hannah gelbart is the podcast�*s lead presenter and shejoins us now.he connections are between extreme heat and mental health? there is a lot of anecdotal evidence about how your mood changes when it gets extremely hot. people talk about their blood boiling, needing to let off steam, being hot tempered. science backs this up and shows a correlation between higher temperatures and worse outcomes for mental health. a study has shown suicide rates rise by 2% when there is a one degree rise in average monthly temperatures. other studies show a significant increase in mood disorders, anxiety and depression. what is the science behind this? a lot is to do with lack of sleep because when it is hot and if you don't have air conditioning you might not sleep as well. if tiredness builds up over weeks, it may lead to a lack of focus, memory loss or irritability. heat can affect neurotransmitters in the brain, serotonin and dopamine which can control your mood. this can lead to changes in behaviour. it makes us irritable, can lead to making worse judgments, and we