Does drinking hot drinks on a scorching summers day really cool you down? Urban myth or scientific fact: does drinking hot drinks on a scorching summers day really cool you down? Well, scientists do say sweating is the best way to stay cool. So how does it work? According to Professor Peter McNaughton, a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge, consuming hot beverages, such as tea or hot water, will raise your core body temperature. And this makes you to sweat at an increased rate. Nerves in our mouths and in our upper digestive tract respond to the heat of the beverage, stimulating the brain to produce more sweat. And as it evaporates, the sweat effectively cools you down. Water evaporates very quickly from the skin. And when water evaporates, McNaughton explains, that cools you down. But theres a catch. Sweating is vital for our bodies to function, because if you didnt sweat in a hot environment, then your central temperature would rise and it only takes a rise of a couple of degrees for that to cause brain damage and death, says McNaughton.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 06:02:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015