Tag Archives: heatwave

‘Is Heat Ruining My Cycle?’: Why Your Periods Are All Over The Place This Summer

Posted on by
Reply

As someone with endometriosis, fibroids and adenomyosis, I have a LOT of beef with my menstrual cycle. I don’t ever have a calm period and I usually am confined to the sofa until it’s over with. It’s grim.

This summer, however, it has been WILD. The one thing I can always rely on is my period being on around the same day every single month. It’s a small win but a significant one in terms of understanding where I am in my cycle, what to expect and when it’s safe to make plans. Until these past couple of months when that has gone OUT the window.

My periods this summer have been late. My last period was very, very light to the point that I wondered if it was implantation bleeding and I was actually pregnant. This month? It’s diabolical. I am getting through sanitary towels faster than I thought possible and my cramps are unbelievable. Energy levels? Depleted. RIP to feeling awake.

I wondered if this could have anything to do with the heatwaves we’ve been experiencing and while there is limited research on this matter, Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor did have some insights for me.

How summer can impact menstrual cycles

Dr Wylie says: “When it comes to heatwaves and periods, the research is still relatively limited, but that doesn’t mean women’s experiences should be dismissed. We know that the reproductive hormone system is closely linked to the rest of the body, so anything that places additional stress on it, including prolonged periods of very hot weather, has the potential to influence the timing of ovulation and, in turn, the menstrual cycle.

“During a heatwave, people may become dehydrated, sleep less well, feel physically exhausted or experience higher levels of physiological stress, all of which could contribute to temporary changes in hormone regulation in some individuals. That means some women may notice their period arriving earlier than expected, later than usual, experiencing a lighter or heavier bleed, or even spotting between periods.”

She advised that while we don’t have strong evidence showing that heatwaves directly cause widespread menstrual disruption, “it is certainly plausible that extreme heat may affect some women more than others, particularly when combined with other factors such as stress, travel or illness, and this is an area where more research would undoubtedly be helpful.”

Honestly, this makes a lot of sense. I am definitely struggling with the temperatures this summer and have been well out of my usual routine as I am throwing myself into summer socialising. My body is likely completely out of whack and I’m not surprised on reflection that my periods have been impacted by this.

Dr Wylie urges, though, that if you’re concerned about your periods, you should speak to your GP, saying: “I would also advise seeking medical advice if several periods have been missed without an obvious explanation, if menstrual cycles suddenly become much more irregular than usual, if bleeding is unusually heavy, persistent or occurring between periods, or if there is a positive pregnancy test accompanied by pain or bleeding, as these are situations where we would want to investigate further to rule out any underlying medical concerns.”

Share Button

5 Ways To Help Hedgehogs In The Heat After Charity Issues Urgent Plea

Posted on by
Reply

During one of this year’s earlier heatwaves (and there have been many), the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) issued an “urgent plea” for us to provide water for thirsty wildlife.

They noted that this is especially key given a 2022 report that found rural hedgehog populations have shrunk by somewhere between 30% and 75% since 2000.

Recently, a hedgehog rescue centre told the BBC they’d been “inundated” with baby hedgehogs following very dry and hot conditions in the south-east of the UK.

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Fay Vass, chief executive for BHPS, noted: “As our climate continues to change and become more extreme, it poses new dangers and challenges to our native wildlife.

“Scarcity of water sources is a common problem for wildlife and long spells of drought only serve to make this worse. Small mammals can easily become dehydrated and having access to fresh, clean water can mean the difference between life and death for hedgehogs.”

So what should we actually do to make their summers more bearable?

1) Place shallow dishes of water where hedgehogs can reach them

During very hot weather, hydration is key for hedgehogs and other wildlife.

“Placing shallow dishes of clean, fresh water around the garden is a simple, easy step we can all take that will provide a lifeline for hedgehogs and other wildlife during hot, dry spells,” Vass said.

2) Keep some of your garden wild

You might have taken part in “no-mow May”, a scheme which sees gardens grow wild across the UK.

This has been linked to greater biodiversity. And according to the Vass, the practice can help animals long past May too.

“Allowing sections of the garden to be wild and overgrown is important… as this can offer much-needed shade, shelter and a natural food source,” she said.

Additionally, “leaving log piles and leaf piles in quieter corners also offers valuable shelter and places to forage for grubs, worms and other natural food” year-round.

