Will I ever adjust to the weather?

[jaywalker]

Hard to believe that someone would move/retire to another country and then constantly whine about the weather....moaning seems to be hard-wired into some people! Thai weather is absolutely perfect and a blessing! Combo of northeast-southwest monsoons is a dream, as is the occasional tropical squall.

Anyhow, best way to adapt for a newbe is to do exercise (if able) in a non-aircon environment during the day, use a ceiling fan when at home, and aircon only for sleeping at night....of course if you cannot exercise for medical reasons, consult a doctor first...

The Original Poster (the guy that started this topic) never whined at all.

He asked a simple question....Will he ever get used to it?

Not sure which part of that you missed.

How you can connect that with "move/retire to another country and then constantly whine about the weather....moaning seems to be hard-wired into some people!" is beyond me.

[seancbk]

I was born in Libya and grew up in the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Even after 35 years living in HK and 7 living in BKK, I still use the AC all night and for a large part of the day.

I can't stand feeling even slightly sweaty.

In HK my parents had dehumidifiers to take the humidity out of the air, I should probably invest in one or two of those here.

For the record I'm 185 cm (6' 1") and weigh 74.4 kgs.

In short, even if you live your whole life in high humidity you never get used to it.

[duanebigsby]

Whenever I find Thailand too hot, I reflect on Edmonton and Regina winters, -45 degrees for weeks on end.

[Loptr]

If you want to acclimate to the weather, you need to get out in it... Find an activity that gets you outside for extended periods of time... Play golf, go cycling, go hiking, go to the pool, just get outside... I enjoy the heat and after some of the places I've lived, northern Thailand is not hot to me... I do admit to using aircon in the evenings, but just to knock the edge off the humidity in the house...

[nikmar]

praise yourself lucky that you don't have a wife, that sets ac at 22 °C and then ... COVERS up the whole body with a european style WINTER BLANKET and leave it on, all night

you should see our elec bill, costing more than our part time maid

When I went away for the week with my family once, my (lovely, lovely) Thai Mum stayed to take care of our house. When we came back we found the AC in our bedroom set at 19 and the windows open.

That months bill was an eye opener!!

[thehelmsman]

Only have AC in 1 bedroom, the day is spent outdoors. People in the village know which house has the best air flow and that's where the ladies hang out with the babies. It gets old constantly sweating. Go to the mall or sometimes we take the kids into town to the swimming pool.

[avander]

We came from Sydney and been here now just over 2 years. I've acclimatized a little but spend most of the time in A/C. At home/work mostly set at 26c and quite comfortable although I do get a little warm at night even though I put it down a notch to 25c. We use fans everywhere too but one of the kids fans broke and we gave them the one from our bedroom.

I find the heat not too bad and while I welcome and enjoy the rains, like others, I find the high humidity quite uncomfortable.

I agree with others who say they don't think they will ever acclimatize. We're near the coast and can't move to cooler locales due to our business.

[Kerryd]

I've been trying to adjust for quite some time but I think it'll take years. I also think that (evolutionary) biology has something to do with it as well. My heritage is from cold climates (Northern Canada) and I can handle the cold (or used to be able to) fairly easily but adjusting to the heat (for me) has proven difficult. But it's a hardship I'm willing to endure as I do also recall being absolutely miserable in the cold far too many times as well (mostly while I was still in the army).

Contrast that with, for example, the Thais that installed a roof over my patio a couple weeks ago. I'm outside 10 minutes and my shirt is soaked in sweat. These guys were out there for hours and hours and not a drop of sweat anywhere. (Same thing in Afghanistan - usually so arid that if you were just sitting around in the 40+ weather it didn't look like you were sweating at all. Once you started being active though the sweat would flow like rivers. But not so for the locals. They'd be out in the hot sun all day and (seemingly) never show signs of sweating at all. I'll bet if you stuck them up in Northern Canada during the winter they'd probably turn into Afghani-cicles in no time. Remember the problems not long ago in parts of Thailand when the temperatures dipped near freezing and people were dying. That was normal Fall weather in Canada - a time when people are reluctant to start wearing long pants and a fleece or wind breaker.

