Do hot drinks cool you down in hot weather? Does drinking tea and coffee help in heatwave - science explained

The UK is currently in the grip of a heatwave, with high temperatures of 32C predicted over the coming days.

This unusual September weather has sparked a level 3 amber heat health alert, with the heat dome expected to cause high temperatures well into the weekend. People are doing whatever they can to keep cool, from opening their attic to tin foiling their windows.

It’s important to stay hydrated, with many people reaching for iced drinks. However, there is a common theory that drinking hot drinks during warm weather cools you down faster, but is that correct?

Here’s everything you need to know about drinking hot drinks in warm weather.

Do hot drinks cool you down in hot weather?

There is a common belief that drinking hot drinks during a warm day will actually cool you down. In 2012 researchers from the University of Ottawa confirmed that this theory was indeed correct.

Speaking to Smithsonian Magazine Ollie Jay, a researcher at University of Ottawa’s School of Human Kinetics explained that drinking a warm drink on a hot day can actually help cool your body temperature.

“If you drink a hot drink, it does result in a lower amount of heat stored inside your body, provided the additional sweat that’s produced when you drink the hot drink can evaporate.”

He added: “It’s commonly thought that the hot drinks raise your core temperature, but we found that that isn’t the case.”

What does the science say?

According to Jay’s paper published by the University of Ottawa’s School of Human Kinetics in 2012, drinking hot drinks on a warm day can indeed cool you down. However, to experience the full benefits, the circumstances need to be just right.

When you drink a hot drink in warm weather, this causes you to sweat considerably more, meaning your body is putting out more sweat than it normally would be. If the additional sweat can evaporate, then your body’s reaction to it will cool you down. But, if your sweat can’t evaporate, you may be left feeling even hotter than before.

Drinking a hot drink in warm weather works best in dry heat and is not advised for humid weather, where your sweat will saround. It’s also important that you are wearing comfortable loose clothing that is made of natural fibres that will aid cooling. If you drink a hot drink in the wrong type of warm weather, it could even end up being a bad thing.

Jay explains: “On a very hot and humid day, if you’re wearing a lot of clothing, or if you’re having so much sweat that it starts to drip on the ground and doesn’t evaporate from the skin’s surface, then drinking a hot drink is a bad thing.”

Adding: “The hot drink still does add a little heat to the body, so if the sweat’s not going to assist in evaporation, go for a cold drink.”