3) Put out some cat or high-meat dog food in a clean dish

It’s not just about water. “Hedgehogs can struggle to find enough food when the ground is hot and dry,” said the expert.

“Putting out some high-quality meaty hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food or dry cat biscuits to supplement their natural diet can provide a vital lifeline for hungry hedgehogs during the hot summer months,” she added, stressing it’s important to make sure their feeding dishes and areas are kept clean.

4) Create a wildlife pond

Though its benefits might be felt especially keenly in summer, Vass said this is one of the best ways to support animals no matter the weather.

“Creating a wildlife-friendly garden with features such as a gently sloping pond provides a reliable year-round water source and encourages insect prey,” she advised.

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how to make your own with an old washing-up bowl.

5) Make sure hedgehogs have a way into your garden

Again, this is just as important in summer as it is in winter. “It’s vital to make sure hedgehogs can access your garden” said the expert.

Check with your neighbours if you share a fence, and if it’s OK with everyone concerned, consider creating “13x13cm gaps in fences or walls to allow them to move freely between gardens and green spaces”.

Share Button

UK Gardeners Warned Never To Do Three Jobs In A Heatwave

Posted on by
Reply

We’re on our third heatwave of the year, and this one’s looking extra-long. That means gardeners might be facing browning grass, drying potted plants, and wilting flowers.

Still, though your first instinct might be to spring into action when you see your plants stressed, some gardening tasks are best left ’til after the hot spell. Watering your grass, for instance, might not be necessary, even if it’s browning – and it could go against your area’s current hosepipe rules.

Here are three activities to put on pause for now:

1) Mowing

Speaking to Gardening Etc., Chris Bonnett of GardeningExpress.co.uk said that it’s important to “avoid mowing the lawn during extreme heat, as the lawn will be trying to recover from the heat or a potential drought”.

Grass that grows in very hot conditions often struggles to form healthy roots, meaning the added stress of mowing might damage it further.

Additionally, even though it might look unhealthy, even scorched grass has its protective place in your backyard.

It works as a sort of canopy for your lawn, protecting it from the extreme, drying heat of the sun.

2) Fertilising

When plants’ leaves curl and brown, you might be tempted to fertilise them, the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources’ page reads.

But a heatwave is probably one of the worst times to do so.

“Your urge may be to whack off the dead parts and give the plant a shot of fertiliser. Hold on!” they said.

“The dead part can protect the living part from further burning. Refrain from fertilizing until temperatures drop below 90 [°F, or 32°C] during the daytime… Fertiliser pushes the plant to grow, stressing the plant even more.”

3) Aerating soil

Aerating soil every two to three years is generally a good idea – it can improve drainage and give roots access to more of those sweet, sweet nutrients.

But experts generally recommend waiting until autumn to do the job.

Luke Newnes, a gardening expert at Hillarys, told Ideal Home: “During a heatwave, your lawn is already working hard just to cope with the stress of high temperatures and dry conditions.

“Creating hundreds of small holes in the soil can increase moisture loss and make it even harder for the grass to recover when it’s already under pressure. Most lawns simply don’t have the energy reserves to bounce back properly in those conditions.”

As if you needed any more reason to hang your gardening gloves up in these punishing temps…

Share Button

Is This ‘The Coldest Summer Of The Rest Of Our Lives’?

Posted on by
Reply

The part of the UK I’m in is about to experience about a week’s worth of 30°C+ weather, meaning we’re in for yet another official heatwave.

This comes after March temperatures so high that they broke not one, but two records, and the hottest UK June day we’ve ever noted. Schools closed during the last heatwave; wildfires raged; trains were cancelled, and buses caught on fire.

All this is taking place while an El Niño intensifies. It’s part of a decades-long warming trend that seems to be getting worse, not better.

So is it right to say, as I’ve heard expressed in various online spaces and various publications, that this is “the coldest summer for the rest of our lives”?

The sentence rightly points to the indisputable fact that global warming is going to get more dangerous if we don’t intervene. Heatwaves have already become more likely and more extreme.

But climate is different from weather – on a summer-by-summer basis, are we going to experience conditions worse than these every year? And what does it mean if we don’t?

We asked climate experts to share their thoughts.

“This is definitely the ‘least extreme weather’ we will experience”

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, MBE, the director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) and a Professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Bath, said 2026 will probably pale in comparison to future weather events.

“I would say this is definitely the ‘least extreme weather’ we will experience,” Prof Whitmarsh told us.

“This is how Prof Hayley Fowler puts it, who is an expert in climate impacts.”

