Cold showers in heatwave may make you feel worse - doctor gives perfect temperature to cool down at

During a UK heatwave, our initial instinct is to jump straight into the cold embrace of a shower.

And according to sexual and reproductive health specialist Dr Deborah Lee though, too cold showers may not achieve what you're after and other experts also talk about a 'cold shock response'.

After a brief spell of mild weather across the country, sections of southern England are forecast to contend with temperatures as high as 36 degrees Celsius in the coming days as Super El Nino continues its global presence.

There are gadgets out there to keep you cool and they don't cost that much, from neck fans to portably air con units under all for £30. And don't forget keeping your pets chilled.

But if a shower is your choice to cool now, Dr Lee has now revealed the perfect cool-down temperature to set your shower at.

"The best advice is to shower in tepid water between 26C to 30C," she said.

"If the water is too cold, the skin blood vessels constrict preventing dissipation of heat from the skin and delaying cooling."

Despite understandable reasoning, cold showers are not beneficial during heatwaves (Getty Stock Images)

Moreover, per The Conversation, researchers have explained why the constriction of blood vessels can be super dangerous.

"Although diving into a cold bath or shower straight after being out in the heat might feel nice on your skin, it isn't doing what is needed to reduce the core temperature of the body," they shared in a study.

Blood flow to particular areas of the body is reduced by chill-inducing water, which then stores heat around our various organs.

Don't make matters worse by having the water temperature at freezing either, because then you'll enter a 'cold shock response,' causing the heart to work more than it should be doing.

Naturally, this isn't the best situation for people with underlying heart issues - they can suffer irregular heartbeats or even lose their lives in the process.

Just get an ice pop down you instead?

Dr Lee also encouraged those enduring the unbearable stuffiness to avoid opening windows during the hottest part of the day.

"Keep windows shut when the temperature outside is hotter than inside," she noted. "Open the windows in the early morning and the evenings when the air temperature is coolest."

We can set up fans in our houses to create a cooling effect, of course.

"A fan can help by creating air circulation, which produces a cooling effect on the skin," added the doctor. "For extra relief during a heatwave, placing a bowl of ice in front of the fan can help cool the airflow."

Weather is a hot topic right now (pun absolutely not intended), what with the majority of England's World Cup games being closely monitored by meteorologists.

Additionally, the heatwave across the UK looks set to continue as 2026 became the first year to record temperatures of 35C on six separate days, and emergency services have warned of “extreme” wildfire risks over the weekend.

In the heat, alongside familiar advice to drink plenty of water, there’s also another message that’s become increasingly hard to ignore, and it's about replenishing your electrolytes.

The role of electrolytes is to help you retain water, explains Dr Oliver Rabie, a GP and lifestyle medicine doctor.

“Two of the main components are sodium and glucose which are absorbed in the gut and they pull water from your gut wall faster than water would alone,” he says. “This helps people retain fluid in the body rather than urinating it straight out.

“So, the role of these hydration salts themselves is to help you retain water rather than necessarily actually being a hydration tool itself.”