Extreme Heat Can Cause Anxiety, Stress And Brain Fog, Maltese Counsellor Warns
The scorching heat has potentially grave effects on our physical well-being, but it also has particular consequences on our mental health.
Leading sex and relationships counsellor Matthew Bartolo has warned that extreme heat, like we are currently facing with over 40 Celsius temperatures recorded this week, can also amplify mental health issues.
“The heat affects the sleep of many, especially if the light goes out and you don’t have a fan,” he explained.
Many residents in Malta have been left to fend for themselves against the unforgiving temperatures, battling power long power cuts with no end in sight.
The heat, he continued, affects one’s energy level and then you are more tired mentally and physically.
It is also proven that heat increases, or ignites, stress and anxiety. The brain does not work as well as usual and is less focused, he said.
“It is not by chance that in August we have more people who get out of the car and throw hands.”
The brain, Bartolo added, does not work as well and is less focused.
“It also can amplify mental health problems that are already there,” he warned.
In light of this, Bartolo advised that beyond the usual recommendations of staying out of the sun during peak hours, to “not rush decisions in moments like these”.
“We must sympathise with others. We need to reduce an argument and not continue to argue about what is.”
“This too passes. Decisions and their consequences do not.”
How are you battling the heat?
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