It's August in Illinois, and that usually brings super warm and muggy weather. If you have to spend time outdoors this week, there's one thing I need you to promise me; if you're feeling overheated, DO NOT GULP A BOTTLE OF ICE COLD WATER!

A website called godupdates.com shared a story last year from a man named Adam Schaub that still serves a powerful message we all need to remember today. They quoted Schaub as saying;

So we’ve all heard not to drink really cold water in the heat, but a lot of us haven’t heard the why or experienced it first hand. Cold water is good, so how could it be bad? Well, yesterday I found out. We were out working in 100° weather (not a good idea in itself) when my dad noticed my face was getting pretty red and suggested that I take a break. I immediately grabbed a cold bottle of water and drank it. After he did a little more work he suggested that I get in the truck and blast the a.c.. in the truck I drank some more cold water (another bottle) and very shortly started feeling strange. I started seeing spots, my stomach got extremely nauseous and my hands and feet started tingling. I felt like I was going to throw up so I opened the truck door and the next thing I know I’m face-first in the ground and my dad’s rolling me over and wiping off my face. He said my eyes had rolled back a bit and I didn’t come to for a few minutes. Emt arrived and asked what was going on. Immediately the guy knew what happened. Apparently, if you’re too hot and chug a bottle of cold water, it Can send your body into shock. It thinks that the stomach is going hypothermic and so it takes the warm blood and sends it to the stomach. You can lose consciousness. He said cold water is good, but only in sips. Room temperature water is better if you need fast rehydration. Just figured I would share in case anyone could benefit from my mishap. Summer’s just around the corner. Stay cool. Feel free to share if you think it could help someone. I wish I had learned this a long time ago.

 

I have to admit I didn't really realize how dangerous drinking ice-cold water can be when you're overheated until I read that story. I also just learned that there are several health benefits to drinking room temperature water in general.

According to NDTV Food, there are five major reasons you should not drink chilled water in the summer:

  1. It restricts digestion - Cold drinks in general can contract your blood vessels, which not restricts digestions, but also hinders the natural process of absorbing nutrients during digestion.
  2. It can give you a sore throat - Gulping cold drinks can cause a build up of mucus resulting in a sore throat and stuffy nose.
  3. It inhibits the breakdown of fats - Drinking chilled water just after you eat can solidify the fats from the foods you have just consumed, which will make it tough for your body to break down unwanted fats.
  4. It can decrease heart rate - Drinking ice water can stimulate the vagus nerve. which mediates the lowering of heart rate.
  5. It shocks your body - If you're overheated and drink ice-cold water, the mismatch of temperatures can shock your body and cause a multitude of symptoms like stomach pain and nausea.

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