I run one air-con at night (set to 24) in the bedroom during the hottest months. During the winter I try to get by just using the overhead fan though occasionally I'll use the air-con (set at 28) for a couple hours in the evening before going to sleep. Part of my problem is my spare bedroom is my "man cave" where not only do I spend a lot of my time, but it's where all my computers are running and they pump out a lot of heat. Even with the overhead fan and a large fan by one of the windows, the temperature inside that room is often 3-4 degrees hotter than outside in the shade (according to my different thermometers). I found that when the temperature (naturally or artificially) is around 30 or less, it's not a problem. When it starts creeping up to the mid-30s is when I notice I'm sweating a lot.

Shower often (get used to not turning on the heater), wear light-coloured clothing (preferably breathable cottons as someone else mentioned, to help wick away the perspiration), lots of water. A little exercise will do more good than harm. The body can handle a lot of different situations if it is fit and rested. I don't worry about my diet too much, but keep in mind that moderation is the key. Too much of a "good" thing is not always good for you !

I am healthy in shape lean.. (high bmi but muscles) (BMI is a useless tool).

We LoL'd hard at the "BMI" when it first became a "thing" back in the 80's while I was station in Germany. Like many tests, it seems it had been developed using college kids as their "baseline" indicators and didn't take into account anything other than your body mass.

In the military we were told if we failed the "BMI" we would have to have a consultation with the Medical Officer and then have 6 months to "remedy" the situation. Needless to say, a lot of our guys were muscle maniacs (a few on 'roids as well as they could apparently get them over the counter in France). Some of the guys were told to lose over 20kgs and they didn't (literally) have an ounce of fat on them ! Some were power lifters, some were bodybuilders. One guy asked which arm the Doc figured he should cut off because that was about the only way he was going to lose 20(+) kgs in 6 months. (That guy actually ended up having muscle cut out of his calves because every time they flexed, like when going up stairs, his skin would start to split.)

(The doctors didn't want to give anyone exemptions because then they'd have to explain each one, in detail, to our National HQ and that would have been a lot of paperwork just for our battalion alone.)

The other problem was, BMI wasn't an indicator of actual fitness. I was in an anti-tank unit. In addition to our normal gear (helmet, webbing with ammo/water/gas mask, etc and weapon) we also had to carry over 25kgs of the various parts of a TOW missile system and hump that over hill and dale quite often on training exercises. A lot of our guys had a hard time passing the BMI but no problem at all doing their jobs.

I could pass the BMI (barely, I was a skinny runt back then and needed to actually add weight as I was on the low side of the Index) but I could also throw 30+ kgs on my back and do a 13km march (in combat boots) in <2 hours (and then do a 16km march the next day with just the weapon, webbing and helmet - but we had an extra 15 minutes !). That was also back in the day when I could crack off 18 proper, full arm chin-ups (not those little "elbow twitches" some guys do).

I think BMI has gone the way of the dodo bird (in the Canadian military at least). They've come up with new ways to determine fitness now (again, using 18-22 college kids as the baseline). Just as well as I'd probably fail (on the high side of the index these days) but at least I can still pick the Harley up from the ground if need be !

[wicketkeeper]

I would rather sweat than shiver any day.

[robertson468]

Samui is currently 33C and yes it is hot and humid. Have I acclimatized? To a degree yes, but never like the Thai people who were born here and seem to have a more efficient cooling system. My Thai Wife seems to have cool hands and "glows" much less than I do, unless she has just finished exercising. But there again, when we were in UK she seemed to feel the cold more than I did, but also got sunburned (bless her) when we went to the beach, which I presumed was because of the lower humidity level and clearer weather. I am 5'6" and weigh 58 kilo, exercise nearly every day and eat loads of fruit. I don't sit around with the aircon on, but do have the fan going on a rotating back and fro mode. Do I sweat, you bet I do, but I much prefer that to freezing in the good old UK for seven months plus each year and "people watching" here is much more interesting.

[lucifer666]

After 3 years, I can now tolerate the weather, without need in either a fan or aircon.

[peterb17]

A tricky one- I think you do get used to the heat, friends from home can whinge about the weather and heat when they visit and we are eating outside. My philosophy to just relax- yes it's warm- there is not much you can do about it.

Maybe it is also where you live- could not cope with Bangkok ( even with my relax philosophy) a sea breeze makes a huge difference .

I hate to say run air cons 24 hrs indoors at 25 - much more pleasant - bill is horrendous .

