New Yorkers Could Boil Over Into 'Heat Rage,' Doctor Warns

Boy, today has been a hot one. Wait, yesterday was a pretty hot one too, and the day before that and the day before that.

New Yorkers haven’t been able to catch a break from the sweltering heat this summer, and it’s definitely getting to them. Aside from the few times it rained (usually spoiling weekends) the sun has been relentless, which some doctors said is causing New Yorkers to have “heat rage.”

This cruel summer is triggering some strange behavior, CBS News reported on Thursday. Most people are familiar with road rage, air rage even fan rage at sporting events, but this season heat rage is what people have to worry about.

“The combination of those biological factors and psychological factors mean that if an environmental kind of an ordinary event like waiting outside online or getting stuck in a traffic jam or having to change your tire, it can fill your capacity and you can erupt. And so people have frayed nerves and shortened tempers and that’s why someone can just bump you walking along the streets and all of a sudden you’re overreacting,” Dr. Alan Manevitz of New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center told CBS News.

The heat can make people cranky because when they got dehydrated it affects the brain and disrupts sleep, all of which can make a bad mood worse.

So what’s the best way to beat the heat? Stay in air conditioning when possible, drink plenty of water and “avoid situations that generally irritate you and these types of situations might make your blow your cool,” the doctor said.

And one more thing: Don’t forget that sunscreen.