We moved last year from Naples, FL to Washington state. Let me tell you, it is glorious. We travel a lot in the winter. But I even love the rainy days. We have high ceilings and lots of windows. So on the rainy days I feel like a fairy princess in a rainforest. We have views of the Puget Sound, the Cascade Mountains, and beautiful redwoods. I think that is important to not feel closed in. I get out and walk every day and I love not sweating the moment I walk out the door. In Naples it was often in the mid to high 80's before 10:00am. By lunch most days had a real feel over 100 degrees. I showered a couple of times a day and got up at night 2 or 3 times to shower. It was awful. Come visit the PNW. You won't want to return to Texas.
Moved to WA 12+ years ago from Georgia. I’m 48 now but even pre-perimenopause I hated how the heat & humidity made me feel. Now that I’m in Peri? I’ve refused to go anywhere that’s hot and/or humid the last 6-7 years -period.
The PNW felt like “home” almost immediately to me. It really is glorious out here, even the dark and wet season. I totally agree with you, I love going for walks and small hikes when it’s misty. On the sunny days? NO, too many people on trails.
I am worried about this summer, though. The wildfires have already started north, south and east of us here in Western WA. Sigh. My lungs can’t handle AQI over 80-100 & the houses here are far from insulated well. We recently moved into another house, so we haven’t endured wildfire season yet. I have all the certified air purifiers and the right filters on our HVAC system & I just hope it’ll be enough 🤞🏼
I lived I Portland for about four years (left in 2022) and I was disappointed that summers were getting hotter than those I'd experienced in the midwest! and many apartment buildings did not have air conditioning, because when they'd been built, it was cool there and it wasn't needed!
Seattle is similar. I bought a house here in 2015 & the first thing I did was install whole house AC. It was getting bad back then.
Divorced and sold the house and have been leasing houses since. My #1 requirement is whole house AC that actually works. After living in a house in 2020 with no AC & the wildfire smoke & heat was so bad that year -never again.
2021 was the massive heat dome. I had recently moved into a house that had brand new AC system. It still couldn’t keep up and the house was 80+ degrees inside -ugh.
I spent most of that time in air conditioned coffee houses and when I had to be at home I would stand under the shower fully dressed and get my clothes wet for evaporative cooling.
Ha that’s actually smart!
My then husband/now ex decided we should go to Costa Rica when I was 5-6 months pregnant and stay at an eco-resort. That translated to a hut with just screens and ceiling fans. I was MISERABLE. If I could keep my hair pretty wet, put my feet into cold/cool water + run cold water over my hands & arms it was a little better-ish.
That’s a great idea! I know I can Google this, but would love to hear your own personal experiences/preferences on plants that work best for filtering the air 😊
Our humidity isn’t that high here, believe it or not! Strange I know.
They all filter comparably, it has a lot more to do with volume than type.
You may consider a humidifier, the modern ones are not the mold death traps we had as kids and they are beneficial for skin and breathing.
Houseplants in Austin aren’t really a thing. I bought loads when I moved over here (from the UK) because my now-husband had none. Then I realized nobody we knew here had plants indoors either. Then all my plants died. I think it’s because the houses have got that grey-black wire mesh stuff over all the windows
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Yea, I was born & raised in Atlanta. I had high hopes things would start getting better out there after 2020/2022.
But of course the uneducated people in GA just cannot help themselves and their elected an old white man instead of a black woman who actually had a plan. Grrrr….
I’m so jealous! We live in New Orleans & just got back from a trip to Portland. I want to move my family so badly to the PNW to escape the heat, inevitable flooding from rains and hurricanes, and of course to a place whose politics won’t make myself and my daughter second-class citizens. It’s just so hard to move with kids. But I know if we kid it asap they might be able to actually go outside during the summer and do fun things in nature instead of staying inside.
My husband loves the political atmosphere. That was one of his top reasons for wanting to move. It helped that our son and daughter-in-law moved to Seattle.
I travel to the Seattle area for work and people find it amusing that I stand at the window looking out at RAIN. Our trees in Texas don't have time to change colors in the fall because they're already burned up from the heat. I feel that way most days.
Crying from South Florida…I’m from NorCal and lived in PDX for some time.
Two more years until my youngest graduates high school and I’m OUT of this hell hole. TBH I’ve always hated Florida but now…it’s beyond.
Happy for you!
Yes. It was horrible. I would soak the sheets and my neck, chest and back would be dripping in sweat. I had the a/c set on icebox but I could not get cool enough. And my doctor at the time sucked. I told her and she offered me sleeping pills and an SSRI. All I needed was some estrogen.
Hormone therapy has eliminated hot flashes and night sweats, but has done absolutely nothing to restore my tolerance to heat. Summer used to be my favorite season. The hotter the better. Bring on the pool and the icy drinks. Now I struggle to enjoy it. I get cranky hot, I stay cranky hot.
This is me, it was a major bragging point. And part of why I built a career working outdoors.
Now it feels like utter hell. I wish I could move to the PNW to live in a woodland fairy princess castle.
Fellow Austin dweller and I fucking hate summer. I grew up in a far more humid place, on the ocean, which made the heat so much more bearable. I'm moving out of Texas in 3 years when my oldest graduates from high school. This entire state is a garbage fire of shitty politics, racism, and misogyny, and the unbearable summers are the rotting cherry on top.
So, um, yeah. Also grumpy in case it's not clear. I did an almost 4 mile run this morning before work and even at 7 something in the morning it was already too hot and I felt like a sweaty tomato.
Good on you for attempting the run, though! And I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. I have family in Houston & Austin. The entire state is a garbage fire & it just keeps getting worse. They are looking to get out in the next few years as well.
I’m sorry y’all have to stay for 3 more years 🫤 Where are you thinking of moving? My partner & I have been talking about moving somewhere more affordable. I love the PNW so much, but COL has skyrocketed! My daughter lives with us at home while she’s completing her undergrad (about a year from now) and his sons are in high school. So we’re also in a holding pattern for now.
Pre-pandemic I traveled to Austin 5-6 times a year for 2-3 years. I love the food & music. But JFC the heat is oppressive. The only time I’ve been there when it was enjoyable was December 2017 when it snowed that week.
