THIS is why the heat makes you feel tired

Heat in the UK often poses a dilemma for many of us: whether to bask in the sun you so rarely see in the summer months, or stay indoors and keep cool.

It can be tempting to laze around in the sun all day, but this can drain your body’s energy batteries faster than you expect.

But why exactly do you get tired of heat? How do you overcome summer fatigue? What should you do if you suffer from heat stroke or heat exhaustion?

Read on below for a full breakdown of why you feel more during warm weather.

Why does heat make you tired?

The more time you spend in the sun, the harder your body has to work to avoid overheating.

The widening of blood vessels in your skin, called vasodilation, allows more blood to flow to your body surface, causing you to blush.

While this helps your body dissipate heat and maintain normal temperature, it also means less blood is available to flow to other parts of your body.

Combined with sweating — which is the body’s way of cooling you down — you can become dehydrated more quickly, resulting in tiredness and increased fatigue.

How do you overcome summer fatigue?

To prevent fatigue in the heat, there are a number of steps you can take to prevent unexpected fatigue.

Most importantly, you should always remember to drink plenty of water, this will help your body deal with extra fluids lost through perspiration, and will also help you recover after sun exposure.

By avoiding foods loaded with carbohydrates — which take a long time to break down — your body will focus less on digestion and more time on cooling down.

During hot weather, look to foods packed with protein and vitamins to help you function at 100. Good options in warm weather include salmon, salads, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

Also, avoid the urge to drink excessive amounts of alcohol in hot weather, tempting as it may be, as it is a diuretic. This means that it dries you out and speeds up the process of fatigue in the heat.

Ensuring adequate rest periods after being out in the sun is also vital as it will allow you to recover. That’s why you need to make sure you get enough sleep – ideally eight hours – after a long time in the heat.

Always remember to drink plenty of water, this will help your body deal with extra fluids lost through perspiration, and will also help you recover after sun exposure (File image)

How to treat heat stroke

If you get extremely tired in the heat and contract heat exhaustion, you don’t normally need emergency medical attention if you can cool down within 30 minutes, according to the NHS website.

However, if your heat exhaustion progresses to heatstroke, it should be treated as an emergency.

If someone you’re with develops heat exhaustion, there are a number of steps you can take to make sure they don’t get heat stroke.

NHS advice states that you:

• Move them to a cool place.
• Remove all unnecessary clothing such as jacket or socks.
• Have them drink a sports or rehydration drink or cool water.
• Cool their skin – spray or sponge them with cool water and fan them. Cold compresses wrapped in cloth and placed under the armpits or on the neck are also good.

If you or someone else you are with has heatstroke, call 999.