Heat & Parkinson's

I regularly play pickleball. In cooler weather, I feel at my best, with a clear mind and well-managed symptoms. I experience no stiffness. However, I can now only handle a few games. My focus is lacking, and my performance suffers. I now understand why I struggle in the heat.

I found this article in Parkinson's News Today that the heat is exacerbating my symptoms. Whether on the pickleball courts, riding horses, or just going outside, I am consistently symptomatic, causing more stress because I need to exercise.

"HEAT SENSITIVITY AND MY SUMMER STORM: HOT, HUNGRY, AND TIRED"

The 3 conditions that can make this season get pretty nigh unbearable."

I’ve always tried to be a pleasant enough person. Polite to strangers, going with the flow, trying to be kind when I can. But three things can cause me to lose my pleasing personality: being hungry, hot, and tired. And hot has always been the worst because it’s harder to fix instantly with a granola bar or a nap.

We have a half-joke, half-rule in my house that I cannot be held responsible for my behavior if two or more of these conditions exist at the same time. (My husband always asks, “Then who is responsible?”) You can choose not to feed me, but I’d better have a cool place to nap. And if it’s hot and past lunchtime, forget about me being pleasant until I’m fed.

It can seem like anything and everything can be a complication or symptom of Parkinson’s disease. But it’s known that having Parkinson’s, as I do, makes us more sensitive to the heat. Just what a person like me needed. Not only am I hot and grouchy in summer, but my physical symptoms can get worse. According to a 2024 study published in the International Journal of Biometeorology:

“Over half (of participants) indicated an inability to work effectively in the heat, and nearly half reported that heat impacted their ability to perform household tasks and social activities. Overall, heat sensitivity was common in people with Parkinson’s disease and had a significant impact on symptomology, day-to-day activities, and quality of life.”

Me and the summer blahs.

This concern is no longer about my annoyance with the heat. It’s real. And since I was diagnosed 12 years ago, it’s gotten worse. I’ve felt the “summer blah,” as I call it, on hot, humid days where nothing feels good, my motor symptoms are out of control, and I just feel all-around icky. It can also affect people who used to love being in the sun and heat.

Now, on top of a predisposition to dislike heat, I have a neurological impact to deal with, and I’m perimenopausal, so hot flashes have become a part of my life. Talk about a triple threat.

With summer upon us, and a hot, humid one at that, I wanted to let people with Parkinson’s disease know that sensitivity to heat is no joke. It’s important to be aware of all the weird things Parkinson’s disease can do to your body. And it’s important to stay cool — and to medicate, meditate, and hydrate, as I called out in another column.

Make sure you have easy access to air conditioning before and after outdoor activities. Drink plenty of water and opt for low-sugar drinks with added electrolytes, which can help. Keep calm in the heat, because being agitated only makes it worse. And let people around you know that keeping cool is a medical issue, not just something you whine about. Don’t let overheating ruin your summer.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation also offers some valuable tips for handling the heat. Hopefully, this awareness can help you enjoy your hot and hazy summer. Now let me go get a snack and take a nap.

Additional Resources:

Parkinson's News Today