To the post that there is some sort of biochemical evolution going on- not sure about that- we all have exactly the same inner core temperature. The body can adapt with different shapes , biochemically we are the same- a slight change in temperature can be lethal . One of the reasons that Homo sapiens has become so successful is that the species can use its intelligence to survive in very hostile environments- hence air con!

[phitsanulokjohn]

I ask myself that same question every time whenever i have to return to the cold, wet and depressing weather of the UK even if it's for a short while.I never moan about the weather here even in April.When i feel myself getting too hot i just spend my days in the shade at my local waterfall and think of my freezing bones being in the UK.Soon puts things into perspective.

[sawadee1947]

well, here in CM we have some seasons. From March to September very hot (for me too much), with temps between 30-45 centigrades. And then the best time from October to February with temps between 20-35 centigrades (all day time)

But even now I'm sweating and sports as Tennis are simply not possible. Also biking is sometimes not funny. Hiking? Don't mention. Golf? Very very early or very late afternoon.

So I feel a bit reduced and feel sometimes home sick. Missing brisk weather and temps around Zero.

But it is my choice. If I would not be happy I take the flight back to my Green Island.

[HalfSquat]

After about five years I've gotten more used to but still not comfortable.

There is a process you can go through to get acclimatized, which is what the military use before sending troops to places like Iraq.

It takes about two weeks and involves a lot of running around in the heat. Your body then changes how much plasma is in the blood, helping you to keep cooler when its hot.

There are some links here if you are interested:

http://sportsplusbayarea.com/if-you-cant-take-the-heat-acclimate-yourself/

http://www.tradoc.army.mil/surgeon/Pdf/HeatAcclimatizationGuide1.pdf

Good luck!

[Makhao]

I cannot agree with many of the postings here. I lived 5 years mostly in Samui direct on the beach (meaning its hot with high humidity), having all windows open, but using the aircon only, when I was sick. After the years I was getting more and more used to it and feel very good. Now I went home to europe for some month and even in summer had to start the heater to get at least 24 degree in the room, otherwise it would be too cold for me. Now I am back on the beach and happy to have it warm. I was fine 3 days after arriving already, so I am still used to the warm weather.

It looks like, some ppl like me get used to it after many years, but also get problems at the home country, because the body isn't used to the cold weather any more. There is always two sides of the story :-)

[Stevemercer]

I don't think I will ever get used to the humidity, but you adapt. My biggest problem is trying to avoid sunburn/skin ageing when I'm outside. I do a bit of cycling for exercise and have a bit of land to work on. This means I might be outside for 4 - 6 hours on any one day.

Of course, I try to plan to do everything outside early in the morning or in the evening. I wear long sleeved cotton and a wide-brimmed hat. I wear gloves to protect the back of my hands. I've normally soaked through my clothes within half an hour, and rest every hour. I go through 3 or 4 shirts a day. I use a lot of sun cream for protected skin.

I use a fan in the house if I'm reading or working on the computer. We have western style bathrooms with extraction fans and a wall mounted fan directed at the toilet. I hate the typical Thai set-up where the bathroom floor is always wet and going to the toilet is a sweaty ordeal. This way the floor is always dry, the humidity is kept down and there's a refreshing breeze when you're on the toilet or get out of the shower.

I can sleep OK, with the ceiling fan on, if the temperature is below 31 degrees. If it is above, I turn on the AC. My Thai wife is able to tolerate the heat/humidity better, but likes her comforts. She'll often want the AC on when I think it not necessary.

[slerickson]

We don't use a/c but do use fans in every room. I've noticed the heat seems more unbearable when I'm in any city, especially Bangkok. Here in the country near Chiangmai Mai it's not so bad as we are shaded by trees and not much blacktop or cement.

[northernphil]

I've been hot, and I've been cold.

Hot is better.

Totally agree. 2 things I hated in England were the cold and getting out of bed in the mornings. Before coming here for 10 years I was a window cleaner. Some days in January ice would form in the bucket of water > Imagine getting up on a Monday morning after a cold night and scraping the frost of the car before heading out. Misery. Now I am never cold and I don't get up until I want too unles I have a journey to make. Hot is uncomfortable ,cold is a misery.

[peterb17]

After about five years I've gotten more used to but still not comfortable.

