In order to deal with the heat, people with MS have to quickly become experts at keeping cool. So, for this 'Ask the Expert' feature, we decided to ask the real experts on how to keep cool during the summer months – you! Here are some tips from your fellow MSers.
Long, sun-filled days and muggy nights mean summer is well and truly upon us. It may be the highlight of the year for some, but for people with MS summer is not always such a welcome arrival. Rising temperatures can cause MS symptoms to worsen – in the heat, fatigue can become overbearing, the ability to think clearly may be lost and movement and coordination may become more difficult.
It's thought that heat sensitivity (also known as Uhthoff's phenomenon) can happen for a number of reasons in MS.
Firstly, when your body temperature increases it can affect the speed at which messages travel along nerves that have previously been damaged by MS. The messages travel along the nerve more slowly, and are sometimes even blocked completely, when you get too hot. This results in a noticeable worsening of your MS symptoms.
Heat sensitivity can also be caused by MS lesions in areas of the brain that control and regulate your body temperature. This can hinder your body's response to increased temperatures. For instance the message telling your body to produce sweat might not get through properly.
If you are sensitive to the heat, you should notice your MS symptoms subside once you've cooled down.