New studies, which are in the final stage of completion, highlight the increased sensitivity of women to the heat exhibition. The studies have been prepared by the Fame Lab Laboratory of Environmental Physiology of the University of Thessaly and are expected to be officially published in the near future. As Dr. Andreas Flouris, a professor of physiology and director of the laboratory, points out, as a consequence of climate change, in recent years, there has been an increase in planet’s temperature and more frequent fuel appearance, pose more and more risks to public health. Among the population groups affected by the heat exposure, women have increased sensitivity compared to men.

Impacts of heat on human physiology and health

According to studies, exposure to high temperatures is a serious threat to the physiology and health of the human body. As Dr. Andreas Flouris explains in the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Dr. Andreas Flouris is urgent to maintain body temperature at about 37 ° C, and even minor increases of 2-3 ° C can cause serious and potentially threatening disorders, especially in the brain. He stresses that temperatures above 40 ° C increase the probability of heat stroke, while lower temperature levels (38-40 ° C) can cause thermal exhaustion which usually occurs with fainting, weakness, anxiety, intense thirst, dizziness and headaches.

Factors of an influence of rising body temperature

Factors such as heat heat, clothing and intense physical activity make a decisive contribution to thermal stress. Dr. Andreas Flouris, who is a consultant to the World Health Organization, characteristically states that thermal stress causes various effects on our physiology, such as increasing body and skin temperature, more blood flow to the skin, faster heart rate and more. He also adds that thermal stress leads to reduced physical performance and productivity.

Gender and heat resistance

“Epidemiological data shows us that middle -aged and older women face a greater risk of morbidity and mortality than heat, especially during fuel, compared to peers,” Dr. Flouris said. Continuing, he explains that “a series of studies are trying to explain whether women and men can tolerate prolonged work in a warm environment. The results showed that women have a total reduced ability to regulate their body core temperature when exposed to thermal stress. This is due to the reduced sweating observed in women, despite having more sweat glands. Further data from our studies have shown that the reduced tolerance of women in the heat is also related to factors such as physical morphology, physical condition and type of work. ” Although the above findings, Dr. Flouris points out, “there is still concern in the scientific community about whether gender independently affects the thermoremation capacity.”

Real Conditions: inaccuracies in thermal research

In our daily lives, physical differences between men and women – such as muscle mass and physical condition – significantly affect their ability to respond to thermal stress, especially when working under the same conditions. Women, due to these factors, may be at greater risk for thermal disorders such as thermal exhaustion and heat stroke. Dr. Flouris points out that some laboratory studies do not detect gender differences in thermoregulation, most often due to details of each experiment (such as a small sample of volunteers/three, lightweight clothing, short time of exhibition, but not even choosing).

Gender differences

Scientific data published in recent decades indicate the existence of normal differences in thermoregulation between men and women, with most research groups confirm that women have reduced sweating capacity during physical activity and the possibility of up to 15% higher.

“Women tend to start sweating when their body temperature has increased much more than men. Also, hormonal changes associated with menstruation and pregnancy affect thermoregulation, with progesterone increasing body temperature. In addition, women with a higher percentage of body fat, which acts as a thermal insulation factor, are more vulnerable to thermal stress. In everyday life, these normal differences may increase the risk for women to develop thermal disorders such as thermal exhaustion and heat stroke, ”says Dr. Flouris.

Increased risks to women’s health

Women have reduced tolerance for thermal stress compared to men, which leads to an increased risk of thermal discomfort and health problems, especially during pregnancy. Dr. Flouris points out that according to epidemiological data, exposure to high temperatures during work is associated with increased rates of preterm birth, low birth weight and up to double risk of miscarriage. At the same time, he adds that, in workplaces, the greatest sensitivity of women to thermal stress is reinforced by the increased levels of dehydration they often present. This is due to the limitation of the intake of fluids a strategy often adopted by women to reduce the use of toilet due to incomplete access to hygiene, which increases the risk of thermal diseases.