Although many of us enjoy warm weather if we're on a beach with a cocktail in hand, the day-to-day reality of a heatwave is much less glamorous.
From sticky sleepless nights to constant sweating, there are many downsides of the heat. One that you might not have considered being a by-product of the warm weather is bloating.
It's normal for parts of your body to swell a little from the sun, for example you might have noticed this in your fingers - but it seems like the problem is bigger when it comes to the stomach.
If you often feel bloated during the hot weather, don't worry, it's normal - and it's not dangerous.
The most obvious reason is that because dehydration is a problem, we tend to gulp down cold drinks, which can cause bloating - but it turns out it's more complicated.
Nutritionist Dr Pamela Mason from the Tea Advisory Panel explained to The Mirror: "Hot weather can cause bloating for several reasons. Firstly, the heat causes the blood vessels and capillaries to dilate allowing more fluid to fill in the interstitial spaces between organs and tissues.
"Secondly, there is some, emerging, evidence that hot weather can change the bacterial mix in the gut which can lead to digestive problems such as diarrhoea and constipation which redirects blood flow to the gut.
"Thirdly, a heat wave can cause us to gulp down cold drinks causing bloating. For women all year round, bloating is more common before and during menstruation."
Dr Mason explained that "in most cases this is not dangerous," but it can be uncomfortable and you might want to find a way to ease the symptoms.
Thankfully, there's one 'magic' drink that can help banish the bloat - tea. Specifically black and ginger tea, according to Dr Mason.
She explained: "Black tea, so your cuppa (with or without milk) can help with bloating because of its flavonoid content. Tea flavonoids can reduce inflammation in the gut so helping to reduce bloating.
"Tea flavonoids can also improve the microbial mix in the gut by reducing the ratio of less healthy bacteria to healthy bacteria. Less healthy bacteria in the gut can contribute to bloating.
"Ginger tea has the ability to reduce indigestion which in turn can help reduce bloating too. But if you drink black tea, stick with it, as its flavonoid content can help overall health, including gut health."
Another way of beating the bloat, according to Dr Mason, is "eating more fibre (if you have constipation) and getting plenty of exercise".
She continued: "Also eat mindfully – slowly and chewing carefully so as not to bloat yourself with gas. Most importantly stay well hydrated but it's best to drink non-fizzy drinks such as tea of all kinds and water.
"Sipping a warm cup of tea is helpful for bloating in part because you cannot gulp it down plus it's packed with many health and wellness benefits."
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