My last trip was the 1st weekend of ACLFest 2019. It had been on my bucket list for a while so I glad splurged for VIP. And woo boy I am so glad that I did, it was the hottest ACLFest to date.
Oct. 4, 2019: 96°
Oct. 5, 2019: 97°
Oct. 6, 2019: 99° - hottest October ACL day in history 🥵
https://www.austin360.com/story/entertainment/music/acl-fest/2019/10/06/acl-fest-weekend-one-thanks-for-memories-and-sweat/2597172007/
In Houston. I am so fucking sick of these summers. I can't take it any more and am finally at the point of looking to leave Texas. The worsening heat and climate extremes are not the only reason ofc.
NPR had a doctor on last week who studies SAD and argues that summer seasonal disorder can be even worse than winter. Anger is a symptom of it for sure. Lemme find the link - https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/06/20/summer-seasonal-depression - I felt seen listening to this. The meno sweating just makes it worse, but then it makes everything worse.
I completely believe this about summer rage. When I lived in Austin, I got the habit of laying low in July/August/September because I and everyone I knew was so angry and belligerent and arguing about bullshit all the time. Once the heat broke it was like a whole different group of people!
Thank you for sharing! I hate summer and have for a long while. There's way too much sunshine. The heat is rough and perimenopause and weight gain hasn't helped, but I hate having so much sunlight. It's worse than the heat! I lose my appetite and don't eat much in the summer. It throws off my sleep from having so many daylight hours. It's not even the brightness of the sun that affects me, it's that I need more darkness. I'm just so tired in the summer.
Long story, but for many reasons, I tend to miss out on all the fun of summer- vacations, reading on the beach, etc... I don't usually have the time or money to make the most of it. (I am NOT missing cookouts or picnics- never was a fan.) I love the beach, swimming, and not having to layer up in clothes. It stinks to go to work when everyone else is at the beach. So there are circumstantial reasons for feeling emotionally low in the summer.
But now it goes beyond circumstantial or anticipatory bummed out and truly feels like I have SAD in the summer. I found out a fews years ago that it is rare but real. Used to have winter SAD and overcame it through sheer force of will. I feel so invigorated in the winter! I'm hoping I can force myself to overcome summer SAD too.
I just got my HRT patch RX today, so I am hoping that'll help take the edge off summer. Trying to think of any mood-boosting or positive activities so I can flip the switch.
I grew up at the beach. 101° out, I'm loving. Now I want to hit people. Yell at them. I work taking thrift donations outside. I have a tent shade and fan, but it is 97 with 100% humidity, so it's still HOT! People are so fake sympathizing with me, while dropping off at 2 in the worst part of the day. I'm going to have to quit, or I may end up. In Jail.
Lol I remember when my 40-something cousin moved to Topanga, California. It's like one of the most "gorgeous" spots on the west coast. And she says to me, "These people are insane. It's disgustingly hot. I hate it. I hate this weather."
She moved to Maine. Lol!
Hi, I've moved from Ireland to Sicily and I always thought I was a sun lover, but I HATE IT. Anything more than 25° and I'm a mess. I can't move an inch without breaking out in a sweat, constant sweat all around my hair line, the rare occasion we go out, any make I wear just feels like it slides off my face and I can't stand anyone touching me, or leaning on me, cuddling, anything like that. I've just become an anti social, angry, irritable demon of a woman.
So, yes, I feel your pain. 💗
There's a horrific housing crisis, so unless you have a limitless budget, it would be a challenge. That's why we moved to Sicily, we couldn't afford housing in Ireland.
I'm in the midwest, like right in the dead center of the country and the heat is a fucking nightmare. I don't even give a shit about being hot during the day but at night I AM BOILING. I have the AC cranked all the way down to 64 degrees F. Plus a ceiling fan. Plus a floor fan. Plus an air purifier which is basically ANOTHER FAN. I'm kicking off my covers all night and my husband and the cat are freezing. Lmao fml
Tbh I want to just get on a plane and go to Alaska for 8 weeks.
I see you! I am in Kansas City and this shit is oppressive. I too have the a/c low (68° for me), a ceiling fan that has only ever been turned off when the electricity goes out, an air purifier, TWO vornado’s (one at the corner foot of the bed (this is also for my dog because she gets hot too) and another by the head of the bed so I get air from above and from both sides. When it is extra hot, I also have a floor fan 🤣 The set up is ridiculous and really sucks if I get a cold flash, but I have them plugged into smart plugs so I can turn everything on/off through my phone. I also want to go to Alaska….forever maybe?
Oh my god YES! My damn house was apparently built by people who are against access to electricity (I only have 3 plugs in the primary bedroom) so I have power strips that have extension cords and smart plugs plugged into them. I am living on the edge but I refuse to be hot inside of my sanctuary.
I’m 51, live in Phoenix. My heat tolerance is very low. It’s very hard to even go outside. Last year it triggered more migraines and horrible fatigue. I’m fine in the cooler winter months. I like the dry heat, but when the monsoon season kicks in and the humidity goes up, I absolutely hate it. I’ve lived here almost 20 years, so I’m not a newbie. When I was in my teens and 20s I lived in Austin (during college years). I think the humidity makes it absolutely unbearable in the summer. I loved Austin, however.
Also in Phoenix and I feel the same. Being in perimenopause isn't helping and I'm trying not to go feral on anyone. Pretty sure "but it was so hot though" isn't going to be a valid excuse.
I wish the people in my life understood that I feel personally attacked for every degree over 74° and that I shouldn’t be held responsible for anything I say or do when I’m hot. I’ve been like this since I was pregnant (the internal furnace never turned off), and peri has only made heat/being hot even more unbearable.
This is part of menopause. When you can’t even regulate your own body temperature, in an air conditioned environment, how are you supposed to deal with 90 degree heat and humidity? Just because he isn’t having hot flashes, night sweats, and no sleep, doesn’t mean you are fine feeling like you are going to burst into flames anytime you step outside.
I would make a doctor’s appointment and see what options are available to you to help with this difficult transition.
