Shea Simmons
During summer’s heat, a tall glass of anything iced would seem like the ideal way to stay cool before bed. It’s not. A hot cup of something is actually the way to stay the coolest at night.
According to Ollie Jay, a researcher at the University of Ottawa’s School of Human Kinetics, it’s a hot cup of something that will make sure you stay cool throughout the evening. Jay and other researchers found that drinking something hot helps to reduce the amount of heat stored in the body. Once your evening tea or hot chocolate hits the body’s temperature receptors, it triggers sweat resulting in a cooldown of your body.
The sneaky benefit here, though, is that unlike exercising or doing something that actually raises your core body temperature in a significant way, the heat of the warm drink triggers the effect without turning you into a super sweaty mess. Now, on the other hand, let’s not discount the power of a significant core body temperature change—you can “hack” your sleep with a super cold or super hot shower.
While drinking a hot cup of coffee may not be ideal, sleep-inducing drinks like chamomile tea may need to make their way into your pantry. If, however, your new, nightly warm cuppa isn’t cutting it, you can find more tips on how to sleep in a heatwave over at Stylist.
