Fastest Way to Cool Down

[happyandbob]

Apparently, mammals evolved special shunts in the hands, feet, and upper face that allow blood to flow directly from arteries to veins (bypassing the capillaries), specifically for the purpose of cooling down quickly because the rest of the body was covered in hair/fur. Dipping hands in cool water and placing palms on a cool towel between sets perhaps?

Apparently the worst way to cool down is with a cold towel on the back of the neck, that sends cold blood directly to the brain, causing the brain to shut down the body's cooling mechanisms. No more frog towels around the neck.

Beat the Heat Through the Hands and Feet - UT News

As the world grapples with record high temperatures, some vital organs, such as the brain, are particularly vulnerable to overheating and can suffer

news.utexas.edu

Palm cooling - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Head, Face and Neck Cooling as Per-cooling (Cooling During Exercise) Modalities to Improve Exercise Performance in the Heat: A Narrative Review and Practical Applications

It is well known that uncompensable heat stress greatly impairs endurance and team sport-related performance because an increase in the core temperature directly induces a greater magnitude of the central fatigue in the heat than in thermal neutral environments. ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[esgee48]

Yep. Wet towel to wipe down arms. hands and face do work even if the wet towel feels warm. Afterwards placing hands in a basin of cold water is even better.

I do continue to tie a wet hankie around the neck when needed. Saw the old Aussies do this and it also help due to evaporation.

 

[finalfantasy7]

fastest way to cool down is to dip both your elbows in a bucket filled with icey water and leave it thr as long as you can, it will trigger your body to cool you down - saw this video when the england cricket team toured UAE around 7 yrs ago to play pakistan = englnd team doctor