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17 Oct 2025 6:18
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  •   Home > News > International

    How long does it take to acclimatise to a new place when the weather is very different?

    Do our bodies actually acclimatise when moving from one climate to another and can we do anything to smooth the transition?


    If you've swapped the northern half of Australia for the southern — or vice versa — your move probably involved accepting very different weather conditions.

    It's something Australians moving specifically to avoid the impacts of climate change should expect to face.

    So, how long does it take us to adjust when moving from one climate to another, and can we do anything to smooth the transition?

    Do our bodies acclimatise?

    Director of the Heat and Health Research Centre at the University of Sydney, Ollie Jay, says the "term acclimatisation is bandied around quite a lot".

    On Gadigal land in Sydney, the professor of heat and health says it refers to adapting to the environment and there are two distinct types of acclimatisation that it is helpful to understand.

    "There's a physiological adaptation, and then there's a behavioural adaptation."

    When it comes to physiological adaptation, Professor Jay says, "our body can adjust in actually quite profound ways when we're exposed to severe heat stress".

    When you're "heat acclimatised physiologically", he says, "your resting core temperature will go down". Your body starting at this cooler temperature means "you're further away" from the temperatures that "can cause damage to the body".

    "These adaptive responses are very good for providing physiological protection against heat."

    However, Professor Jay says you have to expose yourself to quite extreme temperatures to see any of these protections.

    "This stimulus that's needed to induce these adaptations is really quite severe."

    Even in a very hot climate, unless physical exertion is part of your job it's unlikely you'd be exposed to the necessary "stimulus", he says.

    In one heat acclimation study, he says participants exercised at moderate to vigorous intensity, in 45-degree heat and high humidity, for 90 minutes to two hours, for seven to ten consecutive days.

    "I think the mistake that most people make is that they assume that these physiological adaptations occur more readily than they do, and secondly that they are due to genetic factors or country of origin or something like this."

    Professor Jay also says there's a limit to the physiological benefits that can some with heat exposure.

    "It's not like you keep on adapting — you plateau".

    And "if you are no longer exposed to the heat, within a matter of days, [that adaptive effect] will start to decay."

    What about behavioural adaptation?

    Professor Jay says behavioural adaptions are the "ways which you respond to an environment" or "tricks of the trade".

    He spent an "utterly miserable" first winter in Ottawa, Canada (where he lived before moving to Australia) because he "didn't know all the little tricks to keep [himself] warm and cope with all the various kind of hazards in the environment".

    But he says as he learnt them over the course of the year, it became easier.

    He says "behavioural adaptation" to a new environment can come from personal experience, and cultural experience and practices.

    After a big move, "adaptations will come relatively quickly over the course of a few weeks".

    Professor Jay also says "there's an uncoupling of how you feel and how hot you are" and our "thermal perception" is something separate.

    The adaptive thermal comfort model proposes "that the temperature at which you feel uncomfortably warm is influenced by a rolling average of the 10 days previous that you've been exposed to", he says.

    What you can do to help your body adapt

    Harry Brown is a postdoctoral researcher, also at the Heat and Health Research Centre at the University of Sydney on Gadigal land. 

    Dr Brown completed a PhD on seasonal heat acclimatisation and says there are behavioural changes you can make if you've moved to a warmer climate.

    "Keeping on top of your hydration, seeking shade when necessary, wearing the appropriate amount of layers," Dr Brown says.

    He says being aware of the extra stress heat can put on your body may also help.

    Moving from a hot to a cold climate could be considered a bit of an easier adjustment involving behavioural changes like adding extra layers of clothing, he adds.

    Professor Jay says "there is some evidence our adaptive response to the cold is much more behavioural than physiological".

    'Both a psychological and physiological move'

    Counsellor Sayaka Sayeed says a big move "can be quite anxiety-provoking but also exciting".

    Now based on Gadigal land in Sydney, Ms Sayeed says having moved a lot, it now takes her three to six months to "have all the basics down and figure out my new routine".

    However, "the first entire year is really just about adjusting to a new environment, a new place, finding your new community, [and] figuring out what your new life is going to look like in a different place."

    Ms Sayeed says it's important to recognise that a big move "is quite a big emotional and sensory adaptation as well … [so] it's both a psychological and physiological move".

    Because of this, if you're struggling with a big move that has seen you swap climates, Ms Sayeed says focusing on your social connection may also help.

    If it's a new place entirely, she says joining classes and group activities can be a good way to do this.

    She also recommends carrying over any of the routines and rituals from your previous lifestyle that you can. You might need to swap a beach walk in Cairns for a park in Tasmania, Ms Sayeed says. 

    Additionally, your regular night and morning routines "can give you a sense of comfort when everything is quite new".

    Ms Sayeed says loneliness is a common challenge and to remember that "you can still reach out to your support from your previous place".

    "You can still call them whenever you're feeling bad to help you with that adjustment."


    ABC




    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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