The Heat is Unbearable
Or is too much air conditioning detaching us from the summer world?
It's crazy hot these days. Hotter than ever in recorded history. Dangerously hot; dehydration and heat stroke kill thousands every year. And according to one recent report, heat stress might be causing people to die from conditions they otherwise could have survived with.
Even for folks who live to see the winter, mild dehydration – which can persist for months – can strongly impair quality of life with relentless headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and mental fog.
Under such conditions, air conditioning saves and improves many lives. Which makes air conditioning a good thing. Yet like many good things, air conditioning can also be harmful.
I don’t mean to villainize air conditioners because their fans spread deadly germs and chemicals. I wouldn’t even condemn them for confusing our bodies’ thermoregulation systems by swinging temperatures dozens of degrees whenever we enter or exit their territory. Such arguments aren’t (yet) backed by solid science, so they don’t weigh much against the real life-saving statistics in favor of AC.
The true risk of air conditioning is indirect and unfolds too slowly for researchers to easily detect: the cooler we make our homes, the more uncomfortable and unsafe it becomes to live in the outdoor heat. By acclimating our bodies and minds to the artificially cool climates of our stacked cement-and-steel boxes, we literally close ourselves off from the outside world. Then when necessity requires venturing outdoors, we moan and groan about the unbearable heat. By using air conditioning as a crutch, we come to see the world as a threat.
Outdoors is for Moving, Indoors is for Sitting
This is a deep tragedy, on two levels.
Most simply, when we’re tethered to cooling machines, we won’t be walking around the neighborhood for local errands, certainly not hauling home groceries in a knapsack. Serious exercise will require weights or an elliptical bike, or at least driving to the gym or pool.
But many people, including me, don’t have the money, interest, and competence for such specialized workouts. Our health and happiness hinge on walking, running, and hiking. Effortful movement through the world is an integral part of our lives.
Moreover, informal exercise is critically important for everyone, even devoted gym rats. As one recent clinical study showed, people who exercise half an hour a day but sit and lie for the remaining 23 1/5 hours – what the researchers called “active couch potatoes” – are far less healthy than those who incorporate several hours of light exercise into their daily lives. Which isn’t surprising; people have never sat around all day except for one burst of intense energy. We were built to walk through life in purposeful effort: to gather berries in nature, walk to work, and carry home groceries.
One second. People still gather berries in nature?
Yes! Let’s go foraging! Foraging is a great way to taste - literally - all areas of healthy living. Foraging is even humankind’s most basic exercise: moving around the world in search for sustenance.
Okay, now we’re back to AC.
Not that it’s impossible to move around while indoors. There are many simple strengthening and stretching exercises that can be done throughout the day. For some people, that’s the best option. (More on that soon.) But most people won’t get up every hour to purposely move when they’re inside a sitting environment. And I get them: outdoors is the place for walking and running; indoors is for sitting and lying. That’s just the way the world works.
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Detaching From the World
Abandoning the world is also emotionally and spiritually risky. As we’ve been contemplating over the past month, life’s archetypical journeys extend from the simple, physical moving of our bodies from here to there. For this world be a “corridor to the chamber” (Avos 4:16) we must experience walking through it, and our good choices must begin with effortful movement for the purpose of health. For a metaphor to have any meaning, it must be based on tangible reality.
We also noticed the importance of knowing and valuing life’s journey and its efforts, and how cars and navigation apps have eroded our appreciation of dwelling inside the processes of travel and work. I suggested some solutions, particularly hiking on trails, and followed up with The Healthy Jew’s Guide for Journeying Israel.
Air conditioning is a third threat to experiencing life’s journey, because it detaches us from the world where life takes place. If we combine the blasting cool air with driving by the orders of Waze – many peoples’ situation for hours each day – we’ll become trapped inside a triangle of potent journey-breakers.
Just to be super clear: I’m not saying that cars, apps, and AC are evil monsters to avoid at all costs. Cars and apps are often necessary; AC saves lives and health. All three are valuable tools. But they’re also temptations to avoid the journey of life and sit comfortably cocooned in fantasies of spring when the world is in the heat of summer - which is also dangerous.
Returning to the World
Yet it’s possible to reclaim life in the world: not by abruptly swearing off the AC forever, but with proactive strategies that can help us find peace of mind and body in all seasons. Whenever we’re confronted with opposing extremes, the solution is to strike a balance between them.
When feasible and reasonable, consider putting the thermostat a few degrees higher than you might have otherwise, signaling to your body and mind that the world is hot today. If you stick with it, you’ll slowly nudge your comfort zone’s thermostat upwards.
When the temperature dips, open the windows, turn on the fan, and breath the same air as the trees, grass, deer, turtles, and all the other folks that are walking today through God’s world.
If it’s safe for you, try a short brisk walk in the heat. Prepare well by wearing light clothing and a broad hat. Feel and appreciate the sweat; it’s your very own AC unit cooling you down.
By purposely choosing to adapt to the world exactly as it is today, you’ll slowly acclimate to a broad variety of temperatures. Over time, walking effortfully through life might become comfortable and safe even on the hottest of days. I’m not making this up; heat acclimatization is legit science. It even has guidlines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Also check out this great article about how many people in many places can teach their body to live in warmer temperatures.
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Safety First
But not everyone, and not everywhere. Unfortunately, the new-normal sizzling temperatures we’re seeing this summer can be life-threatening for vulnerable populations - and many cities are so hot that nobody is safe without AC.
I won’t give any hard numbers on how hot is too hot, because the upper threshold varies widely based on region and demographics, and depends on relative humidity - or, more precisely, dew point (thanks
for this great post on !) - as much as temperature. Of course what you do outside also makes a difference: it’s safer to recommend walking than running.This graph from the US National Weather Service can also be a helpful resource. The different levels of caution, in my understanding, reflect various circumstances and activities.
If you have any safety concerns, talk to your doctor before dialing down the air or heading out for a midday walk. Perhaps your life’s journey today should happen indoors.
Even if you’re sure the heat is safe for you, make sure you’re drinking enough water. Pay close attention for the early signs of danger: headache, dizziness, or fatigue. Don’t wait around for nausea, vomiting, or worse. (How much should you drink, and when? Stay tuned for next week’s edition of The Healthy Jew.)
But whatever your specific situation, the principle remains the same: the world is never your enemy, and air conditioning isn’t your best friend. Instead, the world is where life takes place, and AC can help you live well, and, for some people in some places, to survive.
I didn’t focus today on my personal journey to freedom from air conditioning’s bondage, because I’ve always enjoyed and thrived in the heat. But I’m still sharing from experience – mostly regarding the cold, from which I’ve suffered in the past. Over the years, I’ve found much peace of mind and body by purposefully dwelling inside the winter cold. Maybe in December I’ll share about the health benefits of running in cold rain.
But today it’s hot, and I’m grateful to write this newsletter from our non-air-conditioned extra bedroom which also happens to be in the hottest corner of our apartment. There isn’t even cross-ventilation in here; my wife closes the door so the heat doesn’t boil over to the rest of our humble abode.
Because I don’t live under AC’s thrall, I regularly walk, run, and hike in temperatures north of 95F/35C. And I’m not an amazing athlete who loves testing his body’s limits. I’m just a regular guy who takes my health seriously. For me, that includes accepting the world’s invitation to move through life in whatever conditions it offers today.
Questions to Consider: Can you imagine living with less air conditioning? What can you do to acclimate yourself, if only a little, to the hot summer weather - in a way that’s safe, feasible, and reasonable.