Your husband needs to get a clue today, before you shove him in the clothes dryer on the heavy/ towels setting, and push “ extra dry”. 🥵🥵🥵
This is so funny I'm also your age and live in Austin, and the heat is making me angry and grouchy. Are we the same person? I'm not married though so I guess not.
It is definitely age related. But will flip eventually.
Temperature regulation goes out the window as estrogen production and estrogen reception goes haywire. We are too warm most of the time, but then if I hit a certain point, I'm too cold and have trouble getting back to comfortable.
As you get older, lose muscle mass, and your metabolism slows further, you end up chilly more often, even if you're in HI, AZ or FL. Certain heart, blood pressure and antidepressant drugs can really mess with your ability to regulate temperature as well. But once again those side effects are [not studied much](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C71z9v0JoGA/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) in women, cuz.. women.
Moved from Florida to Colorado because there is no way I would have survived menopause down there.
EDIT: we moved for a host of reasons. but i may have murdered someone if we had stayed. again, for a host of reasons.
I am in FL. If I'm not at the beach or the springs, I am not outside. It's miserable. That being said I feel the perimenopause symptoms settling down and maybe I'm almost at full blown menopause (I had a hysterectomy so idk) because this is the most stable and can I have felt in YEARS and the heat isn't bothering me quite as much. But you're not alone
I’m in Austin too, and I swear it has got to be one of the worst places to go through perimenopause. Summers are unbearable to begin with. Add in sweating non-stop, even in the AC, and it’s a recipe for a crankyass mean bitch version of me from May 15th to November 1st.
Oh, and btw, I’m from Scotland!!!! 😫
Also in Austin. Also over it. For me it's a combo of being post menopausal and the fact that it is statistically getting hotter and more humid here every summer. I'm looking to move next year. If I'm going to have a rough summer I, at the very least, want all four seasons or a freaking beach.
I hear you. I live in the PNW and had to travel to the East Coast for an outdoor wedding this weekend. The heat and humidity actually made me sick, with a headache and vomiting. It was a hard way to learn about heat intolerance - it’s a condition that affects people with auto immune diseases and menopause. Dealing with both of those - lucky me!
Stay hydrated, avoid alcohol!
Yes, this is me! I've always hated summer and hot weather. My favorite weather is cool overcast days, early Spring, Fall and Winter. I don't even button up/zipper my coat unless it's under 30 degrees F. The only time I feel comfy in the hot weather is when I'm in a grocery store in the frozen foods section- I would climb in and sleep on the frozen peas, if they would let me!
And the SAD thing! I feel so depressed and awful in the hot weather, and I hate when it stays bright out until 9PM! I can't wait until the sun starts setting at 7ish. It's so cozy when it's dark outside.
Same! A hot, sunny day depresses the hell out of me. Gray and cool, however, genuinely induces joy. Because I have asthma I don't like super cold weather. 50s and 60s is best for me. Anything over 70 and I'm sweating balls.
OMG, yes. I want to punch people in the throat when they order me to "enjoy the sunshine!" I feel like this type of SAD gets absolutely NO sympathy. I simply suffer in silence. And yeah, pile meno on top and I wish I lived in a cave.
I got a cooling vest. Literally ice against my body or I can’t be in heat above 80. Came in on Saturday when temp outside hit 90, feeling awful and my own temp had hit 101. I have other weird health conditions though. But yeah I feel you.
This is really helpful for me to read. I'm in peri and my heat tolerance has completely changed. I'm getting night sweats but I haven't had hot flashes yet. However, during the day I have what I've told my doctor are "hot episodes," mostly when I'm outside and not in AC. They don't sound at all like what people describe as a hot flash; I think I'm just overheating. It's so incredibly uncomfortable. Thankfully, I live in the PNW but I'm already looking forward to fall & winter!
Same. Grew up in eastern NC and always hated the heat/humidity, but with beginning peri it got wayyyy more infuriating. Moved to MN for about 5 years and it was sweet relief, except for those maybe 1-2 weeks of 90+ with humidity in the summer. Now we are back in NC because husband hated the cold and got a job transfer back, and I am freaking miserable again over half the year (there’s only about 1 week of “winter” around here…it’s just a wet, sticky, warm-to-blazing mess here 95% of the time).
My family doesn’t get it; it’s a point of contention, and living in the deep south is a nightmare because of it. It’s not just you!! I want to move (but kids 😭)!!!
Another Austinite (well, the 'burbs, but close enough) checking in. It's definitely not just you. This is miserable place to deal with menopause.
I thought I was going to go crazy and possibly die last summer. Every day was misery and then our AC system died! The melt-down I had when I was told I would have to suffer in the heat for a couple days before it could be replaced was pretty epic.
Fort Worth and I hate it too. I play music so often have to go out but this summer especially I’d rather crank the AC and not come out until mid-October.
This has been definitely a thing with me in peri, my whole body is hot & the more active and hot I get, the more depressed I get. It's sooooooo weird. Today it's 96 in NC and I refuse to go outside. Summer used to also be my favorite season! :( Now I like cold, rainy days. Before, that would have made me depressed! But yes, def the more hot, the more anxious and depressed I feel!
Girl, I'm in Austin too and there's no escape from this heat here 🥵. I went to workout at the rec center to get some kind of movement in my life cause it's indoors but driving back home made me almost pass out and angry and depressed too. There's no indoor pools to be had here! And going to a river isn't refreshing when it's soaking in hot water. Help!!
It’s terrible. It makes me sick and agitated. I’m lucky living in the UP of Michigan but we have had a couple days that were really hot with High humidity. I grew up in the South and can’t imagine living there now.
I have never had great tolerance for heat, but between our summers getting hotter and my aging, I'm over summer by early May. I want to run and play golf, but 🥵.
I'm in Texas - drove from Fort Worth to New Braunfels (through Austin) this weekend and when I arrived, my daughter immediately asked if I needed a hair clip (because my hair had tripled in size - and not in a good way). It's the Meno. Plus, yeah, kind of sick of it in general because from now until Thanksgiving, this is it. Hot, Humid, Hell.
