{"id":268,"date":"2026-04-02T08:48:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T08:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/?p=268"},"modified":"2026-04-03T08:44:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T08:44:16","slug":"could-a-hot-bath-help-you-handle-heatwaves-join-our-new-study-to-find-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/could-a-hot-bath-help-you-handle-heatwaves-join-our-new-study-to-find-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Could a Hot Bath Help You Handle Heatwaves?        Join Our New Study to Find Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Written by Emma Lawrence&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As heatwaves become more frequent and intense in the UK, practical and accessible ways to cope with rising temperatures are increasingly important. This study, led by Dr Jessica Mee (UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Principal Investigator) alongside Olivia Barnes and Emma Lawrence (Research Assoicates), explores whether something as everyday as a hot bath could help the body adapt to heat. If effective, this low-cost, at home approach could offer a realistic way for people to prepare for future heat waves and hot weather.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"357\" height=\"238\" src=\"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/9.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-277\" style=\"width:270px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/9.png 357w, https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/9-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 357px) 100vw, 357px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>We are investigating if regular hot-water immersion \u2013 essentially raising body temperature through bathing &#8211; may improve how the body responds to heat. The study runs over one month, with laboratory testing before and after, and a structured programme of hot baths completed at home. During the laboratory testing we will look at cognitive performance and physiological responses, such as reaction time, temperature and heart rate, to understand how heat tolerance changes. There is also an option to take part in a low-commitment control phase.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>We are looking for adults aged 18\u201365 who have access to a bath and are happy to complete monitoring <span style=\"font-size: revert;\">(including blood sampling and temperature measures). We are keen to recruit both men and women,&nbsp;as understanding sex\u2011based differences is essential for developing guidance that works for everyone.&nbsp;&nbsp;Within this, we are also interested in women across a range of hormonal profiles, including those who are naturally menstruating, using hormonal contraception, peri- or post-menopausal, or using HRT, because hormones can influence temperature regulation and cardiovascular responses.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Including a broad mix of participants helps us build a clearer,&nbsp;more inclusive and representative picture of how different bodies adapt to heat.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participants will receive up to \u00a3270 for taking part.&nbsp;&nbsp;You\u2019ll also gain personal insights into your heat tolerance, education on heat wave preparedness, the chance to work closely with physiologists, and the option of a comprehensive fitness assessment report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you\u2019d like more information or are interested in taking part, please get in touch with the research team:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr Jessica Mee &#8211; j.mee@worc.ac.uk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olivia Barnes &#8211; olivia.barnes2@worc.ac.uk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emma Lawrence &#8211; emma.lawrence2@worc.ac.uk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Or register your interest <a href=\"https:\/\/app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk\/s\/ucw\/register-your-interest\">here<\/a> and a member of the research team will be in touch.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Written by Emma Lawrence&nbsp; As heatwaves become more frequent and intense in the UK, practical and accessible ways to cope<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/could-a-hot-bath-help-you-handle-heatwaves-join-our-new-study-to-find-out\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Could a Hot Bath Help You Handle Heatwaves?        Join Our New Study to Find Out<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":11,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-female-heat-mitigation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":289,"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268\/revisions\/289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/femaleheatlaboratory.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}