To think there must be something wrong with me because I absolutely can not tolerate the UK heatwaves - anyone else?

[Saywhatnowhey]

I am 53 and in perimenopause so that is not helping at all but I have always been like this.

As soon as summer hits and these heatwaves come out of nowhere I feel dreadful. I have never been able to tolerate either cold or hot weather at all, even when I was younger. As a child I preferred winter over summer so I could cover and layer up.

Where I live in the UK it is often the most hot and humid weather during the summer months and it makes me feel so physically unwell. I have some existing health issues but none that are related to temperature intolerance so no idea why I get like this. It's only 9.30am and I have already had to sit down with my neck fan on. Just hanging out a few loads of washing and tidying up the kitchen has left my heart racing, my stomach churning (I do have IBS which gets worse in the summer) and I feel so nauseous (I always feel so sick in the heat). Other than pace and fan myself there doesn't seem to be a lot I can do to dampen down the ill feeling I get.

No one else I know is like this, everyone adores this heat and really looks forward to it, some saying the hotter the better but I just want to lay on my bed and lay with the fan on all day, I feel so lightheaded and weird.

I have mentioned this numerous times to my GP but my blood levels return ok so they don't have any suggestions.

Is it normal to feel so unwell during the summer months? Does anyone else get this?

I freeze during the winter, like to the bone frozen but I would rather take that over the summer because at least I can carry my trusty hot water bottle around with me and layer up. The sticky, humid UK summers make me want to rip my skin off. It really annoys me because I love warmth and sunshine - I could happily reside in September and October for the rest of my days, I am at my most comfortable in Autumn.

I have an AC unit but that doesn't magically solve the heat when walking to pick up DC from school or going to appointments etc

I am genuinely disabled by the heat, it means my neuromuscular junctions stop working so I can't get signals through to my muscles and my body stops functioning. I used to feel so ashamed how hard I struggled with the heat until I got my diagnosis. Now I know that different people's bodies are differently affected and that it is serious arsehole behaviour to judge others for finding the heat harder

I find it crazy that some people don’t understand that everyone is different. Heat and humidity impacts my health, just as the cold does for others. I don’t begrudge anyone who enjoys this weather but I don’t. Saying that isn’t moaning.

FWIW I have several mitigations including an AC unit but I can’t just be sat in front of it all the time.

I agree with you OP - I’m not a fan of this weather either. Thankfully this one looks short lived. Feet in a bucket of cold water often helps me.

this is it 😂 it’s not half as brutal as some make out and I am the south east. I’m comfortable but in shorts and t-shirts myself but had a cardi on all morning. I’ve been to much hotter and humid countries than the UK and not even all the UK at that lol

I'm extremely sensitive to hot weather and whenever we have a heatwave, particularly if I'm working (as I'm on my feet all day doing a very physical job), I basically spend the whole time trying to stay standing upright and well-hydrated (easier said then done when you're incredibly busy constantly).

I did buy myself an alert bracelet a few years ago, so I think I might wear that this week, so that if I do have a fainting episode, people won't freak out too much and will know how to look after me. I think some of us just can't physically cope with these sorts of weather conditions, especially if we aren't used to it.

I hate the summer. I'm jealous of the people that don't sweat and can sleep soundly when it's hot. I start dreading the summer months (now the spring months as well) in February. The heat makes me sweaty, nauseous, and fatigued. I'm already looking forward to the fall.

I am the same. I dread the summer, partly because the heat makes me feel ill but I also have this feeling that everything is out of control, which I know is illogical.
I am going to Norway next week so hoping it is cool there!

@StarCourtget Flatcats for your windows, they are fab. Throughly tested by several heavy cats and not budged.

Was looking at those earlier do you recommend?

It was lovely outside today

But the flat is ridiculous

Got home and set up the air con unit. It really is annoying in a tiny flat but these new builds...

Sat in the garden with my book after dinner and was joined by many people moaning about how hot the flats are!

We did ask the management company to look into retro fitting a vent system, but it can't be done

It's a shame because if enough of us want it, I think we could've had proper air con for a reasonable price. As it is, we're all running these annoying noisy units.

at least the windows open properly in these flats. They didn't in my previous flat.

@MoonlightMemories do you have some rehydration sachets? It's a good idea to take those before you feel unwell. I've had this issue in boiling hot workplaces.

@StarCourtabsolutely, look around for a discount code or order one then they will send you 25% off a future order.

Yes. Totally agree. Bloody hate heat above 25 degrees.

It's lovely. Only on MN do people like festering under blankets in the the winter.

Rehydration Sachets? It’s 25 degrees

Move to Glasgow, it’s shite here.

One place I worked, if it was 25 outside, it would be 32 indoors - actually thinking about it, that might also have been built with thermal bricks?

