It’s hot and you need to cool down, so you reach for a…nice warm drink? Huh?? Yes, you read that right, instead of reaching for an ice cold glass of something to refresh yourself you may just want to grab a warm mug of tea or coffee instead. Sound crazy? Here’s why it works:
When you opt for a warm drink instead of an ice-cold glass of anything, your body temperature rises, and then something else happens, you begin to sweat. Sweating is your body’s way of cooling down. Now in order for your body temperature to actually cool off after having a warm beverage you need to ensure that this newly produced sweat can evaporate off your skin. So you can’t be bundled up in clothing or dripping in sweat so much that the sweat can’t evaporate from your skin into the environment – let’s say because it’s really humid outside. But if given a chance for that sweat to evaporate your body will cool off!
Now this cool down isn’t due to your core body temperature rising. Scientists believe that it’s due to special receptors, called thermosensors, found in nerves in the mouth, tongue, and throat that respond to heat. When the tongue and mouth sense heat these receptors tell your brain that you’re hot and then you begin to sweat, which leads to the cooling off process. Why not try this cooling off experiment the next time you feel like you need to beat the heat and tweet me your results!
Wishing you good health!
Dr. V