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Exactly. We happen to be endotherms, so for the vast majority the most comfortable ambient temperature will be quite a bit lower than our body temperature.
Yes but the amount of heat we generate varies widely and depends a lot on the person and the amount of activity. It can be as low as around 40 watts while lying down or sitting still - which is approx equal a low power incandescent light bulb (like the one in your fridge probably) or maybe your cable box - to near 500 watts during strenuous exercise - which is perhaps slightly less than a vacuum cleaner.
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Anyway for me about 30C would be the threshold between "very warm" and "hot". Above this temperature I'd start to get uncomfortable even in the shade (assuming moderate humidity and a slight breeze).
To me those criteria are met at 80-90F, so maybe you're onto something.
Hmm... Now I'm getting a better picture of your actual heat tolerance.
My heat tolerance varies, but is roughly 5-15 F higher than yours,
but that's less of a difference than one might expect given our prefered temperature range...
Especially considering that at my most unacclimated to heat, we're nearly the same for heat tolerance.
Well I'm from Canada.
I'm used to when people say it's "cold", there's a reason for it,
and most people usually have to do something about it, to stay comfortable or healthy.
As a child, in dry calm conditions I considered 45 F/7 C as the threshold between "cold" and "not cold."
I think it's strange that people think nothing of adjusting their habits for cold,
but make a bigger deal about temps high enough they need to rehydrate more.
By the same token,
I would also say "real cold" begins at a temp when someone still needs a coat while standing in the sunshine.
Where I'm from, death is a very real possibility to ignoring the air temperature for at least 30 of our coldest days.
Sometimes I just like to use the term "cold" for un-ignorable-chill, which can be warmer than my (sun + air = coat) equation
Hmm... Now I'm getting a better picture of your actual heat tolerance.
My heat tolerance varies, but is roughly 5-15 F higher than yours,
but that's less of a difference than one might expect given our prefered temperature range...
Especially considering that at my most unacclimated to heat, we're nearly the same for heat tolerance.
You are really hard to understand;
One day you feel "cool" during an overcast Townsville summer day,
the next you're "nearly the same" for heat tolerance as the entire forum's most hardcore heat hater
Please explain
As for heat tolerance, I firmly believe that wind and humidity are essential factors, not only the temperature.
For some reason, and as opposed to many people, I feel like humid heat is easier to tolerante than dry heat. I've felt more hot during some 28°C sunny, calm, and dry days in Nice than during windy and cloudy 32°C days in Singapore (or even the 35°C day we had in Nice this July, which was really windy). Breeze is an important factor when it comes to heat/warmth, just as it is for cold with all the wind chill stuff.
Yes but the amount of heat we generate varies widely and depends a lot on the person and the amount of activity. It can be as low as around 40 watts while lying down or sitting still - which is approx equal a low power incandescent light bulb (like the one in your fridge probably) or maybe your cable box - to near 500 watts during strenuous exercise - which is perhaps slightly less than a vacuum cleaner.
Very true, but we still do happen to be endotherms, which is why 98F is the hot end of temperature preferences, rather than the median. I've made the same point regarding diversity before.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColdCanadian
Hmm... Now I'm getting a better picture of your actual heat tolerance.
Eh, that post doesn't give that good of an idea, but it's a start. 80's and sunshine are stressful on me and require rest and rehydration. 80F, especially a dry one, isn't intolerable (in contrast with 89F) but it is definitely hot as far as my reaction to it goes. That's what could be called the difference between "ordinary heat" and "sickening heat". Both are uncomfortable but they are still quite distinct.
Quote:
I think it's strange that people think nothing of adjusting their habits for cold,
but make a bigger deal about temps high enough they need to rehydrate more.
I usually need to hydrate more often when it's above 75F, and sometimes that is all I need to do (if it's 75F with low humidity and I'm in the shade most of the time (like during sunrise/sunset-type shadow patterns)). In that event I don't think much of it. It's the sweating and nausea that I complain about. If drinking water every so often is all I had to do then I'd be a happy camper.
Quote:
By the same token,
I would also say "real cold" begins at a temp when someone still needs a coat while standing in the sunshine.
"Real cold" would be a stretch, but using that delineation for just plain "cold" has a certain logic to it. It also varies from person to person. For me sometimes 20F/sunshine is hotter than the threshold where I can tolerate having a coat on, let alone requiring it. On the other hand, for some tropical denizens around 60F would be the threshold.
"Real cold" would be a stretch, but using that delineation for just plain "cold" has a certain logic to it. It also varies from person to person. For me sometimes 20F/sunshine is hotter than the threshold where I can tolerate having a coat on, let alone requiring it. On the other hand, for some tropical denizens around 60F would be the threshold.
I've seen people put on layers of jackets in upper 60s in India!
As for heat tolerance, I firmly believe that wind and humidity are essential factors, not only the temperature.
For some reason, and as opposed to many people, I feel like humid heat is easier to tolerante than dry heat. I've felt more hot during some 28°C sunny, calm, and dry days in Nice than during windy and cloudy 32°C days in Singapore (or even the 35°C day we had in Nice this July, which was really windy). Breeze is an important factor when it comes to heat/warmth, just as it is for cold with all the wind chill stuff.
True. One day last week it was a dry and breezy 89 F and I actually felt fine most of the day. Such a temperature with high humidity and no breeze would be miserable for me. Now if it's humid, but still breezy, then I won't mind the humidity as much. Wind does make a significant difference.
Some people's bodies can acclimate to feel optimum when the temperature is above 85 F/ 30 C.
I can do that during periods of extreme heat. I've felt slightly chilled at 84 F/29 C before.
Telling them that they are overdressing themselves is the same as telling an Indian:
Quote:
"...They shouldn't be fine when the air is 36 C/97 F, why are you pretending to be happy? You must truly be suffering..."
When you consider that a lot of the country is poor and can have several weeks where every afternoon is 39+ C/103+ F
it makes sense to me that many of India's inhabitants adjust to the extreme temps.
I've heard stories of missionaries from Australia in India who drive a van to take kids to school.
Too poor to have air-conditioning the missionaries try to leave the windows open as they drive
as they cannot leave the windows closed when they park their van.
Some of their Indian co-workers close up the van's windows as they are driving!
When it was 41 C/105 F in Western Australia,
I felt perfectly comfortable in the shade with a slight breeze.
Just as comfortable as I would on a 26 C/78 F day in Spring or a 31 C/89 F day at the start of summer.
I've seen people put on layers of jackets in upper 60s in India!
In Thailand I hear some people put on coats and light fires in their front yards to keep warm when it drops to 25 C/77 F.
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