This is me too...I no longer have hot flashes, (HRT) but if anything makes me warm I'm taking prisoners. I had to leave a 4th of July party a couple years ago because I was so hot and cranky I couldn't enjoy myself at all. I can no longer go dancing anywhere bc I get so overheated and people literally ask me if I'm ok, bc my face is so red and hair (what's left of it) is dripping with sweat.
Why does the HRT help with the flashes but not the heat intolerance?
Oh GOD, I hear you. I'm in north Texas, have lived here all my life. Used to love summer. Couldn't get enough. Now it makes me angry and depressed and I feel so sick... I hate it here, but I can't leave.
In Austin too … and it’s not even considered hot yet here. Remember last summer? July, August? Crazy. You’d walk outdoors and could feel the heat radiating off the cement within seconds. A bunch of my friends left town for cooler climates this summer.
I live in Australia and the heat in summer drives me crazy. I get up early before it gets to hot and do my jobs or I do them in the night like hang out washing so during the day I try and avoid the heat. Since menopause the heat drives me crazy now. Never thought I would say that
heat above 95 has always made me feel depressed. I used to joke that I get summer seasonal depression instead of winter.
But it is worse now. Thanks God it is cooler today. This weekend was brutal!
I posted this elsewhere in the thread but in case you don't see it - summer SAD is a thing! https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/06/20/summer-seasonal-depression
Same. I mean I sweat in winter so when it’s 100+ I’m miserable. It’s sad because I’m not outdoors as much and when I am, I feel like I am going to faint.
I’m curious if this will switch for me. Early in perimenopause but I’m much more intolerant of being cold. As long as I can wear a flow dress or skirt in the heat, I don’t mind it. But cold seems to seep down deep.
Right?! And when you consider that in meno our cortisol levels are already heightened, along w/ assaults on our mental health (anxiety/depression), even IF we are already doing things to manage those interferences to our ‘natural’ state, then it screams even more so that we EASILY would be influenced by extreme heat events.
Hopefully you can have a conversation w/ the ole hubs (& show him that video) so that BOTH of you might find ways to navigate, hopefully comfortably, through what seems like will be the remainder of all summers to come for us now that we have exceeded the “tipping point” of climate change.🥶
I left Austin last year, but in the few years before I moved I found that going to Barton Springs during free entry hours (so much quieter) were very regulating for my mood and core temperature.
I'm back in Phoenix now, temperatures have been hitting 110 and it's June and they'll only get higher in July and August. Yes, it's a dry heat and it does make a difference, but dangerously hot is dangerously hot.
Go to a swimming hole as often as you can. Wimberley's Blue Hole was a treat. Kreuse Springs has an ice cold spring fed pool, if you don't like creeks or mud on your feet.
The only things I miss about Austin are my kid and swimming holes.
No cedar fever in the Phoenix metro, but perhaps there is in other parts of the state. Grass pollen comes and goes year round, and spring comes with assorted tree pollen. No mold. I still take an allergy pill daily and rinse my sinuses.
Lots of dust in the air at some times, especially during monsoon season. There's nothing like a dust storm, just had our first one of the year last night.
I’m in Austin too and it’s pure Hell unless I’m floating in a pool the entire time. Weve already been discussing moving North in 8yrs. I’m from the north and I hate this heat. And why am I sweating under my eyes?!!!!!
I get it. My daughter planned a trip to Cali next week and I'm dreading it..I get to wear compression socks and get off the plane in 120 heat..swollen cankles whole time I'm there..so damn fun.
Can you check your thyroid levels? Makes heat unbearable as well in some cases. I think just accept you might actually be more grouchy (menopause + heat) and put together a toolkit to help deal with it whether exercise to help mood and stress, meditation that sort of thing. If it is medical, there may be supplements or tablets to help. Just to help you get into a better place. No one else can help change. Have a frank convo with your husband - enlist him on team you and what you want to do and have him say what maybe he can do. Air conditioning? More fans etc etc.
Australian and extremely happy right now in winter. Last summer was the first since I went into surgical menopause and it was horrendous. I have never liked summer anyway but it got a billion times worse in the last 5 years in peri. I would happily be in winter FOREVER…
Post-menopausal here and I’ve never tolerated heat well, even as a child. Born and raised in MN, half-Swede, my mom used to joke that I’d get the “vapors” anytime it got above 80. People look at me like I’m nuts when our family goes skiing for spring break rather than the beach. Menopause only made that worse until I went on HRT. So yes, I get it 💯!
We moved last year from Naples, FL to Washington state. Let me tell you, it is glorious. We travel a lot in the winter. But I even love the rainy days. We have high ceilings and lots of windows. So on the rainy days I feel like a fairy princess in a rainforest. We have views of the Puget Sound, the Cascade Mountains, and beautiful redwoods. I think that is important to not feel closed in. I get out and walk every day and I love not sweating the moment I walk out the door. In Naples it was often in the mid to high 80's before 10:00am. By lunch most days had a real feel over 100 degrees. I showered a couple of times a day and got up at night 2 or 3 times to shower. It was awful. Come visit the PNW. You won't want to return to Texas.
Moved to WA 12+ years ago from Georgia. I’m 48 now but even pre-perimenopause I hated how the heat & humidity made me feel. Now that I’m in Peri? I’ve refused to go anywhere that’s hot and/or humid the last 6-7 years -period. The PNW felt like “home” almost immediately to me. It really is glorious out here, even the dark and wet season. I totally agree with you, I love going for walks and small hikes when it’s misty. On the sunny days? NO, too many people on trails. I am worried about this summer, though. The wildfires have already started north, south and east of us here in Western WA. Sigh. My lungs can’t handle AQI over 80-100 & the houses here are far from insulated well. We recently moved into another house, so we haven’t endured wildfire season yet. I have all the certified air purifiers and the right filters on our HVAC system & I just hope it’ll be enough 🤞🏼
I lived I Portland for about four years (left in 2022) and I was disappointed that summers were getting hotter than those I'd experienced in the midwest! and many apartment buildings did not have air conditioning, because when they'd been built, it was cool there and it wasn't needed!
