I heard that when you are hot you should drink hot drinks and not cold. Is this right and why?

Answer 1

You've gotten a lot of the theoretical parts explained, but here's the dilemma that theories don't take into account.

When you're hot, there's a difference between your body being well-hydrated but uncomfortable versus your body being overheated and in need of cooling down.

The problem with drinking a warm beverage is that it further increases your body's core temperature...both from the immediate heat of the beverage and from the metabolism shifting into gear to digest it.

If your body is truly overheated, you need to immediately cool it. Both heat stroke and heat exhaustion come on quickly. If you don't cool the body, the body will collapse.

So the real answer is that you need to drink what makes your body cool quickly when it's overheated. That would be a cool drink. BTW, the "stuff" about your body going into shock from a cool drink is false. Your body can adjust to a cool drink. The body only goes into shock if you jump into a pool of water lower than 50 degrees and you stay there until hypothermia hits.

In the summer, your body needs cool drinks when it's hot. When the body isn't hot, you're fine to drink something warm or cool.

Answer 2

The theory is this, your skin can't tell if you are hot or cold, what it can do is tell if the temperature outside of you is hotter or cooler than you. If you drink hot drinks (according to this theory) it raises your body temperature and therefore the difference between your body temperature and the outside temperature is reduced on a hot day and you will feel cooler.

Unfortunately this is abject rubbish, as a hot drink will not heat you up enough for this effect to happen. So it really doesn't matter if you drink hot or cold drinks.

Answer 3

Our body's temperature regulation mechanism is tuned to maintain an average temperature of 36.9 degrees celcius (98.4 degrees Farenheit). This is an average - not only amongst people in general, but also over our whole body. The core temperature of our body will be very slightly higher. It is this temperature that triggers either heat loss or heat saving mechanisms.
If the blood temperature in the body core rises above the set level then the mechanism increases blood flow (carrying heat) to the skin surface and the sweating process starts. Heat from the blood is used to evaporate the sweat and is lost - we cool down.
So it is reasonable to say that a hot drink will help to raise the blood temperature sufficiently to initiate sweating and therefore cool you down!
Personaly I like a glass of iced water.

Answer 4

Recent studies have shown that liquids you drink get into your system faster if they are closer to your body's temperature. That's the way to quench your thirst fastest. however, the same study also determined that the body uses two or three calories to make real cold water warmer so it can be absorbed, you run the risk of cramps if real cold water goes straight to the duodenum where it is absorbed. So...if your real thirsty, drink room temp liquids but if your real thirsty and are trying to lose weight, too...drink liquids that are chilled to just above freezing.
Another thing to do if you know some activity is going to make you thirsty is to drink large volumes of liquid before you start the activity, then the thirst won't hit you nearly as fast. The general rule of thumb is that if you wait until your body feels thirsty, you've waited too late to have an immediate effect.

Answer 5

You are supposed to drink room tempature drinks because they say cold drinks can make your body go into shock but I drink cold drinks when I am hot and have been for thirty some years, it cools me down faster and hasn't hurt me yet.

Answer 6

Actually I think that it is just room temperature, or warm. The reason if more so for when you are working out and sweating. It cause your body to go into a state of shock almost if you drink cold drinks. I think their is more to it, but I don't really remember. Sorry.

Answer 7

personally, I cannot drink hot stuff when I am hot, but you shouldn't drink stuff that is ice cold (no matter how much you may want to). It will weight too heavy in your stomach and will feel like you have stones in your tummy or you will get a wicked ache.

Answer 8

I think part of the theory was that drinking something hot makes you sweat more, thus cooling you. However, taking into account thermodynamics, this doesn't sound like very good science.

Answer 9

Why would you drink a hot drink? Common sense would tell you to drink a cold drink to cool yourself down. At least, I would think so. I'll never try this theory.

Answer 10

yes you are, it's the same reason why people in hot countries such as India eat hot food. hot food raises your internal temperature, which in turn makes you sweat, and the moisture in your sweat cools you down.
I'd rather have an ice cream though