Effects of Heat Adaptation Behaviors on Resting Heart Rate Response to Summer Temperatures in Older Adults: Wearable Device Panel Study

TL;DR

Older adults' resting heart rates increase with summer heat, but specific behaviors like using air conditioning or drinking cold beverages can help reduce this effect.

Contribution

This study demonstrates how wearable devices can track physiological responses to heat and how personal adaptation behaviors can mitigate these effects in older adults.

Findings

Each 1°C temperature increase was linked to a 0.11 beats/min rise in resting heart rate.

Behaviors like using air conditioning and drinking cold beverages significantly reduced heart rate increases.

Certain behaviors were more effective for vulnerable groups, such as those with diabetes or hypertension.

Abstract

The health impact of summer heat on older adults is a growing public concern, yet the physiological responses, particularly changes in resting heart rate (RHR), and the role of personal heat adaptation behaviors remain underexplored. Wearable devices offer an opportunity to objectively monitor physiological responses and evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation strategies in real-world settings.

This study aimed to quantify the short-term association between summer temperatures and RHR in older adults and to examine how individual heat adaptation behaviors modify this relationship, with additional consideration of personal characteristics such as age, sex, BMI, and chronic disease status.

We conducted a panel study among 83 community-dwelling older adults (≥65 y) in Taipei City during the summer of 2021 (May to September). Participants wore Garmin smartwatches to continuously monitor heart rate. Daily RHR was defined as the lowest 30-minute average heart rate. In September, heat adaptation behaviors were assessed via structured telephone interviews. Ambient temperature and relative humidity were obtained from a nearby monitoring station. Linear mixed-effect models were used to estimate temperature-RHR associations, and interaction terms were included to examine behavioral modifications. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore effect modification by individual characteristics such as age, sex, BMI, and chronic disease status.

Each 1 °C increase in daily mean temperature over lag days 0‐1 was associated with a 0.11 (95% CI 0.07-0.15; P<.001) beats/min increase in RHR. After mutual adjustment for behaviors, several heat adaptation strategies showed significant protective effects, including reducing physical activity (β=−.15, P=.001), drinking cold beverages (β=−.24, P<.001), increasing naps or sleep duration (β=−.28, P=.003), drinking additional water ≥500 mL (β=−.10, P=.02), using air conditioner (AC) before (β=−.15, P=.002) and during sleep (β=−.13, P=.007), and using electric fans during sleep (β=−.12, P=.01). Subgroup analyses revealed stronger effects for certain behaviors in vulnerable populations: reduced physical activity was particularly beneficial for those with higher BMI; AC use and cold beverage intake were more effective in people with diabetes; increased naps yielded the largest benefits in individuals with hypertension; and the use of AC or fans during sleep was especially protective for older adults and females.

Summer heat is associated with elevated RHR in older adults, but this effect can be mitigated through targeted heat adaptation behaviors. Smartwatch monitoring provides a feasible and informative approach for capturing physiological changes, supporting the development of personalized heat-health recommendations for aging populations in a warming climate.

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