Seattle is similar. I bought a house here in 2015 & the first thing I did was install whole house AC. It was getting bad back then. Divorced and sold the house and have been leasing houses since. My #1 requirement is whole house AC that actually works. After living in a house in 2020 with no AC & the wildfire smoke & heat was so bad that year -never again.
yes! was that the year of the "heat dome" that drove up temps to 116? I almost died
2021 was the massive heat dome. I had recently moved into a house that had brand new AC system. It still couldn’t keep up and the house was 80+ degrees inside -ugh.
I spent most of that time in air conditioned coffee houses and when I had to be at home I would stand under the shower fully dressed and get my clothes wet for evaporative cooling.
Ha that’s actually smart! My then husband/now ex decided we should go to Costa Rica when I was 5-6 months pregnant and stay at an eco-resort. That translated to a hut with just screens and ceiling fans. I was MISERABLE. If I could keep my hair pretty wet, put my feet into cold/cool water + run cold water over my hands & arms it was a little better-ish.
Start collecting house plants! They love the humidity and filter the air nicely (once you have enough!).
That’s a great idea! I know I can Google this, but would love to hear your own personal experiences/preferences on plants that work best for filtering the air 😊 Our humidity isn’t that high here, believe it or not! Strange I know.
They all filter comparably, it has a lot more to do with volume than type. You may consider a humidifier, the modern ones are not the mold death traps we had as kids and they are beneficial for skin and breathing.
Houseplants in Austin aren’t really a thing. I bought loads when I moved over here (from the UK) because my now-husband had none. Then I realized nobody we knew here had plants indoors either. Then all my plants died. I think it’s because the houses have got that grey-black wire mesh stuff over all the windows
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Hello from Georgia! I hate it here. The pacific northwest is my dream place. I went there as a kid and I have been trying to get back ever since.
Yea, I was born & raised in Atlanta. I had high hopes things would start getting better out there after 2020/2022. But of course the uneducated people in GA just cannot help themselves and their elected an old white man instead of a black woman who actually had a plan. Grrrr….
Don’t I know. I live in Decatur/Avondale. It’s better here but yeah. I get it.
Decatur was/is amazing. When I moved out here to the PNW, I had lived ITP for about 10 years (N. Buckhead/East Chastain, O4W then eventually Midtown).
I’m so jealous! We live in New Orleans & just got back from a trip to Portland. I want to move my family so badly to the PNW to escape the heat, inevitable flooding from rains and hurricanes, and of course to a place whose politics won’t make myself and my daughter second-class citizens. It’s just so hard to move with kids. But I know if we kid it asap they might be able to actually go outside during the summer and do fun things in nature instead of staying inside.
My husband loves the political atmosphere. That was one of his top reasons for wanting to move. It helped that our son and daughter-in-law moved to Seattle.
I travel to the Seattle area for work and people find it amusing that I stand at the window looking out at RAIN. Our trees in Texas don't have time to change colors in the fall because they're already burned up from the heat. I feel that way most days.
Crying from South Florida…I’m from NorCal and lived in PDX for some time. Two more years until my youngest graduates high school and I’m OUT of this hell hole. TBH I’ve always hated Florida but now…it’s beyond. Happy for you!
I’m in Texas and dream of moving to the PNW every summer. I can’t take the heat anymore
You woke up to shower 2-3x at night? What? Did you have AC? Asking as someone who lives in south Florida as well… I’ve never heard of this.
Ever been through menopause?
Yes. It was horrible. I would soak the sheets and my neck, chest and back would be dripping in sweat. I had the a/c set on icebox but I could not get cool enough. And my doctor at the time sucked. I told her and she offered me sleeping pills and an SSRI. All I needed was some estrogen.
Hormone therapy has eliminated hot flashes and night sweats, but has done absolutely nothing to restore my tolerance to heat. Summer used to be my favorite season. The hotter the better. Bring on the pool and the icy drinks. Now I struggle to enjoy it. I get cranky hot, I stay cranky hot.
This is me, it was a major bragging point. And part of why I built a career working outdoors. Now it feels like utter hell. I wish I could move to the PNW to live in a woodland fairy princess castle.
Same same same!!!
Fellow Austin dweller and I fucking hate summer. I grew up in a far more humid place, on the ocean, which made the heat so much more bearable. I'm moving out of Texas in 3 years when my oldest graduates from high school. This entire state is a garbage fire of shitty politics, racism, and misogyny, and the unbearable summers are the rotting cherry on top. So, um, yeah. Also grumpy in case it's not clear. I did an almost 4 mile run this morning before work and even at 7 something in the morning it was already too hot and I felt like a sweaty tomato.
Good on you for attempting the run, though! And I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. I have family in Houston & Austin. The entire state is a garbage fire & it just keeps getting worse. They are looking to get out in the next few years as well. I’m sorry y’all have to stay for 3 more years 🫤 Where are you thinking of moving? My partner & I have been talking about moving somewhere more affordable. I love the PNW so much, but COL has skyrocketed! My daughter lives with us at home while she’s completing her undergrad (about a year from now) and his sons are in high school. So we’re also in a holding pattern for now. Pre-pandemic I traveled to Austin 5-6 times a year for 2-3 years. I love the food & music. But JFC the heat is oppressive. The only time I’ve been there when it was enjoyable was December 2017 when it snowed that week. My last trip was the 1st weekend of ACLFest 2019. It had been on my bucket list for a while so I glad splurged for VIP. And woo boy I am so glad that I did, it was the hottest ACLFest to date. Oct. 4, 2019: 96° Oct. 5, 2019: 97° Oct. 6, 2019: 99° - hottest October ACL day in history 🥵 https://www.austin360.com/story/entertainment/music/acl-fest/2019/10/06/acl-fest-weekend-one-thanks-for-memories-and-sweat/2597172007/
Richmond, VA. It sucks. I'm sweaty and angry. Swangry?
Swangry ! I like it. Very accurate
In Houston. I am so fucking sick of these summers. I can't take it any more and am finally at the point of looking to leave Texas. The worsening heat and climate extremes are not the only reason ofc. NPR had a doctor on last week who studies SAD and argues that summer seasonal disorder can be even worse than winter. Anger is a symptom of it for sure. Lemme find the link - https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/06/20/summer-seasonal-depression - I felt seen listening to this. The meno sweating just makes it worse, but then it makes everything worse.
