Why do some people drink hot tea in 30 degree heat?

Researches show that hot drink can cool the body in certain conditions; But in humid and unventilated environments, it does the exact opposite and makes you warmer.

The Guardian website reported: A hot cup of tea can cool you down in hot weather, but only if you are in a well-ventilated area with a breeze. Otherwise, the hot drink will make you hotter, not cooler. Caffeine lovers often drink coffee in 30 degree heat and tell themselves that it will cool them down.

Could a hot cup of tea be the key to cooling off in hot weather? Or is this just what caffeine lovers tell themselves when they are still drinking coffee in 30 degree heat?

Ambassador Arjan wrote, Professor John Tregoning, author of the book Eternal Life? A Curious Scientist's Guide to Health, Aging, and Death Says: It depends on the situation. He mentions the researches of Professor Ollie Jay; Australian scientist and one of the world leaders in the field of heat and its balance in the body.

When you drink a hot drink, two things happen in your body. The heat the drink gives you and how much you sweat as a result, Tregoning says.

Hot drink raises body temperature and this higher temperature makes you sweat more. This is where the story gets complicated. Sweat cools the body when it evaporates; That is, when water on the skin turns into gas and takes heat energy from the body. But only some environments are suitable for this process.

In spaces where the breeze blows, sweat evaporates well, but in humid or unventilated places, sweat falls from the body instead of evaporating. "It's pointless," Tregoning says. When you drink a hot drink in that environment, instead of getting cooler, you get hotter.

Where is hot drink good and where is bad?

A warm drink is good for cooling down after a walk on a breezy beach; Because the sweat evaporates well, but it is bad for cooling in the tropical rain forest because the high humidity does not allow evaporation and the body gets hotter.

"I think the main thing is to drink fluids, whatever the temperature, especially in hot weather," Tregoning says. There is no great benefit in having the drink hot or cold. It depends on personal preference.

Why does hot drink raise body temperature?

When you drink a hot drink, the body has to get rid of the excess heat. This extra heat causes the body's core temperature to rise slightly. The body starts sweating to deal with this increase in temperature. If the sweat can evaporate, the body will cool down. But if it doesn't evaporate, you just lose water and the body gets warmer.

This shows that a hot drink can be cooling only under certain conditions. In dry and breezy environments, such as the beach or mountains, sweat evaporates well and a hot drink can lower body temperature. But in humid and unventilated environments, such as a rain forest or a closed room, sweat does not evaporate and a hot drink only makes the body warmer.

According to Tregoning, the most important thing in hot weather is to drink enough fluids, whether it's cold or hot. Dehydration can be more dangerous than the heat of the drink because dehydration can lead to heat stroke. If you prefer a cold drink, drink it. If you like hot tea, drink it. What is important is that your body has enough water.

"There is no big advantage in drinking hot or cold," he says. It depends on personal preference.

A warm drink can cool the body in the right conditions, i.e. in an environment with good ventilation and breeze; But in humid and unventilated environments, hot drinks make the body warmer. The most important thing in hot weather is to drink enough fluids; It doesn't matter if it's hot or cold.