DURING the heatwave, you may be trying numerous methods to cool down and escape the heat.
However, experts have claimed that you should actually AVOID taking a cold shower, as it may leave you feeling hotter.
The reason is down to how our body maintains its internal core temperature.
While a cold shower may seem like a good choice as a tactic to “cool off”, the cold water actually causes a decreased blood flow to the skin.
This is because the cold causes the vessels that supply blood to the skin to constrict.
As a result, our core gets warmer due to the reduced heat loss through the skin.
More on heatwaves
Ladbaby shares B&M buy that keeps you cold as you sleep during the heatwave
I’m a laundry expert and my easy hack will cool your home quickly
Minutes after a cold shower, you will likely feel hot again.
Conversely, warm water on the skin leads to an increased blood flow to the skin, and therefore greater heat loss from the body.
The Conversation said: “Our bodies respond more to changes in skin temperature than core temperature.
“So, if we cool part of the body (for instance with a cold sponge, or cold shower), skin blood flow decreases and skin temperature falls.
Most read in Fabulous
SKIRTING THE ISSUE I bought a size 12 skirt this year & last – there's a big difference
Frugal bride is savaged for the cake she made 12 hours before her wedding
I got a tattoo of my hero but it was such a fail, people never know who it is
We're hairdressers, 8 things we don't want to hear from clients
“Here we ‘feel’ cooler because cold water causes cold temperature receptor activation in the skin.
“But because there is less blood flowing to the skin, we’ll actually keep more heat inside, thus leading to an unintended overall increase in core temperature.”
FABULOUS BINGO: Get a £20 bonus & 30 free spins when you spend £10 today
So therefore, you should actually opt for a warm shower (around 33C) rather than a cold one (20-25C) to feel colder in the heatwave.
It may seem counter-productive, but you’ll be glad of it in the long run.
Source: Read Full Article