Heatwave and Mental Health (Credit-Freepik)
The heat waves are rising all over the world and causing a lot of damage. While there are issues of dehydration and heat strokes, studies are suggesting that it might also be responsible for declining mental health, the heat among other things is not only affecting the physicality of human beings but is also having adverse mental health.
Emotional distress: The heat can trigger mood swings, making you feel irritable, anxious, depressed, or even aggressive. You may not be able to predict your reaction, you may be good one moment and then any minor inconvenience will make you angry or sad. Heat often triggers that helplessness in people.
Scattered Focus: Concentrating on tasks becomes a struggle when it's hot. Simple things feel overwhelming, and staying focused is a challenge. While you may be in the zone working on completing something, the heat and sweating will disrupt your flow and then you will not be able to focus on anything other than the heat.
Sleepless Nights: High temperatures, especially at night, disrupt your sleep. This lack of rest can leave you feeling tired, and grumpy, and worsen existing mental health issues. All humans require a comfortable temperature to sleep in, if your body is too wound up or heated up, it will not be able to relax and sleep.
Feeling the Pressure: The heat can pile on stress and make you feel overwhelmed. Concerns about the heat itself or its impact on other aspects of your life can contribute to this feeling. You will feel overwhelmed and unable to work on anything else. The heat makes you feel a certain helplessness, as you cannot stop the sun or turn down the heat.
Body Blues: The heat can cause physical symptoms that affect your mental well-being. Headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea can all contribute to anxiety and low mood. When your body is already fatigued, the urge to do anything else disappears. Your body is drained of energy to function at all and will seek rest and sleep.
Behavioural Shifts: The heat can influence your behaviour. You might act impulsively or have difficulty managing anger. It's like the heat turns up your emotional thermostat. When your body and brain are overheating, it is difficult to think straight and you will grasp at straws to release this energy and pressure off of you.
Some other side effects of the heat are.
Credit: Canva
Heart failure has quietly emerged as one of India’s most serious and underestimated health challenges, driven by a rise in hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and delayed diagnosis of heart disease.
Due to a shortage of donor organs and a long waiting period before receiving the right treatment, end-stage heart failure patients in India faced a lot of difficulties a few years ago.
Today, advancements in heart transplant techniques are changing the situation from what was once an untreatable condition to a second chance at life.
Data from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) shows a significant year-on-year rise in heart transplants, with 253 transplants done in 2024, showcasing improved organ donation awareness, better coordination between hospitals, and stronger transplant networks.
What was once considered the only option is now emerging as a life-saving solution, offering patients not just a second chance but a return to a more meaningful and active life.
A heart transplant offers hope and gives a second life to patients whose hearts no longer support the body even after the best available medical aid.
Although it is never performed instantly, it becomes necessary whenever conditions of the heart result in end-stage heart failure, where the pumping function of the heart is compromised.
Also read: Harish Rana’s Family Donated His Heart Valves And Corneas After His Death From Passive Euthanasia
When medications and modern technologies cannot supply an adequate amount of blood and oxygen to the organs, patients experience extreme breathlessness, fluid buildup, fatigue, and repeated hospitalizations, making even simple activities like walking, eating, or lying flat exhausting.
As the flow of blood continues to deteriorate, failure is also expected in other vital organs such as the kidneys and liver. It is at this point that the transplantation of the donor heart is considered the only treatment option to ensure that the blood flow is normalized.
Heart transplant is not just a surgical replacement of a failing organ, but a complete life restoration for patients with end-stage heart failure.
Its benefits include:
Credit: Liz McCollgan/Instagram
Scottish Olympic legend Liz McColgan has warned athletes to wear sun protection during their training hours to protect their skin from “lasting consequences”.
Liz McColgan shared the health warning to athletes after undergoing surgery to remove lesions on her face.
The Olympic silver medalist from Dundee shared post-surgery photographs on the social media platform Instagram and lamented that, as a young runner, she never focused on wearing sun protection.
