How heat affects mental health

The last few days have been the hottest so far this season, With temperatures reaching up to 45 degrees Celsius in some states, Mexico is experiencing its first heat wave of 2025, and the weather conditions have led people to express their discomfort or unease on social media, especially regarding their health—not just physical but also mental.

According to The New York Times , in a 2023 article citing the specialist journal Nature , mental health care during the hot season is barely under study, as it has been discovered that as temperatures rise, the way we behave also changes.

He cites as an example that during these times of higher temperatures, there are increases in violent crime , emergency room visits due to assaults, and also in hospitalizations for mental disorders resulting from cases of schizophrenia, dementia, psychosis, anxiety, depression, and drug use.

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It indicates that, as another article in the journal Science says, Heat also exacerbates feelings of irritability and anger. , and that the most vulnerable people are those with pre-existing mental illnesses.

The article takes as reference a text from the National Library of Medicine (NIH) that says that specialists are looking for biological relationships related to mental health and rising temperatures, and so far they have focused on one factor, which It has to do with sleep.

It points out that People sleep better when the temperature is below 20 degrees, but when it is higher, people sleep later, rest less, wake up earlier, and their sleep quality worsens.

Furthermore, it indicates that if you sleep for several days in very hot rooms, not only chronic diseases are affected, but psychiatric disorders are increasing and that at least cognitive function and memory are impaired .

The text mentions a term to refer to another mental health issue that can arise during the hot season. "Eco-anxiety," according to the American Psychological Association, is a "chronic fear," a type of anxiety caused by observing the impacts of climate change, which leads to worries about children and future generations.

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