There is a process you can go through to get acclimatized, which is what the military use before sending troops to places like Iraq.

It takes about two weeks and involves a lot of running around in the heat. Your body then changes how much plasma is in the blood, helping you to keep cooler when its hot.

There are some links here if you are interested:

http://sportsplusbayarea.com/if-you-cant-take-the-heat-acclimate-yourself/

http://www.tradoc.army.mil/surgeon/Pdf/HeatAcclimatizationGuide1.pdf

Good luck!

Was interested- as a biologist- the first link seemed to want some security pass!

Am interested- the amount of plasma in the blood indiicates that you have ( per volume ) less blood cells or more blood cells ( + various proteins and other factors)

To be honest this sounds like scientific mumbo jumbo

The concentration of water in the blood changes the water potential of the blood ( measured in KPa ) - any significant change can be very dangerous.

The reality is where ever we come from in the world- human physiological biochemical processes are exactly the same .

I think you just get used to the heat and do not let it bother you- it's more psychological than physiological.

[stereolab]

I never use AC and my BMI is a little over 21. 1.5 years in I thought my body would adjust more but it hasn't seemed to at all.

My BMI is just under 30. I have the aircon on all the time, set to 27 degrees, which is just right to take the excess humidity out of the air (the humidity is what I dont like, not the temperature).

I'm as comfortable and as happy as a pig in sh*t.

Will I die some horrible and unnatural death at an early age? Quite probably, but I will be comfortable until then.

The other option is to exercise like mad, eat nothing, sweat all the time and maybe live an extra 10 years in discomfort and misery. Nuts to that.

After 4 years I am currently finding the high humidity s problem,the heat I can take OK. I work outside a lot, mainly to keep fit and give me a daily purpose. My BMI is 18. Strangely, the first 3 years seemed easier. I come from Scotland, I have had it with severe winters, ice and snow, here is much better.

[Balance]

I settled in Chiang Mai 4 years ago. It took me a year to stop sweating like a pig, but I know farang men that have been here for 10-15 years and have never stopped. I lost 10 kilos during the first year due to an 80% Thai diet (no beef, cheese, bread, maybe one beer a week) and a lovely wife who is an excellent cook. Began swimming the second year and got serious about my yoga practice, which I had stopped doing. Lost another 8 kilos and gain a lot of strength back. Oh, I'm 71. I go back to Los Angeles once a year to get a physical and check in with my cardiologist (though the ticker is in pretty good shape) and remind myself that I like it better here.

My wife uses AC a lot and we used to fight about it as I do not like it that much (as long as I am not sweating, I am fine regardless of the temperature. We reached a compromise. I did discover that there is a recessive gene seen in S.E. Asian populations that prevents them from sweating and since sweating is the main way the body regulates core temperature it can be a problem.

Personally, I would use AC if I were in your shoes. There is no reason to be miserable. You can set the controls for 26 on the Dry mode and take a lot of moisture out of the air.

[farangmick]

Been here for seven years now, smack in the middle of the country in the south of Phetchabun. Air con only in the bedrooms. Spend most of my time outside, since I smoke. Heat has nether bothered me, but high humidity can get annoying. It is my wife who struggles. During the hot season, she will be in the bedroom with air on playing on her tablet. When I came here, I tried to do jobs at the same pace as I would have in England. 30 minutes, then knackered. Now I can't get around too well, so we have gardeners. They get through far more work than I did, moving at a steady pace they can keep up all day.

Go slow and steady, protect yourself from the sun, and you will be fine.

My one luxury is having the air at 25 degrees in the bedrooms so I can snuggle under a cover.

Bonus. If you are hot and sticky, the first ice cold beer tastes even better.

[peterb17]

I don't think I will ever get used to the humidity, but you adapt. My biggest problem is trying to avoid sunburn/skin ageing when I'm outside. I do a bit of cycling for exercise and have a bit of land to work on. This means I might be outside for 4 - 6 hours on any one day.

Of course, I try to plan to do everything outside early in the morning or in the evening. I wear long sleeved cotton and a wide-brimmed hat. I wear gloves to protect the back of my hands. I've normally soaked through my clothes within half an hour, and rest every hour. I go through 3 or 4 shirts a day. I use a lot of sun cream for protected skin.

