thermoregulation - and #kayaking

My first impression: I like it over here. Many thanks to the long-established #fediverse dwellers for a warm welcome and all your help and patience!