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Fitness & Health

19th Jun 2017

Here’s what you need to know about hot drinks and cold showers in warm weather

Rory Cashin

It’s too damned hot!

We’ve already given you some tips on how to get a cooler night’s sleep on a particularly hot night, but what about during the day when your core temperature is through the roof?

We all usually run for cold showers and ice-cold drinks in these times of sweaty pandemics, but this might not be the best course of action.

To begin with, let’s get the cold shower out of the way.

Yes, they’ll make you feel better in the short term, but over the duration of the day, they might actually make you feel worse.

As humans, we’re not aware of our core temperature, but it is what essentially what dictates our body’s actions, and reactions, to external temperature.

When it’s cold outside, less blood is sent near the skin because our bodies are trying to keep the heat in. That’s why we always look paler in Winter.

The opposite of that happens during hot weather though. Blood sent to the skin which opens the pores and causes sweat to pump out. This is what ultimately cools us down.

Taking a cold shower snaps those pores shut, so while we feel cooler in the immediate future, that internal core temperature has no release, so within a few minutes of taking the shower, you’ll actually feel hotter than you did before you took it.

You’re actually better off taking a warm shower. Yes, it might feel weird at the time but you’ll feel better for it in the long run.

Secondly, hot drinks on a hot day.

It’s essentially the same idea as the hot shower, except it’s working inside out, instead of outside in.

Drinking hot drinks will help raise your core temperature causing you to sweat faster and ultimately feel cooler faster.

It is why hot drinks (and spicy food) are so popular in warmer climates, because they have a quicker reaction on the body and help people get cooler quicker and stay cooler for longer.

This isn’t to say that drinking cold drinks and eating ice creams is a bad idea – because of course they’re both awesome and delicious and we love them – but their impact isn’t the same.

In conclusion…

Hot drinks and hot showers are the best thing for you on a hot day.

We wonder how long it’ll be before we hear the first “Oooh, I’d love a spot of rain right now…” and then that’s it, our summer will be over for another year.