The great myths of heat that we should avoid in summer

The heat wave It crosses its peak during yesterday’s days and today, so staying fresh and hydrated becomes fundamental. This is not always easy: sometimes intuition deceives us, sometimes those who lead us to error are the myths we hear again and again. That is why it is convenient to review some errors in which we can fall easily.

Cold water, hot water. To stay hydrated it is essential to drink liquids and, especially, water. But,at what temperature? It depends on what we want to achieve and the characteristics of the heat we are going through.

We know that consuming a hot drink can make our body respond breaking. That is why in certain circumstances, drink a hot drink, like coffee can make us cool. But there is an exception: this phenomenon is based on the ability of sweat to cool, but this capacity It looks reduced in high humidity conditions. That is: a hot drink can cool us only if the heat is rather dry.

Water of time? If we resort to this technique, we must also take into account the fact that sweat implies a loss of liquids and therefore a greater risk of dehydration. If our objective is not so much cooling and replenishing fluids, perhaps the best idea is to consume “time” water or sympleously fresh (not cold).

It is the conclusion of A study Posted in the magazine International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine In 2013. This analysis, focused on seeing how water temperature affected the rehydration process, observed that consuming water at a temperature of about 16º could facilitate the rehydration process.

Fresh beer. Taking a fresh beer in summer is common to fight heat. A moderate consumption can have that effect, but as we add alcohol to our body, the chances of the cylinder head shot will increase. First because alcohol works as a vasodilator, which can alter the distribution of heat in our body. This effect It makes alcohol more dangerous in winter, when you can transmit a false feeling of warmth, but it can also affect how we feel in summer.

Perhaps the greatest risk of going with beer in summer is, however, hydration. This drink has a diuretic effect that can make us lose water at a rate greater than the replacement, which can approach dehydration.

Fans, yes or no. The fan is one of the most useful tools when fighting heat, but it is a tool with its limitations and even inconvenience. TO Air conditioning differencefans do not cool the air. What they do is to facilitate that our body heat is blurred by sending us colder air than the one around us.

The problem is that, after a certain temperature (about 35º), the air that comes to us is not colder than the one around us, so the fan will not help us. Moisture It is also important since these devices work worse in very dry environments. They can also cause us problems when we use them for a long time, such as when we sleep with them, disseminating allergens or drying the atmosphere of our stay.

Ventilate spaces: Not so simple. Keeping our very ventilated home is important throughout the year, but correctly handling ventilation in summer can also help us refresh our home, improving thermal comfort and saving energy. Now, It is not right simply With opening the windows, there are important factors to take into account.

Of course, the time is one of the keys: if we want to refresh our house it is best to do it before the arrival of the daytime heat or once it has dissipated. We will also otimize the ventilation if instead of opening windows to right -handed and sinister we open windows in opposite points of the house in order to take advantage of the thermal difference to generate stronger currents that are taken with it the heat and moisture.

In Xataka | Heat wave in Spain 2025: 7 tools to look at the temperature where you live

Image | Lucas Sandor