Science says hot drinks could help cool you down when the sun's out. (Getty Images)
From dipping our feet in the paddling pool, to pouring ourselves an ice cold drink, when we’re feeling overheated there are plenty of tried and tested methods out there to cool down – but making ourselves hot drinks certainly isn’t one of them.
But you might have heard that sipping a hot cup of tea, or the like, could actually be the very best way of keeping cool. And it's not just a myth, science shows it really does – but there's a bit more to it. Sure a boiling brew is probably the last thing you fancy on a sweltering hot day, but the explanation about how a hot drink could keep you cool actually makes total sense. It is all to do with sweat you see. Here comes the science bit...
It turns out drinking a hot drink increases the body’s heat load and the body responds to that by sweating. This happens because the moment the hot liquid makes contact with the body’s temperature receptors, the brain tells the body to produce more sweat. This sweat then cools on the surface of the skin, reducing the sensation of us being too warm and ultimately, making us feel cooler.