Avoiding sun cream because she felt it made her "sweat more" was her “ignorance”, said the 61-year-old former athlete.
“As a young athlete, I trained and raced in all weathers. Sun protection was never something I gave much thought to. In fact, I avoided it. I didn’t like the feeling of creams on my skin - I thought they made me sweat more, so I convinced myself I was better off without them. Looking back, that was ignorance,” Liz McColgan said.
“Recently, I had to undergo surgery to remove two lesions on my face. It was a stark reminder that the choices we make early on - especially the ones we dismiss as unimportant - can have lasting consequences,” she added.
Liz McColgan noted that athletes keep all their focus on "performance - mileage, sessions, recovery, nutrition”, but simple things like protecting their skin are often ignored.
“Yet it’s just as much a part of our overall health and wellbeing as any training session,” she said.
Sharing the health message to both young and old athletes, McColgan said, “Take sun protection seriously. Whether you’re training, racing, or even just spending time outdoors, protecting your skin matters.”
McColgan won a silver medal in the same event at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. In 1991, she went on to win the 10,000m World Championships title in Tokyo.
Also read:5 Simple Do's And Don'ts For Healthy Skin
Using sunscreen protects the skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes
Sunscreen is meant to be part of a daily skincare routine. But most people reach for sunscreen when heading to the beach or stepping out for a long day in the sun.
According to dermatologists, sunlight can still reach you indoors.
Dr Khushboo Jha, Chief Dermatologist Consultant at Metro Hospital, explains that sunlight entering through windows can still affect the skin.
“While standard window glass blocks most UVB rays, which cause sunburn, UVA rays can still pass through. These rays penetrate deeper into the skin and are linked to long-term concerns such as premature aging, uneven pigmentation, and loss of skin elasticity,” she said.
These UVA rays are often overlooked because they do not cause immediate redness or burning like UVB rays. However, over time, they can lead to visible signs of skin aging and pigmentation.
Also read: Why Should You Must Apply Sunscreen Inside A Plane?
Dermatologists suggest viewing sunscreen as a preventive skincare habit rather than a rigid rule.
Dr Jha recommends incorporating sunscreen into your morning routine, particularly if your day includes stepping outdoors or spending time in naturally lit environments.
In simple terms, if daylight reaches your workspace or you plan to go outside later in the day, applying sunscreen in the morning is a small step that can help protect your skin over time.
Chronic stress can take a toll on sperm count. (Photo credit: iStock)
Many men believe that as long as they feel healthy, active, and free from major illness, their fertility remains intact. While men do not have a sudden fertility cut-off like women, age still plays an important role when it comes to male fertility. Currently, a large number of men wish to start families later in life, often thinking their good health guarantees easy conception and fatherhood. They often neglect the age factor, even though it is linked to hormonal imbalance, stress, and genetic issues. A large number of men are unaware of their fertility health and continue to suffer. However, even in the absence of visible health problems, older men may face unexpected fertility challenges. Dr Madhukar J Shinde, Fertility Specialist at Nova IVF Fertility, PCMC, Pune, answered this for Health and Me.
Read more: The Overlooked Role of Men in IVF: Why Their Silent Strength Is Key to Fertility Success
Decline in sperm quality: Various studies have confirmed that as men age, sperm count, movement, and shape can slowly decline. Even if the numbers appear normal, DNA damage in sperm increases with age, which can reduce the chances of successful fertilisation.
Men must stay in touch with a fertility consultant who can design an appropriate treatment plan. The expert will evaluate them thoroughly and suggest lifestyle modifications such as a well-balanced diet, exercise, stress management through meditation, and medication for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol. Awareness helps men take informed steps towards parenthood, even later in life. Certain pre-medications, including antioxidants advised by a fertility consultant, may significantly help in reducing DNA fragmentation, which contributes to poor sperm function. Therefore, men should prioritise their reproductive health, stay informed, and not suffer in silence.
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