We all love some cold drinks or water to refresh and cool our body especially during a hectic and sunny day.
Even though cold drinks or water has many health benefits, drinking ice water or cold water can only give temporary relief and drinking ice water regularly has its downside. When we drink ice-cold water, juice, or any ice-cold fluids, we create the basis for chronic diseases.
As rewarding as drinking cold water can be, it could come with serious health consequences. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t drink ice or cold water:
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Decreases your heart rate: Drinking ice water or cold water decreases your heart rate. Studies have shown that drinking ice water stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve and is an important part of the body’s autonomous nervous system that controls involuntary actions of the body. The vagus nerve mediates the lowering of the heart rate and the low temperatures of ice cold water act as a stimulus to the nerve which causes the heart rate to drop.
Slows down digestion: Drinking ice water or cold water hampers the process of digesting food as it causes your blood vessels to shrink. This can slow down the process of digestion and as the food is not digested properly, the nutrients are lost or not absorbed by the body.
Shortage of nutrients: The body’s temperature is 37o C and when you drink something at a very low temperature, your body has to spend energy to regulate its temperature. This spent energy is otherwise used to digest food and absorb nutrients, thereby leaving your body short of nutrition.
May lead to sore throat: Drinking cold water can cause the buildup of respiratory mucosa, which is a protective layer of the respiratory tract. When this layer gets congested, the respiratory tract is exposed and becomes vulnerable to various infections and hence the chances of your throat turning sore are high.
