Does anyone else find that the summer heat is harder to take as you get older?

[milestogo]

I just don't want to be out there for very long. 87 degrees F today.

[Walleye]

1. Most definitely, especially the humidity, it's exhausting

[Brother Buzz]

2. No, I embrace the heat up to 98.6 degrees

But I live in the Sacramento Valley and it’s a ‘dry’ heat.

[patphil]

3. I'm 78, and I find it a lot harder to take the summer heat and humidity.

[erronis]

4. Absolutely. I used to play tennis in 100F (in my 30s/40s)

But 30+ years later I'm lucky to last more than 5 minutes before I melt into a puddle.

Also worked in Phoenix with temps 110+. Move from apartment to car to office as quick as possible.

Having heart disease and leukemia doesn't help, either.

[Ocelot II]

5. I find high humidity very hard to take, but it doesn't seem much harder now that I'm old

than it used to be. I've always hated humid weather. It was cooler this morning (about 75) than it was yesterday morning (88) and I went for a walk both days and couldn't tell the difference; the humidity this morning was 90% and it was just exhausting. I don't know how people even survive in the Southern states where that happens a lot, even apart from the heinous politics. When I was about 10 years old we visited my grandparents in Florida in June, and I clearly remember sitting and sweating and feeling just as wretched as I did this morning after my walk. I don't have as much stamina as I used to, but my loathing of hot, humid weather has remained consistent. Give me -20 over +90 any day.

[Haggard Celine]

8. I've always hated hot weather too.

South Mississippi sucks this time of year. We have about 6 months of mild weather, including a couple weeks of winter, and about 6 months of hell. My air conditioner in m car is broken, so I really have to psych myself up to go anywhere. I just keep reminding myself that it's 3 months until October!

[BOSSHOG]

9. We lived in Slidell for many years

Much younger then. Not too bad. I’m 71 now living in Kansas. Heat is brutal on the old body.

[Haggard Celine]

12. Do you like Kansas better?

I've heard there's places up there where you can buy a house pretty cheap. I don't know if it's any cheaper than here, though.

[BOSSHOG]

13. We live in my Wife's Hometown

Socially, nothing like living 50 miles from New Orleans. But both in our 70s and party days behind us we are better off with family nearby and everything we need within walking distance, literally. I found real estate comparable when we moved 7 years ago but housing prices have skyrocketed. We had good timing. The only thing I found exceedingly higher was property taxes. Slow, nice life up here. Not much excitement but I can keep up. I do miss down yonder. Visited the gulf coast often.

[rsdsharp]

6. Yes. I grew up in a house without air conditioning.

I can’t live without it (probably literally) now.

[OldBaldy1701E]

42. So did I.

In North Carolina. On the coast.The summer house out there did not have air conditioning either.

One just stayed outside during the day. The house was too hot otherwise be in for the most part. Now, if my mother was on the ball and made sure to close it up once the heat started to rise, it would be somewhat better for us. Of course, we ran in and out all the time, probably ruining the trick anyway.

[hlthe2b]

10. I had countless people who questioned how the hell I could walk at dawn in minus 10F CO weather in winter

--with my dog and one other like-minded, cold-tolerant dog-walker. Well, THIS is why. I have zero heat tolerance. And even though I can survive in the wee hours of the morning being outside (and I really don't like air conditioning), the insufferable heat is only exceeded by the damned WNV-infected mosquitoes. I just love slathering on sunscreen (for later in the morning) overlaid by mosquito repellent.

Give me back my snow and minus-10F days! PLEASE!

[Ocelot II]

14. I'm with you. People ask how I can stand Minnesota's cold winters,

but I have no problem with the cold; I just wear more clothes. However, you can't take off enough clothes in hot weather to be comfortable; you'll be miserable even if you're naked. I'm not a big fan of air conditioning either - it feels clammy - but it's better than sitting around sweating in the heat. Fortunately we don't get this kind of heat all summer, just occasional spells lasting a few days. But that's bad enough.

[milestogo]

16. Same here.

You can dress for the cold. You can prepare for it. I have never had a dog who doesn't like the cold.

But the heat kind of makes me housebound.

[Diamond_Dog]

29. You speak for me as well, milestogo.

My dog the last few weeks acts uninterested in playing outside very long in this heatwave. She is a 9 year old Labrador Retriever. Take her out when it’s 20 degrees and she could play forever.

Especially in the afternoons I just stay in the house during peak summer temperatures.

[OldBaldy1701E]

43. Well, wearing more clothes is not going to help you when it is -10F outside.

I as long as there is a body of water and some shade nearby, I can do something about the heat.

The same cannot be said about the cold.

People always ask me about how I survived growing up in the south during the summers. It is the same way that Minnesotans survive the winters.

You just adapt and do it. Since our infrastructure is dangerously close to being destroyed completely by political machinations, as well as negligence, those of you hiding in the A/C might want to start doing some adapting.

