I'm an Exercise Physiologist—If You’re Feeling Puffy, Tired, and Achy This Summer, These Everyday Habits Could Be Playing a Role

Right, gather round - I think it’s time we had a summer intervention. Because while everyone else appears to be floating through the warmer months with a golden glow, a linen dress and Aperol permanently in hand, some of us are quietly wondering why we’re waking up puffy, sleeping badly, and feeling like our bodies are constantly backchatting.

​I do have a rather controversial confession to make as a Brit: I don’t always love summer. There, I said it. Yes, I enjoy the longer evenings and, quite frankly, any excuse to occupy a pub garden, but sometimes it feels less “hot girl summer” and more “why are my rings suddenly tight and why am I exhausted after doing absolutely nothing?”

​Somewhere between the sticky nights, spontaneous pub gardens, holiday routines and the completely unrealistic belief that exercising in a heatwave is a good idea, I reach the point where my body starts quietly protesting. Judging by the annual chorus of “why do I feel so puffy?” and “why am I exhausted?”, it’s clearly not just me.

​Naturally, my brain goes to the explanation we’re more often than not reaching for right now: inflammation. The well-being world's shorthand for almost any symptom we can’t explain. So, before we pin all of our complaints on one biological process, I thought it was worth getting a little curious.

​I wasn’t convinced the heat deserved all the blame. So I spoke to exercise physiologists, doctors and nutritionists to figure out what was actually going on: from what inflammation really means, the everyday summer habits that could be adding fuel to the fire, and which wellness myths don’t quite stand up to scrutiny.

5 Summer Habits That Could Be Causing Inflammation

First up - why do so many of us feel “off” in summer - and what inflammation has to do with it

I was blessed with a mother who, every summer, had the same response whenever I complained that I felt bloated, tired or generally a bit “meh”: “It’s the heat. Nothing to do with you. Years later, I’m starting to think she might have been onto something.

​Because when temperatures rise, it’s not just our wardrobes that change. Sleep gets disrupted, routines loosen, hydration becomes an afterthought, and suddenly everything from workouts to energy levels can feel a little harder.

​But before we start blaming inflammation for all our summer ailments, it helps to understand what the word actually means. “Inflammation isn’t the enemy, and it isn’t always the reason you feel off,” explains Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi. “It’s your immune system's protective response to injury, infection, heat, toxins or other threats. It is essential for healing and defence.”

​TDLR: Inflammation is your body’s repair system switching on. It’s what sends help to damaged areas, which is why sunburn becomes red and sore, or why muscles can feel tender after a tough workout.

​The important distinction, says exercise physiologist and sports scientist Charlotte Gowers, is that inflammation isn’t one single process: "Short-term inflammation is a normal part of recovery and adaptation. Chronic inflammation is different. The word 'inflammation' is doing two completely different jobs."

​What that doesn’t mean is that your body is suddenly in some kind of “inflammation crisis” (despite what your FYP might have you believe), but it’s worth remembering this: whilst it can absolutely be part of the reason you feel sore after certain stressors, it isn’t a catch-all explanation for feeling bloated, tired or sluggish. More often, that familiar summer “meh” feeling comes down to the things our bodies are quietly juggling in the background: disrupted sleep, dehydration, alcohol, changes to our routines.

And that’s where the story gets interesting: not whether we need to fight “inflammation, but which summer habits might be quietly making our bodies work harder than they need to.

5 summer habits that could be fuelling inflammation

Let’s separate summer suspects from the innocent bystanders - it's time to fact-check the things we've all been blaming.

1. The summer sleep debt nobody thinks is a big deal

If you had to guess which summer habit was most likely to leave your body feeling a little worse for wear, sleep probably wouldn’t be top of the list. But according to Gowers, it should be.

The myth? That one late night doesn’t matter. And it’s true - one restless night spent tossing, turning and searching for the cool side of the pillow isn’t going to send your inflammation levels into chaos. It's down to how consistent that late night becomes.

Before you panic about that 1 am pub garden finish, there’s some reassurance: a single bad night isn’t the problem, as Gowers notes, “it’s the accumulation that catches up with you.” A recent meta-analysis has found that several nights of short sleep (we’re talking around four and a half hours for three nights or more) can push up inflammatory markers like IL-6 and CRP.

"The issue wasn't one rough night," explains Gowers, "it was several in a row, with around four and a half hours of sleep for three nights or more being enough to shift those markers."

So, in other words: it’s not the odd summer night out that’s the problem here; it’s when “I’ll catch up later” becomes your sleep schedule.

2. The “it’s only a few summer drinks” trap

As a Brit, you say the words “pub garden”, and there’s an unspoken agreement that you’re not leaving for at least five hours. One drink turns into another, the sun is still out, someone orders chips for the table, and suddenly you’re convinced this is what summer was made for. And honestly? I’m not here to argue with that. But while the pub might be peak summer happiness, the experts are here to say it could also be where the inflammation starts to creep in.

