Dr Amir Khan issues heat warning for women - 'you're not being dramatic'

Dr Amir Khan issues heat warning for women - 'you're not being dramatic' Women might feel the heat “more than men” A doctor has issued a heat warning for women, saying “they’re not being dramatic”. According to the expert, women feel the heat “more than men”. Factors such as hormones, body size, sleep, and nutritional deficiencies can make the heat harder to tolerate, he said. His advice comes as the Met Office has issued a red extreme heat warning for Wednesday and Thursday. Highs of 37C are forecast for southern England and 35C in southeast Wales today (June 23). The peak of the heatwave is forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, when temperatures are expected to climb to at least 39C and there remains a chance of this being exceeded in places. By Friday conditions will be less hot, with highs of 32C forecast across eastern areas. The UK Health Security Agency has also issued a series of heat health alerts, which highlight the potential health and social care impacts. With this in mind, Doctor Amir Khan issued some guidance to his followers on social media. In an Instagram video, Dr Amir, who is best known for his appearances on ITV, explained why women are more affected by the heat. He said: “Listen, it's going to be hot over the next few days and I'm going to tell you women feel the heat more than men. They're not being dramatic, they are being factual and it's really fascinating in terms of the reason behind it. “So we know that hormones play a role and that's true, oestrogen and progesterone can affect how your body regulates temperature and menopause and hot flushes can make things so much worse. So absolutely that is true.” However, this is not the only contributing factor. He continued: “But there are some other things that people just don't think about it's important that you know this. “So women tend to have smaller bodies and less blood volume than men. That means when temperatures rise the body has less circulating blood available to move heat from the core to the skin where it can escape. “So that takes longer.” On top of this, women also tend to have smaller hearts and narrower blood vessels. “So shifting blood around the body to get rid of excess heat may be slightly less efficient than that other man's,” he said. “And he's a really interesting one. “Research suggests women often have a higher skin temperature, but a lower core temperature than men. “So even when their body isn't actually overheating, they can feel hot and more uncomfortable as well.” Further to this, women might get dehydrated more easily. He said: “And there's also all the other issues things like dehydration, because women are generally smaller than men, losing the same amount of fluid through sweat, can have a bigger impact, they can become dehydrated quicker, a litre of sweat, lost affects a petite woman, much more than a large man, for example.” He added: “There's also things like iron deficiency. Women are much more likely to be low in iron because of periods, and if your iron levels are low, hot weather can leave you feeling absolutely wiped out, dizzy, and exhausted. And let's not forget all those things like sleep, women are already more likely to be struggling with sleep disruption during perimenopause and menopause. “So hot weather just adds to that awfulness and poor sleep then makes you feel less able to with the heat the next day. So yes I know hot weather is nice for lots of us, but if you're struggling and if you're feeling it particularly as a woman, you know why that is. And you can absolutely complain about it. It is your biology and complain about it if you need to.” If someone has heat exhaustion, the NHS urges you to follow these steps: - Move them to a cool place - Remove all unnecessary clothing like a jacket or socks - Give them plenty of water to drink – you can also give them an isotonic sports drink or oral rehydration powder that you mix with water, which will help replace salt lost through sweating - Cool their skin – spray or sponge them with cool water and fan them. Cold packs, wrapped in a cloth and put under the armpits or on the neck are good too You should call 999 now if you or someone else has signs of heatstroke, including: - Still being unwell after 30 minutes of resting in a cool place, being cooled and drinking fluids - A very high temperature - Hot skin that's not sweating and might look red (this can be harder to see on brown or black skin) - A fast heartbeat - Fast breathing or shortness of breath - Confusion and lack of coordination - A seizure or fit - Loss of consciousness