The disadvantage of cold water to drink.
Summer is almost here and most of us are guilty of coming home and directly heading towards the fridge for some cold water as a relief from the scorching heat outside. Even though ice has many health
1. Interferes with your 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.
2. Robs you 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.
3. Increases your chances of getting a 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.
4. 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 drop1.
How drinking water health
It's pretty common knowledge that drinking enough water is essential to detoxification, healthy metabolism, & overall health. The usual figure given is about 8 glasses of water (64 ounces or about 1.8 liters) for an adult, though this varies based on climate, lifestyle, physical condition, and exercise habits. This water calculator is a useful tool for getting an idea of how much water is needed per day.
Drinking water at the correct time maximizes the positive effects on the human body:
• 2 glasses of water after waking up helps activate internal organs. It's best to sip and not chug these, and if two feels like too much, just drink one.
• 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal (but not any closer to eating time!) helps digestion.
• 1 glass of water before taking a bath helps lower blood pressure.
• 1 glass of water before going to bed is also beneficial for cardiovascular health.