That 32 doesn't sound too bad, but when you're running around a lot and there's lots of hot computer equipment, etc

It was a bit like living in my flat! Only there were several more people breathing their air. I think the combination of the Tube journey, the boiling office, the boiling flat.... I started having a rehydration sachet every day and it really helped. I think that was 2018. Everyone in that block of flats used to joke about sleeping out on their balconies. But the thermostat used to switch itself off, which it only does after 35.

And the fridge and freezer used to pack up every summer! And they're still building them like that!

we've had a nice pleasant 25 today, but I think other parts of the country have been hotter

Also, I'm no longer in the urban jungle, but I really felt the effect of being surrounded by buildings and pavements

Now I have lots of space and trees - it makes a big difference. Flat is now down to 26° with the balcony door open. That's good.

I love summer.

Just have the wrong flat for it

I have to plan on spending all my time outside - not as easy as it sounds even outside of the working day.

I am like this too. I can barely function when it's too hot or too cold. I moved abroad and it is no better even though it is less humid here, all that has done is shift my tolerance a bit so I can now cope with it being up to about 28C, maybe 30ish for short periods. I do notice I seem to cope with heat very differently to other people though. Like other people are just walking and moving around normally whereas I feel like I am barely existing. Some people even work outside all day in the hot sun/freezing cold - there's absolutely no way I would be functional enough to work in direct sunlight on a hot day. My only thoughts on days like that are how I can find my way to shade or cooler inside. I plan my walking routes to maximise shade etc.

No antiperspirant seems to work on me so I sweat a lot and I find I get very sweaty in a short period so e.g. just walking to school to pick up DC will have me overheating and sweating loads if I dress too warmly. And when I come inside after having walked somewhere I often get a hot flush and get really sweaty as well. Then after I strip right down to a t-shirt 5 minutes later I'll be cold again. I don't think this is menopause related, because I've been like that since my teen years - I can remember it happening in lessons at school, and in my late teens had a few instances of nearly blacking out when I did something like run to catch a bus, although I put that down to probably low blood sugar as I used to undereat massively. (Not for weight reasons, I just never used to eat breakfast).

I also have ADHD, also slim (close to underweight) rather unfit, and I have wondered if it is related to any of these things. The description of dysautonomia is very long and complicated but does seem to fit in a few areas. I get a bit of POTS-like lightheadedness on standing but when I have measured blood pressure and pulse, the difference isn't quite large enough to warrant testing.

My other theory is it is part of sensory processing differences and perhaps I just perceive temperature differently, like it's more extreme than it is.

I hate the heat - actually it's more the intense sunshine I dislike. I have no plans to do anything this weekend. I have a big bernese mountain dog and we are hunkered at home in front of a big fan with the curtains drawn!

actually it's more the intense sunshine I dislike

Do you not wear sunglasses?

What I usually do is keep salt sachets on me and I'll add some to my water if I start to feel a bit dodgy and I find that usually works quite well, or if it's a slow creep of symptoms then I take myself off for a sugary and salty snack with plenty of fluids....this can head off most episodes quite well for me. Sometimes however it can come on very quickly and severely and I can't do what I need to quick enough to stop the episode.

I enjoy the sun being out and it not raining but yes struggle with the heat
I do have a diagnosed heat allergy though which gives me hives, although that’s controlled now. Also a redhead and on citalopram which apparently can affect how you are in the heat

if it was hot all day and then cool at night it would be perfect!

I’ve been intolerant of any heat since I was a child.

I missed a week of school once because it was warm and I couldn’t stop vomiting from the heat in the stuffy classrooms. No one else seemed to think it was anything else than a bit hot.

It has only gotten worse now in my 50s.

i spend the summer hiding and have decided to embrace my vampire nature.

I absolutely hate the heat and am finding myself longing for the end of October already. It’s not so much that I (in my head don’t like it) it’s my body and skin that doesn’t like it.

I had skin cancer (melanoma - so the one you don’t want) from the sun despite being a shade seeker and not a sun follower. This has just made me more paranoid when I am out in the sun. But there are other things too. I don’t sleep, I’m uncomfortable, my hands swell and the list goes on - and that’s without the whole menopause symptoms as well.

Tonight I’m sat in bed basically feeling like I’m slowly being steamed knowing I won’t sleep and tomorrow I’ll be irritable and not nice to be around. Thank god it’s a long weekend and half term next week so the mornings are not so rushed. But I’ve pre-warned my work colleagues that I might be short tempered on Wednesday when I’m in the office. Incidentally, they think I’m completely bonkers for not liking the warmer weather but after quite a few years of us all working together we just all accept we’re different.

The Highlands are worse 🤣. If anyone South of the border would kindly send the heat up we’d really appreciate it.