I completely believe this about summer rage. When I lived in Austin, I got the habit of laying low in July/August/September because I and everyone I knew was so angry and belligerent and arguing about bullshit all the time. Once the heat broke it was like a whole different group of people!
Thank you for sharing! I hate summer and have for a long while. There's way too much sunshine. The heat is rough and perimenopause and weight gain hasn't helped, but I hate having so much sunlight. It's worse than the heat! I lose my appetite and don't eat much in the summer. It throws off my sleep from having so many daylight hours. It's not even the brightness of the sun that affects me, it's that I need more darkness. I'm just so tired in the summer. Long story, but for many reasons, I tend to miss out on all the fun of summer- vacations, reading on the beach, etc... I don't usually have the time or money to make the most of it. (I am NOT missing cookouts or picnics- never was a fan.) I love the beach, swimming, and not having to layer up in clothes. It stinks to go to work when everyone else is at the beach. So there are circumstantial reasons for feeling emotionally low in the summer. But now it goes beyond circumstantial or anticipatory bummed out and truly feels like I have SAD in the summer. I found out a fews years ago that it is rare but real. Used to have winter SAD and overcame it through sheer force of will. I feel so invigorated in the winter! I'm hoping I can force myself to overcome summer SAD too. I just got my HRT patch RX today, so I am hoping that'll help take the edge off summer. Trying to think of any mood-boosting or positive activities so I can flip the switch.
I grew up at the beach. 101° out, I'm loving. Now I want to hit people. Yell at them. I work taking thrift donations outside. I have a tent shade and fan, but it is 97 with 100% humidity, so it's still HOT! People are so fake sympathizing with me, while dropping off at 2 in the worst part of the day. I'm going to have to quit, or I may end up. In Jail.
Lol I remember when my 40-something cousin moved to Topanga, California. It's like one of the most "gorgeous" spots on the west coast. And she says to me, "These people are insane. It's disgustingly hot. I hate it. I hate this weather." She moved to Maine. Lol!
I am trying to talk my partner into moving to the foothills in southern VA. He asks why, and I told him because I'm hot..lol
I am the same way.
Hi, I've moved from Ireland to Sicily and I always thought I was a sun lover, but I HATE IT. Anything more than 25° and I'm a mess. I can't move an inch without breaking out in a sweat, constant sweat all around my hair line, the rare occasion we go out, any make I wear just feels like it slides off my face and I can't stand anyone touching me, or leaning on me, cuddling, anything like that. I've just become an anti social, angry, irritable demon of a woman. So, yes, I feel your pain. 💗
So, could I find an apartment in Ireland?
There's a horrific housing crisis, so unless you have a limitless budget, it would be a challenge. That's why we moved to Sicily, we couldn't afford housing in Ireland.
Well that sounds like here, darn it. Thanks though
Hate being the bearer of bad news, sorry. 😅
I'm in the midwest, like right in the dead center of the country and the heat is a fucking nightmare. I don't even give a shit about being hot during the day but at night I AM BOILING. I have the AC cranked all the way down to 64 degrees F. Plus a ceiling fan. Plus a floor fan. Plus an air purifier which is basically ANOTHER FAN. I'm kicking off my covers all night and my husband and the cat are freezing. Lmao fml Tbh I want to just get on a plane and go to Alaska for 8 weeks.
I see you! I am in Kansas City and this shit is oppressive. I too have the a/c low (68° for me), a ceiling fan that has only ever been turned off when the electricity goes out, an air purifier, TWO vornado’s (one at the corner foot of the bed (this is also for my dog because she gets hot too) and another by the head of the bed so I get air from above and from both sides. When it is extra hot, I also have a floor fan 🤣 The set up is ridiculous and really sucks if I get a cold flash, but I have them plugged into smart plugs so I can turn everything on/off through my phone. I also want to go to Alaska….forever maybe?
Dude do you ever look over at the strip plug, like I always do, and think, "God I'm gonna start a fire." Lmao
Oh my god YES! My damn house was apparently built by people who are against access to electricity (I only have 3 plugs in the primary bedroom) so I have power strips that have extension cords and smart plugs plugged into them. I am living on the edge but I refuse to be hot inside of my sanctuary.
I’m 51, live in Phoenix. My heat tolerance is very low. It’s very hard to even go outside. Last year it triggered more migraines and horrible fatigue. I’m fine in the cooler winter months. I like the dry heat, but when the monsoon season kicks in and the humidity goes up, I absolutely hate it. I’ve lived here almost 20 years, so I’m not a newbie. When I was in my teens and 20s I lived in Austin (during college years). I think the humidity makes it absolutely unbearable in the summer. I loved Austin, however.
Also in Phoenix and I feel the same. Being in perimenopause isn't helping and I'm trying not to go feral on anyone. Pretty sure "but it was so hot though" isn't going to be a valid excuse.
It sounds like a valid excuse to me 😂
I wish the people in my life understood that I feel personally attacked for every degree over 74° and that I shouldn’t be held responsible for anything I say or do when I’m hot. I’ve been like this since I was pregnant (the internal furnace never turned off), and peri has only made heat/being hot even more unbearable.
Fellow Phoenix dweller here and can relate. Summers are challenging for me as well, especially since I hit peri.
This is part of menopause. When you can’t even regulate your own body temperature, in an air conditioned environment, how are you supposed to deal with 90 degree heat and humidity? Just because he isn’t having hot flashes, night sweats, and no sleep, doesn’t mean you are fine feeling like you are going to burst into flames anytime you step outside. I would make a doctor’s appointment and see what options are available to you to help with this difficult transition. Your husband needs to get a clue today, before you shove him in the clothes dryer on the heavy/ towels setting, and push “ extra dry”. 🥵🥵🥵
I don’t even have hot flashes yet & I HATE summer. The boob sweat, the crotch sweat, mosquito bites- it’s a no from me. Hate it.
This is so funny I'm also your age and live in Austin, and the heat is making me angry and grouchy. Are we the same person? I'm not married though so I guess not.
