Does drinking tea really cool you down in hot weather?
Most people say no: tea is hot and hot things warm you, not cool you. This has some trutj.
Yet the science shows the opposite to be true. Well, that tea cools you because it first warms you.
If tea does cool the body down, some say it just brings it down to the temperature it was before the tea was consumed. Not further cool you to an even lower temperature. (Whereas fans and ice will lower one's net temperature.)
However, you still feel this rapid cooling post-healing. It's still noticeable. So people hearing 'tea cools you down' and thinking this refers to a net lowering of temperature overall misunderstand the phrase.
The body's thermoregulation tries to keep the body at a stable temperature.
Extreme heat makes proteins unravel. Considering our bodies are built upon and only function due to proteins, this unravelling can be dangerous and deadly.
So, if the body ingests a hot drink on a hot day, the body works hard to cool the body to a safer, more comfortable temperature. Hence drinking tea will cool the body down.
Drinking a hot drink raises the body's core temperature. This makes the body sweat which leads to evaporation cooling the skin. In turn, so is the body as a whole.
So, while the initial sensation of drinking tea is one of increased warmth, this is then followed by a sensation of cooling.
In humid climates, the air is already saturated with water. As such, less sweat will evaporate. That's why the cooling effects of sweat evaporation work best when it's a dry heat (so there's 'room' for more sweat water in the air).
The whole idea of 'drink tea to cool down' is a British thing. But because we're so wet, our heat is humid. So we have this cool tea knowledge but the worst weather for it to work!
This explains why some people don't feel like tea cools them down at all. (And no doubt making them miserable, having made themselves hotter but with no chance of cooling.)
Faster metabolism makes the body warmer, so any tea-heating would be more pronounced, which theoretically would increase the cooling. If in dry climates.
In humid climates, when sweat doesn't evaporate as well, a hotter metabolism with hot tea would just make someone hotter rather than cooler.
Most people say no: tea is hot and hot things warm you, not cool you. This has some trutj.
Yet the science shows the opposite to be true. Well, that tea cools you because it first warms you.
What We Feel
Our perception of the process led to this whole debate.If tea does cool the body down, some say it just brings it down to the temperature it was before the tea was consumed. Not further cool you to an even lower temperature. (Whereas fans and ice will lower one's net temperature.)
However, you still feel this rapid cooling post-healing. It's still noticeable. So people hearing 'tea cools you down' and thinking this refers to a net lowering of temperature overall misunderstand the phrase.
Why the Body Reacts
The mechanics of the process make is essential to underatanding the dilemma.The body's thermoregulation tries to keep the body at a stable temperature.
Extreme heat makes proteins unravel. Considering our bodies are built upon and only function due to proteins, this unravelling can be dangerous and deadly.
So, if the body ingests a hot drink on a hot day, the body works hard to cool the body to a safer, more comfortable temperature. Hence drinking tea will cool the body down.
How the Body Reacts
Not only does the body react to tea but the heat and moisture levels in the environment matter, too.Drinking a hot drink raises the body's core temperature. This makes the body sweat which leads to evaporation cooling the skin. In turn, so is the body as a whole.
So, while the initial sensation of drinking tea is one of increased warmth, this is then followed by a sensation of cooling.
In humid climates, the air is already saturated with water. As such, less sweat will evaporate. That's why the cooling effects of sweat evaporation work best when it's a dry heat (so there's 'room' for more sweat water in the air).
The whole idea of 'drink tea to cool down' is a British thing. But because we're so wet, our heat is humid. So we have this cool tea knowledge but the worst weather for it to work!
Effect of Metabolism
Personal metabolism has a great effect on how tea contributes to the person's reaction to tea.This explains why some people don't feel like tea cools them down at all. (And no doubt making them miserable, having made themselves hotter but with no chance of cooling.)
Faster metabolism makes the body warmer, so any tea-heating would be more pronounced, which theoretically would increase the cooling. If in dry climates.
In humid climates, when sweat doesn't evaporate as well, a hotter metabolism with hot tea would just make someone hotter rather than cooler.
Does Tea Cool You in Cold Weather, too?
It makes you wonder if drinking tea cools you in cold weather, just like in hot weather.The tea rises core body temperature, as before. Just like before, the body tries to keep its temperature at a stable level.
But as the environmental temperature is cold, it means the body has to work harder to keep its own from dropping.
Hence any excess heat from the tea is largely retained, rather than being lost to the environment via sweating.
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