How to cool down quickly: effective tips for the heat of hell

The heat has a strong impact on our well-being, especially when there is no way to cool down under air conditioning. We lose our ability to work and even risk ending up in the hospital with heat stroke.

But problems can be avoided, says Mike Tipton, a professor of physiology at the University of Portsmouth's Extreme Conditions Laboratory. The scientist has worked as a survival and thermal medicine consultant for the Royal Air Force and UKSport has written hundreds of articles, and devoted 40 years to research in the field of thermoregulation. For Science Focus, he talked about four scientifically proven methods to cool your body. Use them along with basic tips such as staying in the shade, drinking plenty of water, and limiting sun exposure during the daytime.

Cool your hands first, not your face

It's a natural reaction to put your face under a fan or cold water jet first. Due to its high sensitivity, the illusion of cooling occurs immediately and a feeling of comfort is created. However, according to Tipton, this is not the fastest way to reduce body temperature.

According to the expert, the best strategy is to immerse your hands in cold water for 15-20 minutes. And the deeper, the better. That's because they have a large surface area and mass, and a lot of blood flows through them, which means the body sends a lot of heat energy to give it away. "Dipping your hands in cold water won't be as pleasant, but it will cool you down much faster than even an ice bath! It's very important to make a distinction between things that make you feel cool and things that actually cool you down," the scientist says.

Avoid cold showers

But it's not a good idea to take a cold shower on a hot day, the expert says. As strange as it may sound, abruptly immersing your entire body in cold water is a very slow way to cool down in the heat.

"Putting one part of your body in cold water is fine, but cover too much of the surface with it and your body will actually reduce the amount of blood that reaches your skin," says Tipton. In the cold, the body reflexively constricts blood vessels to retain heat inside. Therefore, according to scientists, the secret to effective cooling is to first deliver hot blood to the surface of the skin and then carefully remove excess heat.

Instead of an ice bath in the heat, he recommends taking a cool shower. In this case, do not turn on the ice water immediately. Set a temperature that feels relatively warm and does not cause discomfort. "You need water that will provide and maintain maximum blood circulation in the skin. You need to maximize the temperature difference between your body and the water without cutting off blood flow to the skin," he explained.

Give preference to hot drinks

As paradoxical as it may seem, a sip of a warm drink will cool you down faster than a whole glass of ice water. "It's not about trying to cool your body directly, it's about activating systems – such as sweating, blood flow to the skin – that will lead to cooling," says Tipton. He adds that eating hot foods will have a similar effect.

This doesn't mean you should only drink hot liquids – drinking water of any temperature helps cool the body by stimulating sweating. But cold water only helps cool you down externally. Whereas hot drinks engage the body's internal systems. Sweating increases and blood begins to flow more intensively to the skin, giving off excess heat.

"Think about it: about 60 percent of the human body is made up of water, which is about 40 liters. Adding one glass of cold liquid will not make a big difference. It's a drop in the bucket," Tipton explains.

However, the expert advises against consuming hot drinks that contain caffeine, such as coffee or tea. Caffeine, along with alcohol, can increase the body's metabolic rate, causing it to generate more internal heat. Moreover, this substance acts as a diuretic, which leads to faster fluid loss from the body compared to other drinks. Give preference to herbal teas and other warm alternatives.

Enhance the sweating effect with a breeze

The advice to fan yourself may not seem like something that works, because it doesn't really make you feel cool. Nevertheless, the more body area you blow over, the better it will be for your body. After all, a fan or fanning doesn't actually cool your body, it blows away the air that has just come into contact with your skin, which also helps sweat evaporate faster. Together, this creates a cooling effect.

In a heat wave, this can be a real lifesaver. "When the temperature reaches around 35°C, the only real way to cool your body is through sweating," says Tipton. The evaporation of sweat doesn't really depend on temperature – it's all about the difference in water vapor pressure between the air and the skin. The breeze helps to evaporate moisture from the body surface and thus removes heat. Any method will do - fanning (the least effective), using a fan, or creating a draft by opening windows.

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