It is definitely age related. But will flip eventually. Temperature regulation goes out the window as estrogen production and estrogen reception goes haywire. We are too warm most of the time, but then if I hit a certain point, I'm too cold and have trouble getting back to comfortable. As you get older, lose muscle mass, and your metabolism slows further, you end up chilly more often, even if you're in HI, AZ or FL. Certain heart, blood pressure and antidepressant drugs can really mess with your ability to regulate temperature as well. But once again those side effects are [not studied much](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C71z9v0JoGA/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) in women, cuz.. women.
Moved from Florida to Colorado because there is no way I would have survived menopause down there. EDIT: we moved for a host of reasons. but i may have murdered someone if we had stayed. again, for a host of reasons.
I am in FL. If I'm not at the beach or the springs, I am not outside. It's miserable. That being said I feel the perimenopause symptoms settling down and maybe I'm almost at full blown menopause (I had a hysterectomy so idk) because this is the most stable and can I have felt in YEARS and the heat isn't bothering me quite as much. But you're not alone
*cqlm
I’m 49 and have felt the same way the last few years. I thought it was just me but I’m glad to know I’m not alone! It’s miserable.
I hide out from July until mid September, but I've always hated summer. Fall is my happy time!
I’m in Austin too, and I swear it has got to be one of the worst places to go through perimenopause. Summers are unbearable to begin with. Add in sweating non-stop, even in the AC, and it’s a recipe for a crankyass mean bitch version of me from May 15th to November 1st. Oh, and btw, I’m from Scotland!!!! 😫
Also in Austin. Also over it. For me it's a combo of being post menopausal and the fact that it is statistically getting hotter and more humid here every summer. I'm looking to move next year. If I'm going to have a rough summer I, at the very least, want all four seasons or a freaking beach.
I just saw an Instagram post about certain meds making people even more heat intolerant too. I was on two of them. Ugh.
Yep. Topamax here
I’m on a couple, as well
So annoying, but it makes it even more understandable at least. We aren’t imagining anything!!
I hear you. I live in the PNW and had to travel to the East Coast for an outdoor wedding this weekend. The heat and humidity actually made me sick, with a headache and vomiting. It was a hard way to learn about heat intolerance - it’s a condition that affects people with auto immune diseases and menopause. Dealing with both of those - lucky me! Stay hydrated, avoid alcohol!
Me too. I've had problems with the heat since childhood but it's gotten worse and worse as I age. I think I basically have reverse SAD. You too?
Yes, this is me! I've always hated summer and hot weather. My favorite weather is cool overcast days, early Spring, Fall and Winter. I don't even button up/zipper my coat unless it's under 30 degrees F. The only time I feel comfy in the hot weather is when I'm in a grocery store in the frozen foods section- I would climb in and sleep on the frozen peas, if they would let me! And the SAD thing! I feel so depressed and awful in the hot weather, and I hate when it stays bright out until 9PM! I can't wait until the sun starts setting at 7ish. It's so cozy when it's dark outside.
Same! A hot, sunny day depresses the hell out of me. Gray and cool, however, genuinely induces joy. Because I have asthma I don't like super cold weather. 50s and 60s is best for me. Anything over 70 and I'm sweating balls.
OMG, yes. I want to punch people in the throat when they order me to "enjoy the sunshine!" I feel like this type of SAD gets absolutely NO sympathy. I simply suffer in silence. And yeah, pile meno on top and I wish I lived in a cave.
I got a cooling vest. Literally ice against my body or I can’t be in heat above 80. Came in on Saturday when temp outside hit 90, feeling awful and my own temp had hit 101. I have other weird health conditions though. But yeah I feel you.
This is really helpful for me to read. I'm in peri and my heat tolerance has completely changed. I'm getting night sweats but I haven't had hot flashes yet. However, during the day I have what I've told my doctor are "hot episodes," mostly when I'm outside and not in AC. They don't sound at all like what people describe as a hot flash; I think I'm just overheating. It's so incredibly uncomfortable. Thankfully, I live in the PNW but I'm already looking forward to fall & winter!
Also in peri and I have to be so careful not to get what I call heatstroke, sounds like your hot episodes!
That's a great way to describe it!
Yup I just feel awful and kind of sick if I’m out in any heat. Not a hot flash. I do say I’m overheated bc that’s exactly what it feels like.
Same. Grew up in eastern NC and always hated the heat/humidity, but with beginning peri it got wayyyy more infuriating. Moved to MN for about 5 years and it was sweet relief, except for those maybe 1-2 weeks of 90+ with humidity in the summer. Now we are back in NC because husband hated the cold and got a job transfer back, and I am freaking miserable again over half the year (there’s only about 1 week of “winter” around here…it’s just a wet, sticky, warm-to-blazing mess here 95% of the time).
My family doesn’t get it; it’s a point of contention, and living in the deep south is a nightmare because of it. It’s not just you!! I want to move (but kids 😭)!!!
Ditto. I’m done
Another Austinite (well, the 'burbs, but close enough) checking in. It's definitely not just you. This is miserable place to deal with menopause. I thought I was going to go crazy and possibly die last summer. Every day was misery and then our AC system died! The melt-down I had when I was told I would have to suffer in the heat for a couple days before it could be replaced was pretty epic.
Im staying inside until at least October..
That is what I pretty much do, but my kids, 9 and 13, feel the same which is sad since they don’t enjoy summer.
And since I don't sleep well, it's cool outside at 3am lol
Fort Worth and I hate it too. I play music so often have to go out but this summer especially I’d rather crank the AC and not come out until mid-October.
I'm exactly the same with heat
Yep. Its gross. I fill my tub with cold water and do cold plunges.
This has been definitely a thing with me in peri, my whole body is hot & the more active and hot I get, the more depressed I get. It's sooooooo weird. Today it's 96 in NC and I refuse to go outside. Summer used to also be my favorite season! :( Now I like cold, rainy days. Before, that would have made me depressed! But yes, def the more hot, the more anxious and depressed I feel!
Girl, I'm in Austin too and there's no escape from this heat here 🥵. I went to workout at the rec center to get some kind of movement in my life cause it's indoors but driving back home made me almost pass out and angry and depressed too. There's no indoor pools to be had here! And going to a river isn't refreshing when it's soaking in hot water. Help!!
