Hot, Bothered, and Breathing Weird?
Heat Messes with Your Nervous System, But Here's How to Fix It
I recently got back from vacation, and let me tell you — it was glorious.
Think: breezy spring days. Brisk mornings and evenings. Sunlight that warmed, not scalded.
I was living my best life in my personal style holy trinity (jeans, a tee, and a leather jacket) while wandering through ornate European churches learning about the other holy trinity.
Then I landed back in Miami. And the moment I stepped off the plane, it felt like I’d walked straight into a convection oven.
Gone was the dewy glow. In its place: frizz, sweat, and a rising sense of existential irritation.
My “can’t wait to get home” turned into hot “can’t believe you forgot about this” regret. And my breath? It went from smooth and steady to short, shallow, and weirdly frantic.
Why Heat Turns You Into a Human Pressure Cooker
Let’s get one thing straight: heat doesn’t just make you sweaty. It makes you stressed.
When your environment gets hot, your body shifts into defensive mode. Here’s what kicks off behind the scenes:
Core temperature rises, triggering a cascade of physiological stress
Blood vessels dilate to try and release heat
Heart rate climbs, even when you're sitting still
Breathing speeds up, which can lead to hyperventilation or shallow upper-chest breathing
This all puts strain on your sympathetic nervous system — i.e. your fight-flight-freeze response. Which explains why hot weather can leave you moody, tired, irritable, unfocused, or just off. (It also messes with your digestion, energy, and even sleep but we’ll talk more about that in another post).
Anyway, this is all to say that if you've been feeling a little “raw nerves” lately… it might not be you. It might just be your weather app.
Cooling Off is an Inside Job
Sure, you can fan yourself or seek out shade or drink iced tea like it’s your part-time job. But most of those things are only partial fixes. They address the surface heat, not the inner system overload.
That’s where breathwork comes in.
Certain types of breathing can help regulate your internal thermostat. They send calming signals to your brain and body, reduce unnecessary overexertion, and even help you sweat less by downshifting your nervous system.
And you don’t have to remember Sanskrit words or twist your tongue into a soft-serve curl.
Try This Pursed-Lip Breathing Technique
This is one of the simplest, most underrated techniques for cooling off both physically and emotionally. It’s used in everything from pulmonary rehab to anxiety recovery to athletic training. And it couldn’t be easier.
Here’s how to do it:
Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4.
Purse your lips like you’re blowing out birthday candles. (Isn’t it gross to think about how someone used to blow all over a cake and then other people would eat it? Or is it just me?)
Exhale slowly and evenly through pursed lips for a count of 6 or 8, whichever feels more comfortable for you.
Repeat for 3 minutes, or until your system feels like it’s hit “refresh.”
That long, leisurely exhale mimics the parasympathetic pattern your body naturally adopts when it's relaxed — like in deep sleep or after a satisfying sigh. It boosts oxygen efficiency, slows your heart rate, and helps reestablish a calm, grounded baseline. Think of it as a nervous system air conditioner.
You’ll know it’s working when your breath starts to slow, your shoulders drop a little, and your brain stops yelling “GET ME INTO THE FREEZER NOW.”
Final Thoughts from the Land of the Perpetual Heat Advisory
Let’s not spiritual-bypass this. Summer is amazing in theory. In practice, it’s… complicated.
The heat slows you down on purpose. It asks (or when necessary, forces) you to soften your pace, reassess your commitments, hydrate more, rest more, and maybe — just maybe — stop yelling at the dog because the WiFi’s slow.
But instead of fighting it, what if you cooled down from the inside out?
Your breath is your built-in thermostat. Might as well use it.
Need help remembering what to do when your brain’s melting like a popsicle in a parking lot?
Grab my FREE “5 Breaths in 5 Minutes” toolkit. You’ll get printable guides and short videos walking you through some of my favorite breathwork techniques for when you’re hot, tired, wired, or just plain done.
Last Gasp
“It’s a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do.” — Walter Winchell