, Columnist
Extreme Heat Is Making Our Mental Health Worse
As the temperature climbs, our brains have to work harder and harder to regulate our bodies — and our psyches.
Alone in the heat.
Photographer: Oliver Bunic/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
On Monday, planet Earth achieved a terrifying milestone: Global temperatures reached their highest level in recorded history, breaking a record set just one day before. This year is expected to be the hottest in centuries. Heat waves are hotter, longer and more frequent than they were in the 1960s.
By now, most of us understand that extreme heat is bad for our health, making our hearts, lungs, kidneys and other organs work much harder. But too often we overlook the quieter, less obvious toll heat takes on another vital organ: our brain.