Heat and the Elderly.

I agree annsixty, the heat does seem to affect me more as I have got older too.
Not wanting to teach my granny to suck eggs but can I suggest that you might be dehydrated - it is really important to keep on top of fluid intake when the temperature rises.
Hope you feel better soon too.

I find that I struggle with both heat and cold much more nowadays. Yesterday was too hot to be in the garden.
Cold is worse. I have to wear four or five layers and feel cold on mild days.

I’m the same as you Elusive. I’ve blamed my illnesses but perhaps it’s partly due to getting older. Sigh.

I also can’t seem to cope with the extreme temperatures either. Always got more layers on than anyone else or legs hanging out the bed!
Thought there was a named condition for it but not sure, maybe there is something you can take to stop/ease it.
I’m only 63.

I m the opposite I feel the cold much more as I’ve got older and even when other people say it’s ‘hot’ it isn’t to me

I second the making sure you are drinking enough. Put a large jug of water. Or lemon barley etc in the fridge and drink it regularly during the day. Apologies if you do that already. And remember we have only just had pretty cold weather so haven't had much of a chance to get used to the sudden hot weather. That should be what Spring is for. But this spring has been chilly and windy. Have plenty of rest until you feel better. Feet up when it's too warm.

I'm not as old as most on here, but I really don't cope with the hot weather. I sweat profusely, I feel so heavy. I have no appetite and I can't sleep

I’m in my 60s and suffer with extreme heat. It seemed to coincide with a diagnosis for thyroid issues. It does seem to be getting worse as I age. In the last couple of years when we’ve had days of very high temperatures I’ve just sat beside the fan in a cool cotton dress fit for nothing.

Hope you feel better soon Ann.

BlueBelle

I m the opposite I feel the cold much more as I’ve got older and even when other people say it’s ‘hot’ it isn’t to me

Thank goodness I'm not alone. I hate the cold and the winter with a passion. I was never exactly fond of it when I was young.

On the other hand I love hot weather. It needs to be at least 25 degrees for me to get my proper summer gear on. Maybe years of living in Naples thinned my blood. I really can't understand anyone who flakes out in 18 degrees unless they have a health condition.

I'm late sixties so maybe I'll change in time, who knows.

I’m in the cold camp too.
Last weeks weather was lovely , certainly nowhere near too hot. I hope we get plenty more.

I loathe the heat, so I've decided to do what needs to be done in hot weather.

That is, stay indoors,with the curtains shut, and go nowhere.

I found this on line, under Lutheran Senior Services:

"One of the primary mechanisms the body uses to cool itself is sweating. However, as we grow older, sweat glands don’t produce as much as they once did. This impairs the body’s primary means of dissipating excess heat, leaving our loved ones more prone to overheating.

On top of that, the blood vessels in the skin—which dilate to allow more blood flow and facilitate cooling—become less reactive. This reduced vascular response makes it more challenging for the body to redistribute heat effectively.

Common medications, such as diuretics, beta-blockers, and antidepressants, further compromise the body’s temperature control mechanisms. They interfere with the regulation of blood pressure, heart rate, and fluid balance, increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heatstroke."

So please drink more, stay in the shade and use a fan. If you are feeling tired or dizzy, then rest when need.

Thanks CanadianGran, that explanation makes it much easier for me to draw the curtains and lie down in the heat I’ve never coped with hot weather well and now I dread it.

Bump

BlueBelle

I m the opposite I feel the cold much more as I’ve got older and even when other people say it’s ‘hot’ it isn’t to me

This is me too,

MrOops is in the pool and laying in the sun and I’m sitting with my long trousers on and a fleece, shivering.

PS

Mine isn’t recent, I’ve always been a cold one, until we went to the Caribbean and Florida I didn’t realise that I could be warm without layers of clothing!

Yes, the heat definitely affects me too. I now dread July and August.
At the moment it's not too bad, but mid summer is unbearable and makes me feel ill. Mostly, I have difficulty simply breathing.

I am 76 and find it increasingly difficult to deal with the heat. I am fairly comfortable with temperatures in the 20's but as soon as it climbs into the 30's I use common sense and stay indoors, especially during the hottest part of the day. I am not looking forward to the summer months because I know how drained, uncomfortable and unwell I will feel.

I hate hot weather, another who keeps the windows/curtains closed until the sun has gone off them. My OH was sat outside those few days last week, he loves it. Spends hours out in the garden. It just knocks the stuffing out of me.
Then when it is cooler he is here with 4/5 layers of clothes and I'm in 2. We have only used the living room fire a couple weeks through the winter as it's been so mild, though he and my son do have oil radiators in their bedrooms.

I love sitting outside watching my washing dry and the weeds grow when others hate the heat. Every evening I watch TV with a blanket over my lap- sometimes I have to add the small electric pad as I am so cold. I go to bed every night with a 15 tog and a hwb.

I have recently been diagnosed with Menieres disease and am certain that the air pressure affects my condition! Am warm whereas the other half feels cold today! It is muggy and humid! Plenty of water , warm showers and staying in a cooler kitchen ! I was I Italy last week but didn’t struggle at all with the heat !!

Menopause was the turning point for me. Pre-53, heat welcome. Post-53 nonono!

Exactly the same for me.
My heat regulation switch seems to be broken since my "change".
I have to rush out of shops in the winter because it's too hot, of I try to do diy I start sweating.

Its unbearable.

I am now 78 and do think that either extremes of temperature affect me more these days. I have travelled a fair bit and lived abroad so I try to use the ideas that helped me previously. Might be teaching my granny to suck eggs but I pass on the tips I have found helpful.
If the forecast is for hot weather , go shopping as early as possible before it gets too hot. Leave curtains shut at home so that it is nice and cool to get back to. I fill a hot water bottle with very cold water and some small icecubes. This is great if y ou are doing jobs like ironing, so I sit and put my feet on the cold bottle etc. Also I rinse a flannel out in very cold water and into a plastic bag and it can be put in a bag with you next to one of those small freezer things that you put in lunch boxes etc. I put the freezer oblong into a plastic bag and then wrap in either small towel or something cotton and you have your personal cooler . So if you have to go out in a car you have something to help you cool off with. Whilst I normally have a shopping list and am quite methodical if it is very hot I look at what is the most important and go for them first so that if it is too uncomfortable I can go home with the essentials and the rest can wait.