Why Spending a Day at the Beach Makes You Feel So Tired and What Science Says About It
The rhythm of life slows down when you visit a beach. A stunning contrast of burning Sun and cool breeze sweeps away the thoughts in your head and induces you into a state of meditative tranquillity. However, while you remain immersed in this serene experience, the notorious Sun peering from the sky slowly pumps away your energy, and even before you realize it, your body needs a power nap. In conversation with Popular Science, expert Craig Crandall explains why this happens and what you should do to combat this “beach fatigue.”
“Humans need to be able to regulate their body temperature. If we didn’t, we would be lizards,” Crandall, who is a physiologist and professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said. He added that the internal temperature of the body should ideally stay close to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. So while you’re lounging on a deck chair, with or without an umbrella, your body is constantly working to maintain its temperature balance as the contrasting forces of heat and cold crash against it, attempting to trigger a dance of the extremes.
Staying cool is exhausting
At higher temperatures, the body tends to consume more and more oxygen than when the temperature is low. As a result, the copious explosion of oxygen inside the body causes the cells to exert more force. The process ends up eating a lot of energy, leaving the person fatigued, and maybe completely zonked out. This also takes a considerable investment of your body's energy.
It could affect your heart, too
Chilling out on a sun lounger under the scorching gaze of the Sun can even mess with your heart, apart from the cellular effort-taking. Since your body is constantly trying to regulate its temperature and cool itself down, the blood inside the body constantly rushes towards the boundary of the skin to expel the heat into the air outside. While the blood rushes towards the skin, the heart has to work extra hard to pump it into the circulatory system for the body’s essential functions. You may suddenly notice your heart racing. The science is called “vasodilation.”
Primary care physician Doctor Matthew Badgett added to the Cleveland Clinic that the droplets of sweat oozing from the skin due to the influx of blood also contribute to the increase in heart rate. It may also make you blush red. “Your heart rate and metabolic rate go up when you sweat,” he said.
Don’t forget to hydrate
The glaring Sun hovers above your beach umbrellas, causing zillions of sweaty beads, also draining your body of the vital fluids, salts, and minerals through evaporation. This calls for you to set an alarm and not forget your good old friend, a.k.a. hydration. Make sure that you are putting plenty of water in your body.
According to a report by NIH, dehydration, whether induced by exercise or a beach visit, can have “negative effects on vigor, esteem-related affect, short-term memory, and attention.” Although mild dehydration doesn’t impact the body too much, severe dehydration can seriously impair cognitive functioning, sometimes even driving the person into the hospital, per a study published in Proceedings. Consider electrolyte-infused water or fruit-infused summer drinks.
Body’s programmed response
Sometimes, the culprit is not the Sun, but your own body. While you stroll on the powdery, baked sands of a beach, the rhythms of your body could automatically cause it to become overfatigued, often inducing drowsiness and sleepiness. The best thing in this case is, “Just take a good nap,” Crandall suggests.
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