Showering properly in the heat: hot or cold?

When the thermometer rises to over 30 degrees, the desire for a cool shower is great. But is a cold shower really recommended in the heat? Or is it better to just put an AC in your living room to enjoy BetLabel online? 

You’ve probably often found yourself longing for a cold shower to refresh yourself on hot days. After all, it promises to cool you down quickly in high temperatures, just like jumping into a refreshing lake. But unfortunately, it is a fallacy that a cold shower cools you down.  

Showering properly in the heat: the best way 

A cold shower quickly heats the body up again. Even though cold showers are good for the immune system and many people probably can’t imagine anything more tempting than showering off sweaty with ice-cold water, this is not recommended on hot summer days. The refreshing effect doesn’t last long, ‘because the body raises the temperature again,’ explains sports scientist Ingo Froböse from the German Sport University Cologne. 

Although a cold shower initially regulates the body temperature down, it is even easier to start sweating afterwards, as the cold causes blood vessels and sweat pores to contract. This is the body’s own defence reaction to keep the heat inside the body. The body then tries to return to its core temperature of 36 to 37 degrees Celsius. It expends a lot of energy to do this. The result: you sweat more than before. 

The cool shower has therefore only served its purpose for a brief moment. What’s more, cold showers in hot weather can also put a strain on your circulation, because the rapid cooling down and subsequent warming up means stress for your body.  

But you shouldn’t take hot showers either. Not only is it not exactly pleasant in summer, it can also dry out your skin. According to sports scientist Froböse, it is better to shower lukewarm at first and then gradually turn the water slightly colder. This prevents the counter-reaction to the cold shower.  

Showering properly in the heat: how to cool down 

There are better tips for cooling down than taking a cold shower. If you want to refresh yourself in the heat, a cold shower is not a good idea. Drinking ice-cold drinks is also a common mistake in hot weather and is not recommended. The following tips are better for cooling down in high temperatures:  

• Run cold water over your wrists. This will gently cool you down without your body having to heat up again. 

• Put cold compresses on the back of your neck. 

• Avoid exercise in the midday heat and stay mainly in the shade. 

• Wear light-coloured, lightweight clothing. This will prevent you from sweating quickly. Incidentally, this is just one of five tips against the heat from southern Europe. 

• Avoid drinking alcohol on hot summer days. Alcohol deprives us of fluids and minerals. This only makes the heat worse for us. 

What you alo should avoid?

Heavy meals in the evening 

When temperatures are high, we often don’t feel hungry during the day – and then make up for it in the evening with a barbecue. But be careful: a high-fat meal in the evening can deprive us of a good night’s sleep. That’s why we should opt for light meals before going to bed, such as rice with vegetables or salad. Here are a few recipe ideas: 

• Homemade hummus with flatbread 

• Summer salads such as Nice salad, Greek salad or wild herb salad 

• Summer rolls with Vietnamese dip 

If you follow these rules, you will manage the next heatwave.