I use a fan in the house if I'm reading or working on the computer. We have western style bathrooms with extraction fans and a wall mounted fan directed at the toilet. I hate the typical Thai set-up where the bathroom floor is always wet and going to the toilet is a sweaty ordeal. This way the floor is always dry, the humidity is kept down and there's a refreshing breeze when you're on the toilet or get out of the shower.

I can sleep OK, with the ceiling fan on, if the temperature is below 31 degrees. If it is above, I turn on the AC. My Thai wife is able to tolerate the heat/humidity better, but likes her comforts. She'll often want the AC on when I think it not necessary.

You are an exception- I have posted a load of times on the dangers of the sun- today saw about ten guys - on motorbikes- no shirts ( do live in Chav city)

Skin cancers kill thousands - so brilliant you make an effort . A wonderful tan is not worth it - much better to be pale and interesting.

My Thai friends who come to stay will sometimes rack down the air con- their bedroom was on 18C - was freezing .

[nithisa78]

Sir, Peace. Try to stop paying attention to it.

When the Mrs has to return to Thailand to manage our empire. That's what I advise her and she says its helpful.

La dolce vita.

[canarysun]

My advice would be to try and spend as much time of the day " outside " and drink plenty of water! those using Air Con is the worst thing you can do and very bad for you.Just a simple fan should be enough.Also the booze that you drink will also boost your body heat levels.

Living on the coast will also help with a rather delightful sea breeze blowing most of the year.Better still spend your afternoons strolling along the beach,and then when you feel hot you can take a break and " splash about " like a baby elephants first trip to the sea........ x

Tweet Tweet viewers... x

[canarysun]

I don't think I will ever get used to the humidity, but you adapt. My biggest problem is trying to avoid sunburn/skin ageing when I'm outside. I do a bit of cycling for exercise and have a bit of land to work on. This means I might be outside for 4 - 6 hours on any one day.

Of course, I try to plan to do everything outside early in the morning or in the evening. I wear long sleeved cotton and a wide-brimmed hat. I wear gloves to protect the back of my hands. I've normally soaked through my clothes within half an hour, and rest every hour. I go through 3 or 4 shirts a day. I use a lot of sun cream for protected skin.

I use a fan in the house if I'm reading or working on the computer. We have western style bathrooms with extraction fans and a wall mounted fan directed at the toilet. I hate the typical Thai set-up where the bathroom floor is always wet and going to the toilet is a sweaty ordeal. This way the floor is always dry, the humidity is kept down and there's a refreshing breeze when you're on the toilet or get out of the shower.

I can sleep OK, with the ceiling fan on, if the temperature is below 31 degrees. If it is above, I turn on the AC. My Thai wife is able to tolerate the heat/humidity better, but likes her comforts. She'll often want the AC on when I think it not necessary.

You are an exception- I have posted a load of times on the dangers of the sun- today saw about ten guys - on motorbikes- no shirts ( do live in Chav city)

Skin cancers kill thousands - so brilliant you make an effort . A wonderful tan is not worth it - much better to be pale and interesting.

My Thai friends who come to stay will sometimes rack down the air con- their bedroom was on 18C - was freezing .

I totally agree that the sun is very bad for you! BUT being " pale and interesting " is not interesting at all in fact i think it looks absolutely hideous.Some of these pale farang that you see who spend all day indoors look like something from the movie " Day Of The Dead " ( quite scary... ) and also even these Thai ladies look better with a tan!

Farang Jaidee ( with a Billy Ocean Suntan...... ) x

[peterb17]

My advice would be to try and spend as much time of the day " outside " and drink plenty of water! those using Air Con is the worst thing you can do and very bad for you.Just a simple fan should be enough.Also the booze that you drink will also boost your body heat levels.

Living on the coast will also help with a rather delightful sea breeze blowing most of the year.Better still spend your afternoons strolling along the beach,and then when you feel hot you can take a break and " splash about " like a baby elephants first trip to the sea........ x

Tweet Tweet viewers... x

You need to follow up with scientific / medical facts before making sweeping statements about air con- please send links to the peer reviewed papers- thanking you in advance

[ggt]

Try drinking a few gin and tonics...the temperature will not seem so important to you after awhile...

[duanebigsby]

Too funny to read the Brits posting about how "cold" England is.

Spend a winter in Winnipeg or Moose Jaw, then talk about cold.