Do you know somebody or ever heard of someone
who collapsed after drinking cold water while playing sports or right after, say basketball? There are many stories about those fatal moments. ​ Read on because this can save you, your family and friends.
We must admit that drinking cold water during summer
or even anytime of the day we feel hot and uncomfortable feels heavenly or at least gives relief. But behind that feeling of relief is a great harm to the body. Remember that we are warm-blooded creatures maintaining a certain level of body temperature enabling our organs to function normally. Therefore, anything cold disrupts our bodily functions as in the case of drinking cold water. And the colder the water, the more harm it does. ​When we are on the move, doing exercises or playing sports, our body temperature increases because there's increase activity of our muscles causing them to demand more blood. Our heart beats faster and pumps more blood, blood vessels dilate or expand for more blood to flow and the blood flows more rapidly at this time. But at the very moment we drink cold water during or right after exercises or playing sports specifically when you're still breathing faster, having shortness of breath or out of breath or you're still gasping for air, blood vessels around our mouth and tongue shrink or constrict lessening blood flow in these areas and doing same as cold water goes down the pharynx, esophagus and into the stomach. The abrupt change in the blood flow in those areas: from rapid to very slow causes great harm and it can be fatal. Blood flow to the various organs of the body decreases dramatically especially to the heart which may cause heart attack. If the water is ice-cold, blood flow may take a halt. Imagine the veins as a freeway and blood as the fast-moving cars. If a car suddenly slows down or stops, then that will cause a pileup. Wouldn't that happen when drinking cold water? I believe it does and more. Remember having a headache when eating something cold, say ice cream. It's the same reaction of our body in handling the cold situation. There's a disruption in the blood circulation in those affected areas or there's a decrease of blood flow in those areas and therefore, a decrease of oxygen and other life-sustaining elements causing our heads to ache or hurt. I heard about someone who right after playing basketball took a glass of cold water and immediately felt his teeth were being sucked down as if some suction was going on inside his body. He collapsed and brought to the hospital but thank God survived. ​But other stories were deadly. Some players didn't make it after collapsing, and they were pronounced "dead on arrival" at the hospital. So the next time you engage in sports and other activities, take only water at room temperature, or better, water that's warm or a little hot. Never drink water straight out of the fridge or with added ice. But if you can't help it, then try to cool down for a few minutes first until you're no longer gasping for air and breathing normally.
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