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How to Be More Productive in the Heat

Yes, You Can Blame the Heatwave For Your Unproductive Day

How to Be More Productive in the Heat
Image Source: Getty / Paul Bradbury

It feels wildly inappropriate to turn up to a work meeting in a T-Shirt and knickers, but I have no other choice. It's dangerously hot in the UK today and I'm doing what I can to conduct 'business as usual' via Zoom calls, but it's proving impossible. Beads of sweat are dripping down my face as I frantically answer emails and tick off my to-do list while working from home, but I'm drained. Temperatures are set to hit 40 degrees Celsius in London, the air is stuffy and, to be honest, my mind and body are somewhere in the Bahamas. The only difference is, I can't switch my "out of office" on.

Instead of diving into a pool to cool off before retiring to an air-conditioned hotel room, I'm stuck in my lounge, glued to my pathetic desk fan while I watch the clock. I've spent way too long salivating over that viral Drew Barrymore video in the rain wishing it was me.

Is anyone really able to work in this heat? It doesn't seem like it. Heatwave woes are the main talking point on social media. One Twitter-user wrote: "Why is work still a thing in this heatwave? Not approved by me." Another hilariously added: "it's too hot to even exist... let alone WORK". So why is it that we feel so unproductive in the heat? Is it that we're just not used to these temperatures? Am I too preoccupied with eco-anxiety? Or is there a scientific reason to excuse my newfound laziness?

It turns out it's not my fault, and if your concentration is waning, it's not yours either. According to the Sleep Advisor Organisation, when you become hot, your body will work in overdrive to keep you cool and maintain a safe internal temperature. All that hard work can leave you feeling sluggish.

Dr Elisabeth Philipps, a clinical neuroscientist from health and wellbeing brand fourfive tells POPSUGAR: "As the temperature goes up, cognitive function goes down because heat affects our brain. Higher temperatures can stop nerve fibres from working properly. This means that sometimes messages cannot get to and from the brain which is why you may experience fatigue, weakness, or problems with balance or vision."

Admittedly, I feel a little less guilty. Interestingly, Dr Philipps also links the feeling to hormonal changes. ""The hypothalamus (the part of the brain that regulates our temperature) has to work very hard in the warmer weather. This part of the brain is also affected by hormonal changes, so combined with the heat this can slow brain messages from getting through which will affect our brain function, mood and cognition," she continues.

Yet I can't just shut my laptop and call it a day. I have to work. So is there a way to be more productive during a heatwave? Thankfully, yes. If you're feeling lacklustre, yet have a to-do list as long as your arm, we've enlisted experts to help your raise your energy levels.

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