How Britons stay cool in a heatwave, from sleeping naked to ice baths

Posted on : 07/10/2023
How Britons stay cool in a heatwave, from sleeping naked to ice baths
Travel 

Working from the paddling pool, shaving off body hair and taking bottles of frozen water to bed – how Britons are staying cool this summer revealed

  • A survey of Brits reveals the most common strategy is guzzling iced drinks
  • A large chunk of the population (42 per cent) hates it when there is a heatwave 
  • READ MORE: Restaurant ‘green flags’ from busy Mondays to a good bread basket

Britons are going to extreme lengths to stay cool this summer, according to a new study that reveals how the nation handles a heatwave.

A survey of Brits reveals that the most common strategy is drinking lots of iced drinks – deployed by almost three in four (73 per cent) people.

But the study also throws up a plethora of more unusual methods deployed for dealing with hot weather.

One in ten people say they shave off their body hair to stay cool, while three per cent admit to walking around the house in wet socks.

Freezing the bed sheets before going to bed (four per cent), sitting with feet in a bowl of ice water (nine per cent), taking a bottle of frozen water to bed (17 per cent), and even working from a paddling pool (three per cent) are other strategies Brits use to try to cool down.

A study of Brits reveals the most common strategy for staying cool in a heatwave is drinking lots of iced drinks

Almost one in ten (nine per cent) put themselves through a sport-style ‘ice bath’ in their own wheelie bin and 14 per cent sit with a wet tea towel on their head in front of a fan.

One in 20 Britons (five per cent) resort to running through fountains to shake off the heat while some sleep in the garden (four per cent) and others eat the hottest curry imaginable (four per cent).

A chicken madras might not seem like the most obvious remedy, but eating spicy food can actually help, by the sweat you perspire evaporating into the air and cooling the body, nutritionist Daniel O’Shaughnessy told MailOnline.

The top five methods in the list is completed by eating more ice cream (second, 53 per cent), sleeping naked (third, 38 per cent), closing the windows and curtains all day (fourth, 32 per cent) and taking ice-cold showers (fifth, 28 per cent).

The study, commissioned by Pret A Manger and which polled 2,000 adults, further reveals a large chunk of the population (42 per cent) absolutely hates it when there is a heatwave.

Under 29-year-olds complain the most – up to 105 times a week – the findings show.

Four per cent of Britons say they eat a spicy curry as a means of staying cool in a heatwave

One in 20 Britons resort to running through fountains to shake off the heat while some sleep in the garden

Eight in ten (83 per cent) agree that Brits are not cut out for hot weather, while 60 per cent spend more time complaining about the weather in the summer than the winter.

While four in ten (44 per cent) confess that they are constantly longing for a cooling rain shower during a heatwave.

Pret has introduced a new line-up of icy beverages to help the nation beat the heatwave this summer. And Londoners can cool off with a free iced drink from a cooler cart. Pret is serving up its brand new Shakers and Coolers to the public outside its Carnaby Street shop from 1pm to 3.30pm on July 13.

TOP 21 WAYS BRITONS COOL DOWN IN A HEATWAVE 

1. Drink lots of iced drinks (73 per cent)

2. Eat more ice cream (53 per cent)

3. Wear no pyjamas (38 per cent)

4. Close the windows and curtains all day (32 per cent)

5. Take ice cold showers (28 per cent)

6= Drink a cup of tea (24 per cent)

6= Position multiple fans at you (24 per cent)

7. Take a frozen bottle of water to bed (17 per cent)

8. Wear cotton pyjamas (15 per cent)

9. Put a wet tea towel on your head (14 per cent)

10. Put a bowl of ice in front of a fan (13 per cent) 

11. Shave off your body hair (10 per cent)

12. Sit with your feet in a bowl of ice water (nine per cent)

13= Shave your head (five per cent)

13= Swim in your local pond (five per cent)

13= Run through fountains (five per cent)

14= Eat a hot curry (four per cent)

14= Sleep in the garden (four per cent)

14= Freeze your bedsheets (four per cent)

15= Work from a paddling pool (three per cent)

15= Walking around the house in wet socks (three per cent)

 

Source: Pret A Manger 

 

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