What heat does to concentration, and why 5 AM is the exception
Cognitive performance begins to degrade measurably once the ambient temperature crosses 30°C. A 2020 study published in PLOS Medicine, tracking students in Boston during a heatwave, found that those without air conditioning scored 13 percent lower on cognitive tests than those in cooled rooms. India's summer afternoons routinely sit between 38°C and 45°C across the Indo-Gangetic plain, the Deccan plateau, and coastal cities like Chennai. Even with a ceiling fan and a cooler, the body is spending energy on thermoregulation, energy that would otherwise go to sustained concentration.