Because we might not have such things for much longer. Then, it becomes simple. Adapt, or perish.

(Please note that I said 'might'. Nothing is in stone these days. Except the cruelty of the rethugs.)

[Ocelot II]

44. Gotta disagree with you there - more clothes do make -10 possible

if they are the right sort of clothes. I walk almost every day in almost any weather, and even -20 is doable with a down parka, ski pants, insulated boots and gloves, a wool hat and a scarf. The only thing that might keep me inside on a very cold day is high wind. It's certainly true that people can adapt to various weather conditions, up to a point, since people live in all sorts of improbable places. Personally, I consider anywhere south of about Iowa to be uninhabitable, although if I had to adapt to a warmer climate I suppose I could - but I turned down a transfer and took early retirement so I wouldn't have to live in Atlanta. Clearly, climate change will require some considerable adapting, and unfortunately there are too many people who aren't ready to acknowledge that fact.

[OldBaldy1701E]

47. Yes, indeed.

"Clearly, climate change will require some considerable adapting, and unfortunately there are too many people who aren't ready to acknowledge that fact."

You got that right!

"Personally, I consider anywhere south of about Iowa to be uninhabitable..."

Funny, since I always felt that anything above Illinois was uninhabitable. But, we continue on.

Considering the warm seasons since we moved up here, it doesn't seem like we will be the ones who will have to do the adapting, however. (I mean, it barely got below freezing except for overnights last year.)

[Figarosmom]

48. Yeah.....nt

[Silent Type]

11. Live in South. I cut back walking/hiking in summer. I sweat a lot and have darn near passed out

from dehydration many times. If I go now, I stay close enough to my car to crawl back if I have to, and carry plenty of water.

Mostly I exercise inside in summer.

[Emile]

15. Yes, it bothers me the older I get.

[Golden Raisin]

17. At 75 I find the extreme peaks of summer and winter harder to take.

But I do my best to judiciously keep on truckin', humidity and ice underfoot be damned.

[catbyte]

18. Growing up in northern lower Michigan a stone's throw from the Big Lake, I've ALWAYS hated hot weather, but

I find my patience for it is taking a nosedive the more I age. Anything over 80F and I start to get cranky, and nobody wants to see that.

[Diamond_Dog]

31. Exactly the same here Catbyte.

NE Ohio.

[happybird]

19. Yes

I cannot take the humidity and it gets worse every year- both the humidity and my intolerance. Ugh.

[AllaN01Bear]

20. howdi

do chores in am. sleep in the afternoon. did this when i was a kid and lived in a town 25 mi east of la. cant stand sudden weather sswings fromm too hot and too cold in 24 hours . eek ohterwise ok

[ailsagirl]

21. How high is the humidity where you live?

I'm in California, where we typically have high temps but low humidity. It still gets hot, but it's bearable.
Plus, we have A/C, which really helps.

The downside is that everything (that normally would be green in summer) is burned to a crisp.

[debm55]

22. I sure do.

[ProfessorGAC]

23. My Wife Days That

Doesn't apply to me.
It also doesn't explain retirees moving to Florida, Texas, or Arizona.

[Diamond_Dog]

26. I have always wondered that, too.

Why do so many retirees move to Florida? I’ve been there at least 10 times on trips and vacations all times of the year, and 6 months out of the year I find it totally miserable, way too hot and humid for me. Do older people like to be in a hot environment all the time?

[Ocelot II]

45. I think it's because as you get older it becomes harder to cope with snow and ice

and people retire to warmer climates so they don't have to worry about shoveling snow or falling on a slippery sidewalk. If you can tolerate the heat it's an easier life. Also, it seems like very old people need a warmer environment - I recall that by the time my dad got to be about 90 he had the metabolism of a lizard; instead of moving to Florida he kept his apartment at about 78. Visiting him always caused me to overheat. I'm old but I haven't reached that point yet. Still hate the heat.

[Diamond_Dog]

46. My late in-laws were like that.

Kept the thermostat on 78 in the winter and wore lightweight short sleeved clothing. We had to dress ourselves and the kids accordingly when we went there for a visit in the winter.

I’m old too but I still loathe heat and humidity and the thought of living where it’s like a jungle six months out of the year is just gross to me. I just wondered if the stifling heat and humidity was ever tough on older folks who move to southern states. I’ve been to Florida in July - they over-air condition every public building so that you’re always going from hot sweaty sauna temperature into a meat locker temperature and then vice versa - that can’t be good for your health.

[pansypoo53219]

24. i used to work w/ hot solder for many years in summer + no AC. i discovered weave over knit is way better. i got large

men's shirts, prefer rayon, cut off the sleeves + collars. ventilation. getting the shirts wet when in the 90's helps too.

hot + no ac now + humid.

[oldsoldierfadingfast]

25. I am always cold...

due to circulation problems; so heat up to 90s does not bother me.
However, with COPD, the humidity knocks me for a loop! Moved from coastal VA to VA's Appalachian foothills to get away from the humidity.
Humidity soon followed me out here.
Still remember those glorious days when I could work outside all day and neither excess heat nor humidity bothered me.

