There’s just something about how cold water goes down the throat, especially on a hot sunny day. Nothing can beat that refreshing feeling. It feels like relief and clarity. It almost wakes you up from your daze and makes you more alert.
I had to learn the consequences of drinking cold drinks the hard way. For me, it had become a sort of addiction. I would put ice cubes in just about all my drinks. I would get constant sore throats which would be treated naturally, and then as soon as I felt better I went back to my crazy lifestyle. Drinking room-temperature drinks just didn’t cut it for me. The day I finally found out just how much harm I was doing to myself, I stopped this habit completely.
Here are a few reasons why you should not drink cold water:
- It brings about digestive problems
Drinking cold water can have serious implications on the digestive system. It can contract your blood vessels and therefore restrict digestion. On top of this, it reduces the absorption ability of the body to retain essential nutrients during digestion. The reason is that your body’s focus is diverted from digestion to regulating the body temperature and the chilled water. Therefore it sort of “ignores” its function of absorbing nutrients and prioritizes the regulation of the body temperature. Because of this, the person may end up lacking essential nutrients and therefore suffering from deficiency diseases.
- It can make you feel dehydrated
It is rather ironic, that cold water can make you feel dehydrated. Here’s how it works. When you drink cold water, the body’s focus is diverted to regulate your body temperature and that of the water. In the process, it spends extra energy to regulate the water temperature and therefore your water levels decrease. This means that drinking cold water can be quite pointless. I’m sure we’ve all experienced this. When you drink cold water, especially on a hot day, it doesn’t take too long for you to be longing for more water. Maybe this explains why. Cold water puts pressure on the body to regulate back to the normal body temperature and in the process makes you dehydrated.
- It inhibits the breakdown of fats
Drinking cold water can solidify the fats from the foods you have just consumed, which will make it tough for your body to break down fats. It’s even worse when you drink cold water right after the meal because the fat in the consumed food solidifies and it becomes hard for the body to break it down. A high level of fats in the body is associated with issues such as cholesterol disorder, which can ultimately lead to a heart attack. It is a snowball effect. One thing leads to another and another, and each subsequent one is more dangerous than the preceding one.
- Cold water can decrease your heart rate
It has been said that cold water has the ability to slow down a person’s heart rate. It stimulates the tenth cranial nerve which is called the vagus nerve. The function of the vague nerve is to regulate critical aspects of human physiology. It mediates the lowering of the heart rate. When you consume cold water, the low temperatures of the water stimulate the nerve to cause the heart rate to drop. This can, in turn, lead to a condition called Bradycardia that occurs when the heart does not pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body.
- Cold water can cause migraines.
Sometimes after drinking cold water, one may start to experience migraines. A migraine refers to a neurological condition that can cause multiple symptoms. It’s frequently characterized by intense, debilitating headaches. These migraines are believed to result from a nerve response causing rapid constriction and swelling of blood vessels. They can be excruciatingly painful and hinder one from performing their daily duties.
- Cold water may lead to a sore throat
A sore throat is pain, scratchiness or irritation of the throat that often worsens when you swallow. There have been claims that cold water has the ability to cause a sore throat. Cold foods cause congestion of the respiratory mucosa, which is a protective layer covering the respiratory lining or tissue. It acts as a defence mechanism against infections. When this mucosa gets congested it exposes the respiratory lining to possible infectious agents, making it easier for viruses and bacteria to attack it and cause infections leading to a sore throat.
- It can lead to a shock
There have been instances of people who went into shock because of drinking cold water. It’s even worse when you’re from the gym or doing exercises that generate body heat. The body interprets it as the stomach going hypothermic and so it takes the warm blood and sends it to the stomach. Hypothermia is a medical emergency where the body loses heat faster than it produces the heat. It hinders bodily functions from working well, and thereby the body goes into shock as a response, to retain the body temperature within.
Read about The Benefits Of Staying Hydrated. Also, find out the Foods That Treat And Prevent Migraines
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