Heat Making You Lethargic? Research Shows It Can Slow Your Brain, Too

Research suggests that hot weather can slow our brains dow

Marcus Butt / Ikon/Getty Images

Can’t cool off this summer? Heat waves can slow us down in ways we may not realize.

New research suggests heat stress can muddle our thinking, making simple math a little harder to do.

“There’s evidence that our brains are susceptible to temperature abnormalities,” says Joe Allen, co-director of the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at Harvard University. And as the climate changes, temperatures spike and heat waves are more frequent.