[Norrrm]

27. I like it anywhere in that wide range between 68 and 72, Anywhere in there. Even down to 60 if need be... Flexibility.

[mike_c]

28. gawd yes

Although I also moved to Phoenix.

[markodochartaigh]

30. Growing up in

Texas, we didn’t have an air-conditioner until I was in my teens. In Dallas the houses I had always had a patio and a door that I could keep open. I very rarely used the air-conditioning. A fan was fine.

I moved to SW Florida a decade ago and since during most of the hottest months there is usually a daily cooling rainshower, I never needed more than a fan. But after I got covid I struggle to do anything when the temperature is over 90°F. I really think that covid, and long covid, have aged me mentally and physically at least a decade.

[electric_blue68]

32. Hate Humid Heat the most - high dose Vit C helps:....

Hey, NYC'r here. 👋
Some of you know we sometimes get spates of high humidity with our summer heat (90f+ above at times, though 85 is quite nasty with humidity, too).

I started taking 500 - 1000 mg (1 gram) every day as part of going on vacation to the Southwest Navajo/Hoping Nations. It was said to aid against radiation in the area bc of uranium mining.

I kept taking it, as I was learning holistic health info.

Anyway on our HH (hot and humid) days - after one day coming home from work, and after work errands; I'd be beat after one day.

So by next summer I noticed it would take me by the near end of the third day, to feel about as bad as I'd previously felt by day one's end - and maybe not even quite so bad.

Interestingly it help me feel less cold, too, I realized. I used to need a scarf on a breezy day by around 50°f! Now it would take me to 35° for the same effect.

[3catwoman3]

33. I have never liked hot and sticky, or even just warm and sticky. Air conditioning...

...is one of the best inventions EVER! I love air conditioning. Even if the temp is not that high, if I feel the least bit sticky, on it goes.

I have said, in all seriousness, that if I had to choose between having central air and a refrigerator, I would happily buy a giant cooler and go to the store for ice every day if I needed to and keep my AC.

I get very cranky, very quickly, when I am hot and sweaty.

[marble falls]

34. Nope. Just folks who complain about it. Not you, of course!

[Bayard]

35. You betcha!

These days, in southern KY, we're getting temps in the 90's, and humidity almost equal that during the day. It's miserable, but I have to get out and do things. I mowed grass all day today, because its supposed to rain all next week.

When I lived in eastern Calif, I could be out in 100 degrees, and it never felt that bad to me with the low humidity.

Our old AC died, and we put in a new one last week. Thanks goodness! You really have to keep an eye on the animals in this weather too.

[LogDog75]

36. I could easily take hotter temperatures years ago

I'm 74 and I was stationed in the California desert (Victorville), Phoenix, Clovis, NM, Sacramento, and Florida so I was exposed to high temperatures. While at Victorville, I was part of a crew that transferred our field hospital to Luke AFB (Phoenix). We set it up in the middle of summer when it was 115 degrees. We set up our tents, unloaded our aircraft pallets, dug shallow ditches for our electrical cables from the generators, ran through exercises, and repackaged everything back onto the aircraft pallets. Our bioenvironmental people calculated we'd work 15 minutes in the heat and rest 45 minutes. The other guy from my shop and I were used to working in the heat so we worked 45 minutes and rested 15 minutes.

While stationed in Phoenix, in the summer, I'd wait until about 9 pm for the temperature to go below 95 degrees before I'd take my five mile nightly run. I turned on my apartment air conditioner twice; once when I moved in and once when I moved out to prove it worked.

Whenever I went to Las Vegas, I'd take a 1 -2 mile walk from the downtown area and back during the day.

Now, when it gets above 80, I tend to stay indoors or only walk a short distance. Fortunately, where I'm at we're usually in the mid - high 70s with some low 80s days in August. I have no air conditioner and don't need one because I'm about a half-mile from the beach and half-mile from San Diego Bay where we get cool breezes.

[synni]

37. You might have a thyroid problem

Especially if your heat intolerance is a more recent thing.

You might want to talk to your doctor about this.

[Jeebo]

38. I'm a Southern boy. I've always liked the heat. But now ...

I was born in Georgia, grew up in Georgia and Alabama. Here in Columbia, Missouri, where I've lived since I was 21, we've been having middle to upper 90's for two or three weeks now. I'm 75 years old and I just can't take that kind of heat any more like I used to.

-- Ron

[PJMcK]

39. Not really

But I can’t stand the frigid winters anymore.

[zanana1]

40. I hate summer.

I have to stay close to my air conditioner all day. I have a medical condition that makes me heat intolerant. Ugh.

[sakabatou]

41. Yeah, I could stand up to mid to high 80s if there's no humidity when I was younger

I'm in my late 30s, and I can't stand anything over in the high 70s, low 80s.