The 4 counter-intuitive ways to cool down as Britain set for blistering heat

As temperatures are set to soar throughout the UK over the next few days, many of us will be looking at ways to make the heat bearable, particularly when at work. Amid concerns the sizzling temperatures may have on people's health, particularly on the most vulnerable, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued yellow and amber warnings impacting several regions across Britain.

Professor Mike Tipton from the Extreme Environments Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth told the BBC: "We’re essentially tropical animals that have evolved to be mostly naked and resting in a climate of around 26°C. We’re just not designed to be doing manual work in protective clothing in these temperatures, or sitting in stuffy offices in suits." The most common ways we think are best for cooling down include drinking plenty of fluids, staying in the shade and closing the curtains to block out heat. However, there are also less known but scientifically proven techniques that could help to handle the heat.

1. Cool your hands first, not your face

If you have a fan, it's not an afterthought to think the first thing you should cool down is your face. However, according to Tipton, this is far from the quickest way of lowering your body temperature.

He goes on to say: "Certainly, all that breeze on your face will simulate cold receptors there, which will give you a very powerful sensation of comfort. But actually, it’s not going to extract the heat from your body."

A better strategy to cool yourself down is to place your hands in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. "Your hands have a high surface area to mass area - they have lots of blood flowing in them when you're hot.

If your core temperature is hot, your body will send blood to the extremities in order to lose heat," explains Tiptop.

"Immersing your hands in cold water won’t feel as nice, but it’ll cool you much faster than even an ice bath! It’s so important to make a distinction between things that make you feel cooler and things that actually make you cooler."

2. Avoid cold showers

It might seem logical to jump into a cold shower when extreme heatwaves hit the town but it actually does the opposite of what you would expect it to do. Whilst you may feel that it is helping in the moment, it is oddly enough a slow way of cooling your body.

"Putting one area of your body in cold water is fine, but cover too much surface in it, and your body will actually constrict the amount of blood that reaches your skin," says Tipton.

"The secret to cooling down is to deliver blood to your skin’s surface and then gently take away the heat."

In short: skip the ice bath and opt for a tepid shower instead. The ideal temperature will depend on your body and the heat outside, but Tipton suggests that water that feels relatively warm is the best option.

3. Opt for hot drinks

Reaching for an ice cold drink might seem like the smartest thing to do to cool yourself down but the opposite is actually the most effective. A hot drink will cool you down faster than an iced beverage.

"It’s not about trying to cool your body directly, but activating the systems – such as sweating, moving blood to your skin – that will," Tipton says. "Eating a hot curry will chill your body in the same way."

It's not to say that you should only drink hot fluids because staying hydrated with any temperature of water is better than not keeping yourself hydrated. It helps to cool the body through perspiration and transferring heat from active tissues to the skin.

"Think about it: around 60 per cent of the human body is water – that's around 40 litres. Adding one glass of cold fluids isn’t going to make much difference. It’s a drop in the ocean," explains Tipton.

4. Enhance your sweat with a breeze

Using a fan whilst your hot is of course the first thing you do to help yourself get back to a normal temperature but it is equally important to fan a wide area of your body as possible.

This helps sweat evaporate too. By only fanning your face, you are limited to enhancing evaporation in a very small portion of your body.

"This is because the evaporation of sweat isn’t actually reliant on temperature – it’s all about the water vapour pressure difference between the air and the skin. A breeze helps here."

When possible, consider using a non-electric hand fan to generate a refreshing breeze or promote natural airflow by opening multiple windows. "Relying solely on air conditioning won't do much to mitigate climate change – it’s actually a huge part of the problem!" says Tipton.