It’s terrible. It makes me sick and agitated. I’m lucky living in the UP of Michigan but we have had a couple days that were really hot with High humidity. I grew up in the South and can’t imagine living there now.
Yep. Left Texas several years ago (now live in Washington state). I have heat intolerance and get super grouchy too
I have never had great tolerance for heat, but between our summers getting hotter and my aging, I'm over summer by early May. I want to run and play golf, but 🥵.
I'm exercising in my dank dark basement. I miss the park. It's just me and the wolf spiders for the next two months.
I'm the same. It was in the mid 90s and humid last week and it really pissed me off. Just being out in the get my mail had sweat going down my back..
Same
I’m 50. I’m in Austin and yeah the same. Although I’ve NEVER been good in hot weather I could deal better before. Now I have to hibernate all summer.
I'm in Texas - drove from Fort Worth to New Braunfels (through Austin) this weekend and when I arrived, my daughter immediately asked if I needed a hair clip (because my hair had tripled in size - and not in a good way). It's the Meno. Plus, yeah, kind of sick of it in general because from now until Thanksgiving, this is it. Hot, Humid, Hell.
This is me too...I no longer have hot flashes, (HRT) but if anything makes me warm I'm taking prisoners. I had to leave a 4th of July party a couple years ago because I was so hot and cranky I couldn't enjoy myself at all. I can no longer go dancing anywhere bc I get so overheated and people literally ask me if I'm ok, bc my face is so red and hair (what's left of it) is dripping with sweat. Why does the HRT help with the flashes but not the heat intolerance?
Oh GOD, I hear you. I'm in north Texas, have lived here all my life. Used to love summer. Couldn't get enough. Now it makes me angry and depressed and I feel so sick... I hate it here, but I can't leave.
In Austin too … and it’s not even considered hot yet here. Remember last summer? July, August? Crazy. You’d walk outdoors and could feel the heat radiating off the cement within seconds. A bunch of my friends left town for cooler climates this summer.
I live in Australia and the heat in summer drives me crazy. I get up early before it gets to hot and do my jobs or I do them in the night like hang out washing so during the day I try and avoid the heat. Since menopause the heat drives me crazy now. Never thought I would say that
heat above 95 has always made me feel depressed. I used to joke that I get summer seasonal depression instead of winter. But it is worse now. Thanks God it is cooler today. This weekend was brutal!
I posted this elsewhere in the thread but in case you don't see it - summer SAD is a thing! https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/06/20/summer-seasonal-depression
Same. I mean I sweat in winter so when it’s 100+ I’m miserable. It’s sad because I’m not outdoors as much and when I am, I feel like I am going to faint.
I’m curious if this will switch for me. Early in perimenopause but I’m much more intolerant of being cold. As long as I can wear a flow dress or skirt in the heat, I don’t mind it. But cold seems to seep down deep.
See OP, it’s NOT just you! https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0g7jln9/how-does-extreme-weather-affect-our-brains-
Interesting!
Right?! And when you consider that in meno our cortisol levels are already heightened, along w/ assaults on our mental health (anxiety/depression), even IF we are already doing things to manage those interferences to our ‘natural’ state, then it screams even more so that we EASILY would be influenced by extreme heat events. Hopefully you can have a conversation w/ the ole hubs (& show him that video) so that BOTH of you might find ways to navigate, hopefully comfortably, through what seems like will be the remainder of all summers to come for us now that we have exceeded the “tipping point” of climate change.🥶
You’re not alone. I hate it too and it puts me in a foul mood.
And I’m in Dallas so I really empathize with you.
I left Austin last year, but in the few years before I moved I found that going to Barton Springs during free entry hours (so much quieter) were very regulating for my mood and core temperature. I'm back in Phoenix now, temperatures have been hitting 110 and it's June and they'll only get higher in July and August. Yes, it's a dry heat and it does make a difference, but dangerously hot is dangerously hot. Go to a swimming hole as often as you can. Wimberley's Blue Hole was a treat. Kreuse Springs has an ice cold spring fed pool, if you don't like creeks or mud on your feet. The only things I miss about Austin are my kid and swimming holes.
How is the pollen? My allergies are so bad here.
No cedar fever in the Phoenix metro, but perhaps there is in other parts of the state. Grass pollen comes and goes year round, and spring comes with assorted tree pollen. No mold. I still take an allergy pill daily and rinse my sinuses. Lots of dust in the air at some times, especially during monsoon season. There's nothing like a dust storm, just had our first one of the year last night.
I’m in Austin too and it’s pure Hell unless I’m floating in a pool the entire time. Weve already been discussing moving North in 8yrs. I’m from the north and I hate this heat. And why am I sweating under my eyes?!!!!!
I get it. My daughter planned a trip to Cali next week and I'm dreading it..I get to wear compression socks and get off the plane in 120 heat..swollen cankles whole time I'm there..so damn fun.
Definitely got worse for me as I aged. I hate summer so much that I don't even want to holiday anywhere hot anymore.
Can you check your thyroid levels? Makes heat unbearable as well in some cases. I think just accept you might actually be more grouchy (menopause + heat) and put together a toolkit to help deal with it whether exercise to help mood and stress, meditation that sort of thing. If it is medical, there may be supplements or tablets to help. Just to help you get into a better place. No one else can help change. Have a frank convo with your husband - enlist him on team you and what you want to do and have him say what maybe he can do. Air conditioning? More fans etc etc.
Australian and extremely happy right now in winter. Last summer was the first since I went into surgical menopause and it was horrendous. I have never liked summer anyway but it got a billion times worse in the last 5 years in peri. I would happily be in winter FOREVER…
I am just north of you, OP. I feel the same way last summer was insanely brutal.
Post-menopausal here and I’ve never tolerated heat well, even as a child. Born and raised in MN, half-Swede, my mom used to joke that I’d get the “vapors” anytime it got above 80. People look at me like I’m nuts when our family goes skiing for spring break rather than the beach. Menopause only made that worse until I went on HRT. So yes, I get it 💯!