It's very tempting to take a cold, or even icy, shower when it's very hot. However, it is not the ideal temperature for showering during a heatwave, if you hope to cool down for the long term.
Faced with global warming, humanity must adapt, particularly against extreme heat. In this case, the month of June 2024 gives us a heatwave lasting a few days. Several concrete tips can help you better tolerate this type of episode of high heat: ventilate at the right time, choose your foods carefully or use air conditioning without abuse.
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It's also tempting to take cold showers, especially in the middle of the night when the heat keeps you from sleeping. But, is it really such a good idea? What should be the ideal temperature for a shower, to properly cool the body when it's too hot?
The cold shower does not cool down: it makes you even hotter
As you can imagine, an ice shower is not recommended, even if it provides immediate relief. Three specialists in human physiology and anatomy explain why in an article The Conversation : “ Our body responds more to changes in skin temperature than to changes in core temperature. So, if we cool a part of the body (for example with a cold sponge or a cold shower), skin blood flow decreases and skin temperature drops.. »
There core temperature is the internal temperature of the body, as opposed to the peripheral temperature (the one you take with a thermometer under the tongue, for example).
Thanks to the cold shower, these experts continue, we actually feel refreshed in the moment, because “ Cold water causes activation of cold temperature receptors in the skin “. However, cold showers are counterproductive: they can even lead to an increase in the body's core temperature. “ Blood circulates less through the skin, we actually keep more heat inside. » Not the best way to avoid dying from heat, then.
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While we feel the skin cooling down during a cool shower, thanks to the cold water and the reduced blood flow to the skin, our body is actually preparing to feel even hotter. “ The center of our body warms due to reduced heat loss from the body, without blood flow to the skin. A few minutes later we are hot again. »
The ideal temperature for a shower when it's hot
What should be done ? When you are too hot and the urge to shower is irresistible, it is advisable to take a hot shower. A shower whose temperature is set to 33°C will be more refreshing than a shower at 20 or 25° C. Even if this shower seems less pleasant at the moment, in the longer term its effects will be beneficial.