“Alcohol has a pretty clear route into inflammation. Drinking can make the gut wall more permeable and shift the balance of bacteria living there. When fragments of those bacteria enter the bloodstream, the immune system can recognise them as a threat and respond by releasing inflammatory signals.”

Science is on hand to back her up: a 2025 study shows that regular or heavier alcohol intake can affect the gut barrier, change the balance of gut bacteria and trigger immune responses linked directly with inflammation.

The good news is this isn’t about panicking over one glass of wine in the sun. Feeling rough after a summer evening of drinks is usually far less mysterious: “dehydration, disrupted sleep and your body working harder to recover are often the bigger players.”

3. The sunburn you’re pretending “isn’t that bad”

There’s a very British summer ritual that probably needs retiring: looking at your slightly pink shoulders after a day outside and saying, “It’ll turn into a tan.”

Spoiler: your skin disagrees. Because, unlike some of the other summer habits on this list, this is one where inflammation really gets involved. As Dr Al-Zubaidi explains, inflammation is the body’s protective response to damage, and sunburn is basically the clearest example of that repair system switching on.

“When UV rays damage skin cells, the body sends inflammatory signals to the area to start repairing the injury. That’s what creates the heat, redness, soreness and swelling.” A 2021 review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences shows UV exposure triggers the release of inflammatory molecules that help coordinate the skin’s defence and recovery process. So yes, whilst your sunburn is technically inflammation, it’s also “a local, acute repair response”, not the vague inflammation often blamed for everything from tiredness to bloating. This is why it can leave you feeling a bit rough: your body is dealing with a genuine stressor.

4.The skipped meals nobody thinks twice about

Somehow, summer treats have ended up taking the blame every time we feel a bit rubbish. But Natasha Draycott, lead nutritionist at Rheal, is here to turn that idea on its head (and thank god).

Because let’s be honest, summer has a funny way of making routines disappear. The occasional ice cream isn’t the problem; it's the skipping meals because it’s too hot, grabbing whatever’s convenient while travelling, or accidentally surviving on iced coffee. Draycott explains that these disrupted routines are actually the real reason behind why we may be feeling sluggish: “If you're skipping meals, grabbing lots of convenient foods while travelling or eating much later than usual, it's common to notice your energy dipping or your digestion feeling a bit off."

The reason she says is simple: "Your body relies on consistent fuel to support recovery, gut health and energy regulation. When meals become irregular and fibre-rich foods get pushed aside, it can affect the gut environment, which plays a role in regulating immune and inflammatory responses."

5. Exercise in the heat

We’re often led to believe that a good workout is one where we leave nothing but our dignity on the gym floor, and summer seems to turn that mindset up a notch. The sun is out, motivation is high, and suddenly a 28-degree run feels like a brilliant idea.

But let’s separate fact from fiction: your body does not perform the same way in heat. As Gowers explains: “When temperatures rise, your body has to work harder to cool itself down, meaning the same workout can place a much bigger demand on your system. In hot conditions, people have to drop their work rate by around a third over 40 minutes just to hold their normal heart rate.”

Translation: chasing your usual pace in July isn’t necessarily proof you’re fitter; it may just mean your body is working overtime.

That extra stress isn’t automatically a bad thing. “Exercise creates a normal inflammatory response that helps muscles repair and adapt. The problem comes when you stack intense training on top of heat, dehydration and poor recovery, leaving your body with more to manage.”

Our takeaway? Adjusting your workout isn’t “giving up”. Take the leap and allow yourself to slow down - it might just be the smartest thing you do for your body this summer.

I'm an exercise physiologist - here are the things I'd do to help my body cope with summer

Rather than chasing wellness hacks or expensive supplements, Gowers says these are the simple habits that make the biggest difference when summer starts taking its toll.

1. Stop chasing your spring fitness

In hot conditions, people have to drop their work rate by around a third over 40 minutes just to hold their normal heart rate. Chasing your spring paces in July means far more strain for less reward. Slow down; it’s not weakness, it's arithmetic.

2. Treat sleep as part of training

Pair a cool, dark room with a consistent bedtime. The inflammation link is with disturbed sleep and with several short nights in a row, so consistency beats trying to catch up at the weekend.

3. Drink to thirst, and replace salt if you're sweating hard. 

Hydration isn’t about “flushing” anything out. Losing fluid reduces blood volume, which makes your heart work harder and exercise feel tougher. Drink to support performance; if you’re sweating heavily, replace the salts you’ve lost too.

4. Keep it simple: eat well and set a ceiling on alcohol

Throw the summer detox out the window. Your body is not waiting for a three-day green juice punishment plan to finally start functioning again. A Mediterranean-style diet packed with colourful plants, fibre, healthy fats and omega-3s is linked with lower inflammatory markers. Pair that with sensible alcohol habits, and you’re already doing the things that matter - no “inflammation-fighting” hacks required.

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