People are only just realising one drink helps cool you down in heatwave

It's scorching outside, with temperatures in some places in England surpassing 30 degrees.

This has left many Brits desperately looking for ways to keep cool in the heatwave.

From ice in front of fans to ice pops, wearing breathable cotton outfits to cooling facial sprays and so much more, there are endless tried and tested ways to keep your cool - but if you're still sweating constantly, you might want to try a hot beverage to cool you down.

On social media, many have posted they just realised hot drinks cool you down, with one woman taking to X (formerly Twitter) to write: "I like to drink tea. I know it sounds mad but hot drinks force the body to cool down, whereas cold drinks make the body heat up".

Walter Gjergja, Chief Wellness Officer and co-founder at the personal trainer app Zing Coach explained: "A warm drink to cool you down may seem counterproductive, but slightly raising or at least matching your internal temperature prevents 'cold shock' and facilitates sweat, which cools your skin as it evaporates."

Allegedly, the best drink to consume during the heatwave is peppermint tea, however, not just any old hot drink. According to All Recipes: "Mint leaves contain the compound menthol, which gives it its characteristic refreshing and cooling sensation (especially peppermint). When you consume mint or mint-flavoured foods or drinks, the menthol interacts with the receptors in your skin and mouth, creating a cooling effect."

Last year, during the September heatwave, I tried peppermint tea and found it really did work. I wrote:

Hesitantly, when it was cool enough to drink, I took a sip and felt a cool tingly sensation go through my body. Until I took another sip, I wasn't convinced, but the menthol feeling genuinely made my body temperature feel so much cooler.

Simone Thomas, a nutritionist and wellness coach, also told the Mirror: "Easy to grow in the garden or in pots, and cheap to pick up in the supermarket, peppermint is the perfect pick me and up and offers a natural way to cool down as the herb's menthol stimulates your body's cooling receptors."

Danielle drinking tea

When it comes to choosing a hot or cold brew, Simone said she "prefers it cool when it's warm outside as it's so refreshing." I'm relieved to find out that enjoying my mint tea cold would still offer benefits in the scorching weather.

It turns out that mint tea has tonnes of health benefits too, as well as making you feel less hot and bothered. It can aid digestion, is caffeine-free, may help you to sleep better, makes your breath smell fresher, and can also help if you've got a blocked nose, according to BBC Good Food.

I was so impressed with the way that the mint tea made my body feel that I decided to have a cup before I went to bed, and the tea, combined with a good book, did make me feel very ready for sleep - and way less hot before drifting off. Regardless of the weather outside, I may have a new night-time routine - and a new heatwave saviour.

A study in 2012 by researchers from the University of Ottawa looked at the effect of drinking hot drinks on body temperature. The results revealed that a hot drink can cool you down, but only in dry conditions.

Speaking to the Smithsonian Mag, Dr Ollie Jay, one of the authors of the study, explained: "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."

As the sweat evaporates from the surface of your skin, it removes excess heat by converting the water from a liquid to a vapour. However, in humid conditions this cooling effect is less effective, so drinking hot drinks won't help to cool you down.

Dr Jay explained: "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.

"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."

Do you have a story to share? Email: [email protected]