A new Stanford study found older adults can face heat beyond their bodies’ ability to cope at far lower temperatures than younger people as the planet warms
It’s like exercising; if you don’t use it you lose it and once you’re too old, you can’t get it back. But, if you keep it up you can carry it into an ancient age. I knew very old people who could still touch their toes, lift heavy loads, and lay out in the absolutely baking sun.
I’m well past middle age and so far I can still do strenuous exercise outside at 103. I can physically feel that it is hot, but things still work. Use it or lose it. If you are under 40, I’d really suggest working out your heat-coping body systems, double so if you’re under 30.
Read up on heat stroke, listen to your body and treat your body as intently as if you are lifting heavy weights. You can hurt yourself under both conditions, but if you listen and you build and you strengthen, you can have a body that is a treat to live in.
I’m normally quite good at listening to my body’s signs, but I can’t deal with heat at all. I don’t know if it comes on too quickly for me to adjust or if I’m just not built for it (all of my ancestors came from a cold, wet rock).
When I try to build up my heat tolerance, I run into a delayed onset of symptoms, which makes it hard not to overdo it. I’ll feel mostly fine until I go to eat my next meal, then I have zero appetite (which can last for hours to days, so I can’t just fast). I try eating melons, cucumbers, citrus, and drinking a lot of water, which appears to work for preventing dehydration, but it doesn’t work to provoke hunger. If I force something more substantial down anyway, I puke. If I just eat what I can when I can (I eat mostly at night in the summer), I lose too much weight.
Can you explain what signs exactly you look for that tell you you need to take a break/slow down?
Genetics certainly play a factor. Looking at other places genetics play a major role though, it doesn’t seem to be more limiting than fractions of a percentage point at the top of the best performers.
Epigenetics certainly plays a much bigger factor. The most important pieces of information being what your parents were exposed to and what you were exposed to at a young age.
You might just be an outlier too. This can happen no matter where or who you are.
It’s going to be very hard to acclimate yourself to heat if you can’t feel or sense when you are reaching your limit. Do you have trouble sensing when you are thirsty or hungry?
Like, will you think “I’m a little thirsty” but then when you get the water to your lips your body takes over and you ravenously gulp down the whole thing? Do you get tired or angry because you are hungry, without feeling hunger pains? Do you sweat excessively or too little compared to others?
It’s like exercising; if you don’t use it you lose it and once you’re too old, you can’t get it back. But, if you keep it up you can carry it into an ancient age. I knew very old people who could still touch their toes, lift heavy loads, and lay out in the absolutely baking sun.
I’m well past middle age and so far I can still do strenuous exercise outside at 103. I can physically feel that it is hot, but things still work. Use it or lose it. If you are under 40, I’d really suggest working out your heat-coping body systems, double so if you’re under 30.
Read up on heat stroke, listen to your body and treat your body as intently as if you are lifting heavy weights. You can hurt yourself under both conditions, but if you listen and you build and you strengthen, you can have a body that is a treat to live in.
103 is very far past middle age.
You’re an AMAB, aren’t you?
Guess what hormone regulates temperature and guess what menopause does to it
I’m normally quite good at listening to my body’s signs, but I can’t deal with heat at all. I don’t know if it comes on too quickly for me to adjust or if I’m just not built for it (all of my ancestors came from a cold, wet rock).
When I try to build up my heat tolerance, I run into a delayed onset of symptoms, which makes it hard not to overdo it. I’ll feel mostly fine until I go to eat my next meal, then I have zero appetite (which can last for hours to days, so I can’t just fast). I try eating melons, cucumbers, citrus, and drinking a lot of water, which appears to work for preventing dehydration, but it doesn’t work to provoke hunger. If I force something more substantial down anyway, I puke. If I just eat what I can when I can (I eat mostly at night in the summer), I lose too much weight.
Can you explain what signs exactly you look for that tell you you need to take a break/slow down?
Genetics certainly play a factor. Looking at other places genetics play a major role though, it doesn’t seem to be more limiting than fractions of a percentage point at the top of the best performers.
Epigenetics certainly plays a much bigger factor. The most important pieces of information being what your parents were exposed to and what you were exposed to at a young age.
You might just be an outlier too. This can happen no matter where or who you are.
It’s going to be very hard to acclimate yourself to heat if you can’t feel or sense when you are reaching your limit. Do you have trouble sensing when you are thirsty or hungry?
Like, will you think “I’m a little thirsty” but then when you get the water to your lips your body takes over and you ravenously gulp down the whole thing? Do you get tired or angry because you are hungry, without feeling hunger pains? Do you sweat excessively or too little compared to others?
I remember that video had quite a lot of good information https://youtu.be/B3bBvPXPCyg?is=ZGU06vzwgrQX6udo (farmers ways of dealing with heat stress)