PixabayIn the midst of a heatwave there’s nothing quite like a tall glass of ice cold water, but is that actually the best thing to drink if you want to cool down?
According to researchers at the University of Ottawa – probably not. A study has found that, paradoxically, hot drinks may actually be better for cooling off, reports Mental Floss.
The researchers found that hot drinks trigger a high sweat response – cooling the body down – without actually raising your core body temperature that much.
Before you go off downing mugs of tea – there are a few catches.
You won’t feel the effects until your sweat has evaporated fully and also – more importantly – it only works under certain conditions.
According to the research, if it’s humid, if you’re sweating a lot already or if you’re wearing clothes that trap moisture then drinking a hot drink is actually only going to make you hotter.
Peter McNaughton, a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge, explains the phenomenon.
His research found that heat receptors in your tongue and throat react to heat stimulus by causing you to sweat, regardless of your core temperature – the same reason you sweat when you eat spicy food.
So under fairly specific circumstances, having a hot drink on a hot day actually can cool you down.
I reckon I’ll stick to the instant refreshment of an ice cold water though…
