Does drinking hot drinks really cool you down in warm weather?

From dipping our feet in the paddling pool, to running our wrists under the tap, when we’re feeling overheated there are plenty of common methods used to cool down – but making hot drinks doesn't tend to be one of them.

However, sipping a cup of tea, or the like, could do the trick.

Drinking a hot drink increases the body’s heat load and the body responds to that by sweating.

This happens because the moment the hot liquid makes contact with the body’s temperature receptors, the brain tells the body to produce more sweat.

This sweat then cools on the surface of the skin, reducing the sensation of us being too warm and ultimately, making us feel cooler. Clever, eh?

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We have Ollie Jay, a researcher at University of Ottawa’s School of Human Kinetics, to thank for that genius bit of info.

Back in 2012, Jay conducted a series of experiments to analyse the effect a hot drink can have on your overall body temperature.

And he and his researchers discovered that drinking a hot brew or the equivalent can actually cool you down, because it results “in a lower amount of heat stored inside your body”.

Of course this isn't a new heat solution – there's a reason mint tea is so popular in incredibly hot and dry countries such as Morocco.

In more humid countries, this trick likely won't have the same effect as the sweat won't evaporate.

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Equally, drinking a hot cuppa while wearing restrictive clothing probably won't work.

That’s because sweat needs to evaporate and the reduction in temperature caused by sweating needs to exceed the increase in temperature caused by drinking a hot drink.

“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,” Jay told Smithsonian Magazine at the time.

Another point to keep in mind is that the heat from the drink will also raise your body temperature a little.

“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,” Jay adds.

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So, perhaps a steaming cup of tea isn't the best solution if you're working from home in hot weather and don’t fancy sitting at your desk in your bikini.

Of course, the type of hot drink you opt for is also worth considering.

According to Public Health England, people should steer clear of drinking too much caffeine or alcohol in the hot weather.

The NHS guidelines echoes this with: “Drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol."

If decaf isn't your thing, maybe it's best to stick to dangling those feet in the paddling pool.