Summer’s coming, and your body isn’t playing by the same rules it used to when you were younger. Rally breaks down why heat hits older adults harder and shares some simple, practical ways to stay safe when the temperature climbs. Plus: New research says living where it’s hot may not be so hot for your longevity.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
RALLY VO:
Hello there, Beautiful People. Welcome back to the Silver Beast Podcast.
I’m Rally Preston, 70-years old…and counting.
And you should know I’m coming to you from sunny Phoenix, Arizona…where, I’m just gonna be honest, everybody’s a hottie here.
Yeah, but don’t be jealous.
We’re hot because of the heat here!
Yeah, in fact, today – this is just May 11th…it’s supposed to hit 110 degrees here in Phoenix.
So hopefully, wherever you are right now…you’re not feeling the heat just yet.
But it’s looking like this summer – a lot of you will.
They’re saying the country’s gonna get a nice, long visit from El Nino this year — which is gonna mean H-E-double-L for a lot of us.
So today is the perfect time to talk about the summer heat…and especially, how it affects us older adults.
But first, just wanted to share something I came across. And it’s definitely heat-related.
But this bit mainly applies to people like me who are happy to live in the middle of the desert. Or other summer hot zones – like Tucson, Vegas, South Texas, West Texas, South Florida – well, you know who you are. Yeah, we’re kinda crazy.
So this new research I saw…it basically boils down to this: the heat may actually make you age faster. Now that doesn’t mean you just feel older. No, this is actually saying the heat makes your cells age faster.
So a while back I did an episode on biological aging. It was about how your birthday age and your biological age can be two different numbers.
So, real quick, biological age is based on your DNA and chemical changes – I guess researchers can look for patterns and figure out how fast — or slow — your body’s aging at the cellular level. Pretty cool…well, not in this case.
So there’s this brand-new study out of USC that tracked over 3,600 adults, all aged 56 and older, across the country for, uh, over six years.
Here’s what they found: the more days of extreme heat you live with, the more your biological age jumps ahead of your chronological age.
And guess which city they picked as the worst-case example? Oh yeah, Phoenix.
So people in Phoenix, where we’re over 90 degrees roughly half the year here — lucky us, we rack up 14 months of extra biological aging compared to folks living somewhere with less than 10 really hot days a year.
So biologically, I’m 14 months older — thanks to the heat here. I knew I should’ve stayed in Ohio.
Alright, that’s that. Just thought that was interesting.
So now, let’s talk about you and the good ol’ summertime.
So the thing about us older adults and the heat…it affects us differently than say, that 30-something out there cleaning your pool at high noon in July.
Here’s why…
When you’re younger, your body is really good at cooling itself down.
You get hot, you sweat, the sweat evaporates, you cool down. Very simple system – works great.
But as we get older, that perfect little system isn’t as efficient. Here’s what happens…
First off…us older adults store up more body heat…like around one and a half to almost two times more than younger people exposed to the same temperatures. I’m picturing that little Thermos I took to grade school in my lunch box…filled with hot cocoa. That’s us now.
So why do we store more heat?
Well, it comes down to sweat. Or to put it more delicately for you ladies, perspiration.
So yeah, our sweat glands don’t fire up as fast as they used to…so it takes us longer to get that cooling effect from moisture evaporating off our skin.
We need our core temperature to climb higher before the sweating really kicks in — young people just naturally start cooling off a lot sooner.
Oh and I’ve got more good news for you, hot stuff…
Our thirst signals don’t work as well now either. So you might be getting dehydrated before you actually feel thirsty.
And here’s another thing you should know…
A lot of us take medications, right? For blood pressure, heart issues, anxiety, allergies — whatever.
Well, it turns out some of those meds… can make the heat a little harder on us.
So beta blockers — that heart medication a lot of us are on — uh, beta blockers can reduce sweating and slow blood flow to the skin…so that’s something you should just be aware of when it’s hot.
And then there’s diuretics — you know, water pills – maybe you take those too. Well, those of course can speed up dehydration.
Oh and some antihistamines — even over-the-counter ones like Benadryl — can actually dial back your ability to sweat. That’s nice.
And ACE inhibitors, that’s a common heart medication…so these can dull your sense of thirst even more, so you might not drink enough water, because you don’t feel thirsty. Again, just something to be aware of.
And hey, don’t get the wrong idea about your meds – this doesn’t mean stop taking them this summer. Don’t want do that. You’d have bigger problems than being a little hot and bothered.
So all those things we just went through might be good to keep top of mind this summer when the dog days hit.
Alright, well, what are some ways you can keep your cool this summer?
I’ve got a short list of some really simple things.
So first: Move your outdoor life to the early or late parts of the day.
So here in sunny Phoenix, in the summer, I have to walk the dog before the sun comes up. And even then, it can be in the triple digits.
But for all of you who chose a much smarter place to live… when it gets toasty out there, just keep your walking, gardening, lawn mowing, trampoline jumping — anything you want to do outside — just get it done early in the morning or early evening. Before ten. After six. Something like that.
Alright, next, second tip: Drink water before you get thirsty. I’m older, you’re older – we can’t trust our thirst alarms anymore. Just make it a habit to sip water throughout the day, even when you don’t feel thirsty. You don’t want dehydration sneaking up on you, because, it’s really good at that. We see it all the time here in Phoenix…especially the hikers…they pass out, and they have a full bottle of water in their little fanny pack. Never knew what hit them. Stay hydrated!
Next, third tip: Know your medications. So you might want to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before summer. Put a list together of the meds you’re taking and have a little chat about any potential risks when it gets hot out…and how you can easily mitigate those. It’s good to ask just to be safe.
Alright, next tip, number 4: Check your AC – make sure it’s tuned up and good to go. You don’t want to have to tough it out if it goes on the fritz. Not this summer. Or if it does catch you off guard, get to someplace cool while you figure it out. Libraries, movie theaters, shopping malls — wherever. No shame in hanging out at Barnes and Noble for a few hours when it’s a scorcher outside.
And finally: Check on your neighbors. Especially anyone who lives alone. Older adults living solo are, of course, at higher risk when it’s hot. You know, a quick call or a knock on the door during a heat wave isn’t just a nice thing to do. You could be a lifesaver. So yeah, check on your neighbors.
Alright Silver Beasties — look, summer’s coming.
This one may be a doozy for a lot of us. That’s what they’re saying.
Take it from a pro – this is my 40th year living in Phoenix – don’t mess around with the heat.
It’s already dinged my biological clock pretty good. But on the bright side, I’ve never had to shovel snow here…so that’s worth something.
But seriously, don’t let the heat get to you this summer.
Stay in when it’s hot, drink your water, talk to your doc about your meds, and stay safe this summer, will you?
Alright, Rally Preston. Think I’ll go fry an egg on the sidewalk for breakfast…might do a side of bacon…yeah why not.
Alright, I’ll catch you next time right here on The Silver Beast Podcast.
Stay cool and take care!