Travel: Experts slam taskforce report on summer holidays

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Brits have been basking in the heat over the past few weeks. Bank Holiday Monday was the hottest day of 2021 so far and the heatwave is due to continue for much of June. The hot spell delighting many of us is expected to continue over the next fortnight, with temperatures rising above those in Portugal. With the hot weather due to stay many of us may feel a little sleepier than usual.

Why does hot weather make you tired?

With the longer summer evenings and warm sunny days, many of us have been spending as much time as possible in beer gardens, parks and beaches across the country.

But the hot weather can make many feel tired and sluggish.

Experts attribute this increased sense of fatigue to a number of factors.

Your body has to work harder in warmer weather

A primary reason is down to how hard your body has to work to maintain your temperature.

During sunny spells your body is put under increased pressure to regulate your body temperature, it has to work harder to cool your body down.

In a bid to keep your internal temperature at the 37C it needs to function your body has to put a number of processes to work.

Your body dilates the blood vessels to allow greater blood to flow close to the surface of your skin to help release heat.

Essentially this process, known as vasodilation, allows your blood to cool down.

Hot flushes can be attributed to this process.

Sleepless nights in the summer

Many of us struggle to sleep in the heat, the increased daylight hours in the summer do not help as many of us struggle to drop off when it’s still light outside.

But failing to get six to eight hours of sleep a day can clearly increase fatigue, especially if the heatwave lasts and you have a few sleepless nights in a row.

Increased sweating during a heatwave

Sweating causes your heart rate as well your metabolic rate to increase.

Dr Michele Casey, the regional medical director at Duke Health in North Carolina told Live Science: “All that work — increasing your heart rate, your metabolic rate — eventually makes you feel tired or sleepy.”

To try to avoid feeling sluggish in the summer be sure to keep yourself hydrated, keep out of the midday sun and try to keep your bedroom cool to allow for a good nights sleep.

To keep your bedroom cool avoid opening the windows when the weather rises during the day and keep your curtains closed. 

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