Does Heat and Humidity cause Anxiety?

[friendlyfire]

Hello everybody. I was just wondering if heat and humidity cause anxiety? Every summer my anxiety goes through the roof when it gets hot and humid.

Am I nuts for thinking that I'm in danger and start having anxiety because of the heat? Do you think smoking plays a central role in why I don't think I can breathe right?

[Charlene]

Hi friendlyfire,

Heat and humidity won't really cause anxiety, not directly anyway. Otherwise everyone living in hot, humid conditions would be plagued with anxiety. It's your perception and awareness of how it makes you feel, that causes you anxiety. And because you perceive the heat and humidity as being most unpleasant and even somewhat threatening, it is this state of mind that's causing you to register your body symptoms as being dangerous.

You are certainly NOT nuts for feeling anxious when you're uncomfortable. Feelings of discomfort are often registered or perceived as dangerous to those who suffer from anxiety disorder.

And while smoking will not cause a person to have anxiety disorder, (otherwise all smokers would have this affliction), it can most definitely cause a sufferer to feel much worse, especially when they are on the brink of an attack, worrying about how much air they have to breathe.

Quitting smoking will help you breathe better, absolutely! :) So quit if you can. But also remember that non-smokers also have anxiety disorder, so it's important to try to learn techniques that will help you gain an understanding of your fears and restructure your thoughts and reactions.

[northstar]

charlene is right in saying that the humidity itself is probably not the cause of your problems. it may be that a couple of times you felt anxious while you were in very hot weather and now your body/mind reacts to raised temperature as a signal to heighten your anxiety.

for example, i used to get anxious whenever i felt my heart beating hard like after i'd been running for a bus. this was because i used to get heart palpitations often when i was anxious and i associated a hard heart beat with anxiety so whenever i noticed my heart beat for whatever reason i started to feel a little anxious. it may be the same for you with hot weather or being too uncomfortable in the heat.

i found the best way to deal with this was to learn about how exactly anxiety works, read about the science of the why your body feels the anxiety - it can go a long way towards helping you feel calm when the panic starts, if you know whats happening in your body then it can help you to feel less scared of it and to relax more.

it may also be a good idea to be aware of keeping hydrated by drinking lots of water when it's warm so you're not putting your body under any pressure. also if you're drinking a lot more cold drinks in warm weather like iced coffee/tea or fizzy sodas then these can make you feel anxious due to too much stimulation of the nervous system from sugar and caffeine.

again nicotine is a stimulant and it's not reccommended for people with anxiety at all as your nervous system is already stressed out. i have seen many people remark that their anxiety levels lowered when they gave up smoking (after the initial difficult period where they were giving up, obviously this time will be stressful for anyone). and if you have breathing difficulties then it's clearly a good idea to stop a habit that damages your lungs, it makes sense! :)