Can a Hot Drink Actually Cool You Down? Science Says Yes ... With a Catch

As the old wives’ tale goes, a sure way to cool down on a hot day is to drink a nice warm cup of tea. Like many of those bits of advice from days gone by, this one might seem wildly backwards. It turns out, though, science says your great-great-granny may have been on to something after all.

When temperatures soar, a good glass of ice water can be refreshing. It can also help lower your core temperature slightly. This is helpful in warding off that stifling, sluggish feeling of an overheated body. But, while ice water may help cool you off, it doesn’t hold a candle to your body’s own natural defense against the summer sizzle: sweat.   

Sweating coats our bodies in moisture. That wetness then evaporates. As it does, it draws heat from our bodies. This cools us all over. A breeze can speed the process. This is why the wind on a scorching day or a blast from a fan feels so good. A steaming cup of tea or coffee can help jolt your body into the sweat response. In mathematical terms, hot drink = hot body = more sweat = more cooling. 

“Yes, the hot drink is hotter than your body temperature, so you are adding heat to the body,” health researcher Ollie Jay told The Smithsonian, “but the amount that you increase your sweating by — if that can all evaporate — more than compensates for the added heat to the body from the fluid.”

The key word above is “if." When heat is coupled with humidity, or a high amount of water already in the air, your sweat can’t evaporate; there’s nowhere for all that water to go. So on a sweltering day, when your sweat is just sticking to you, head for the cooler, not the tea kettle. 

Reflect: What’s something you learned that changed the way you think about staying healthy or feeling better?

Photo of hot tea from Unsplash courtesy of Elena Kloppenburg.