Heat Intolerance

Heat intolerance is an unusual sensitivity to warm temperatures, in which a person feels excessively hot, sweats heavily or feels unwell in conditions that most people find comfortable. It is most commonly associated with an overactive thyroid gland, hyperthyroidism, in which excess thyroid hormone raises the body's metabolic rate and heat production, but it can also occur with menopause, certain neurological conditions that impair the body's temperature regulating system, and some medications. People with heat intolerance are at greater risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke during hot weather or exercise, since their bodies struggle to dissipate heat effectively. As with cold sensitivity, treatment is directed at whatever underlying condition is causing it, and it often improves once that condition is controlled.