TECHNIQUES to keep the body cool during heatwaves usually evolve around staying in air-conditioned rooms and drinking ice cold beverages.

There is another theory circulating about what humans can do to keep body temperature down - drink hot beverages.

Many old-timers would drink room temperature or lukewarm water.

It may seem like an uncomfortable or weird notion to imagine someone mustering sheep and drinking hot water on a summer afternoon, but the theory was put to the test by the University of Ottawa's School of Kinetics.

The school discovered that in the right conditions, hot beverages do cool the body.

Drinking hot water forces the body to sweat - a vital mechanism to keep the body cool.

If the sweat evaporates on the skin surface - instead of pooling on foreheads or creating arm pit oceans - the human body cools.

In Outback Queensland's dry climate, that may prove useful.

The Western Times asked CWAATSICH doctor and Bond University associate professor, Shannon Springer, for his thoughts on drinking hot beverages as a cooling technique during the current heatwave in Charleville.

Dr Springer said drinking water at room temperature is the best way to moderate the body's temperature.

As for food consumption in heatwaves, people without diabetes should eat watermelon because it is full of fluid.

"Staying cool also depends on your job,” he said.

"We should all drink 1.5 litres of water but if we work in the sun we need to drink more.”

For those people who tire of persistently sweating, Dr Springer said try using rehydration solution (available at pharmacies) mixed with water.

Alcohol consumption should also be carefully moderated.

"Alcohol turns off a brain hormone that prevents kidneys from absorbing fluid,” Dr Springer said.

Hot, warm or cold, everyone will be glued to the water jug through to the end of this weekend at least, when the heat wave is expected to finish.

Temperatures will reach a maximum 41 degrees over the weekend.

A low-pressure system flowing into Southern Queensland has been pushing the mercury up since Wednesday.