Brits urged not to have 2 specific drinks today during rare heat alert

Brits urged not to have 2 specific drinks today during rare heat alert There are two drinks to avoid during the record-breaking heatwave The UK is in the midst of a record-breaking heatwave, with a rare red alert being issued. It is set to be the hottest June day on record as temperatures continue to rise. The mercury is predicted to hit 36 °C today and 39 °C tomorrow, and may even reach 40 °C. A rare health warning has been issued as schools have closed and trains have been cancelled or delayed. The Met Office's red warning spans across the south of England and the midlands covering London, Somerset and Birmingham. It is also in place for parts of Wales including Swansea and Cardiff from 9am today to 9pm tomorrow. During the heatwave, many Brits will struggle to sleep as it is difficult to keep cool. British Red Cross has issued guidance on how to stay cool at night in order to get a good sleep. They warn against consuming alcohol and caffeine in the heatwave as they can interfere with sleep. It said: "Alcohol often goes hand in hand with sunny weather but, it is advised to limit consumption especially in the evening but causes poorer quality of sleep. "Caffeinated drinks are diuretics and may encourage your body to lose fluids, risking dehydration as well as increase your body temperatures." According to the NHS, an adult usually needs between seven and nine hours sleep a night. Teenagers and babies often need more sleep than others. Lack of sleep can have an impact on health and can even affect the immune system, attention, cognitive ability, anxiety and depression. The British Red Cross added: "Hot weather can often mean your everyday routine goes out the window but, eating and going to bed later may affect the quality of sleep. Try to stick to your usual eating and bed times and keep the same night-time routine. "The heat can also mean you feel more tired during the day because your body is using more energy to regulate internal temperature. "Try not to give in to having a day time nap, as this disrupts your sleep pattern and can make it harder to fall asleep in the evening." The last time a red alert heat warning was issued was in July 2022. Prof Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UKHSA, says even those in the prime of their life should "take very cautious steps" during the heatwave. He said the red heat health alert "signals a very widespread threat" from the heat, including threats "to people who generally think of themselves as not being particularly threatened by heat". He said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Often we are warning about the vulnerable, the elderly, the young, but in this case we're also warning otherwise healthy people in their prime of life to take very cautious steps, because this heat is going to be quite intense and can have very serious life threatening effects even in people who are completely fit."