The professor was referring to 2025′s National Emergency Briefing by Professor of Climate Change Impacts at Newcastle University, Prof Hayley Fowler.

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="YouTube" data-component-id="3207" data-component-props="{"itemType":"video","isLiveblogEmbed":false,"index":16,"contentIndexByType":2,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

","type":"video","meta":{"author":"The National Emergency Briefing","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAB3X_5bLTJQO8sP1aBzvyg","cache_age":86400,"description":"On Thursday 27th November 2025 a National Emergency Briefing on Climate & Nature was held in Westminster Central Hall, London, UK. Nine experts presented an up-to-date summary of their specialist areas in front of an audience of MPs, peers and other influential figures in public life. Professor Hayley Fowler addressed the audience on the increasing frequency and intensity of weather extremes, how this will impact the UK, and the urgent need for action and adaptation as conditions become increasingly unstable\n\nSpeaker: Hayley Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts at Newcastle University\n\n🟥 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴: https://www.nebriefing.org/open-letter-keir\n\n#climatechange #nationalemergencybriefing #extremeweather \n\n🇬🇧 About the National Emergency Briefing: www.nebriefing.org\n\nTwitter/x: https://x.com/nebriefing\nInsta: https://www.instagram.com/nebriefing/\nTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nebriefing?_r=1&_t=ZN-91JtydnBpSg\nLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-emergency-briefing/?viewAsMember=true\nFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nebriefing","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":"61"}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9VUM-crZ4Eg/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Extreme Weather – Professor Hayley Fowler | National Emergency Briefing","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VUM-crZ4Eg","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"life","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isMobile":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"6a4bacf7e4b094d71e6f5b75","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/is-2026-coldest-summer-of-rest-of-lives_uk_6a4bacf7e4b094d71e6f5b75","entryTagsList":"climate-change,weather,heatwave","sectionSlug":"lifestyle","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"isShopping":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.lifestyle","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"16b0ecc6-802c-4120-845f-e90629812c4d","clickToPlayPlayer":"823ac03a-0f7e-4bcb-8521-a5b091ae948d","videoPagePlayer":"05041ada-93f7-4e86-9208-e03a5b19311b","defaultPlaylist":"2e062669-71b4-41df-b17a-df6b1616bc8f"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/61fdf23e-3a87-41ea-8462-e61a29fd3f15/1_th.jpg?crop=629:354,smart&width=629&height=354&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":22},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"6a4bacf7e4b094d71e6f5b75","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"Climate Change","slug":"climate-change","links":{"relativeLink":"news/climate-change","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/climate-change","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/climate-change"},"relegenceSubjectId":978658,"section":{"title":"News","slug":"news"},"topic":{"title":"Climate Change","slug":"climate-change","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/climate-change/"},{"name":"weather","slug":"weather","links":{"relativeLink":"news/weather","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/weather","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/weather"},"relegenceSubjectId":983981,"section":{"title":"News","slug":"news"},"topic":{"title":"Weather","slug":"weather","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/weather/"},{"name":"heatwave","slug":"heatwave","links":{"relativeLink":"news/heatwave","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/heatwave","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/heatwave"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/heatwave/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"signInUrl":"https://login.huffpost.com/login?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2Fis-2026-coldest-summer-of-rest-of-lives_uk_6a4bacf7e4b094d71e6f5b75%3Fhp_auth_done%3D1","cetUnit":"buzz_body","enableIncontentPlayer":false,"bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0,"midArticleAdPartner":null},"isCollectionEmbed":false}”>

Still, Prof Whitmarsh added, “there’s no guarantee every year will see a hotter summer than the one before, but the general trend is certainly hotter over time”.

″‘This is the coldest year for the rest of our lives’ is very unlikely to be true”

HuffPost UK also spoke to climatologist Prof Friederike Otto, a Professor in Climate Science at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London and the leader of World Weather Attribution (WWA).

She told us, “I think [the idea that] ‘this is the coldest year for the rest of our lives’ is very unlikely to be true, but what is certain is that unless we stop burning fossil fuels extremely rapidly and global mean temperatures are stabilised around 1.5°C, this is one of the cooler summers for the rest of our lives.”

While there may be cooler summers, and even colder overall years, ahead, in the bigger picture, 2026′s endless heatwaves might go down as a regular – even moderate – example of a “new normal”.

This is especially true if we do not urgently address climate change.

Share Button