When it’s hot out, it’s easy to just reach for a nice big glass of ice water to relieve the heat and help you cool down.
But ice water in itself has been suspected of having detrimental effects on health for centuries, and now, with modern research, we’ve found that these beliefs may just be true.
Here are the eight reasons that drinking ice water may be bad for you.
1. It doesn’t quench the thirst
Believe it or not, no matter how much of that ice cold water you down, you’re going to still feel thirsty shortly after.
This is because cold water actually causes the blood vessels to shrink, which in turn makes you more dehydrated. And on top of that, being dehydrated lessens oxygen and blood flow, so it’s not healthy overall.
2. It causes your heart rate to drop
Extremely cold temperatures cause a reaction in the vagus nerve, which is a nerve that is located on your back and runs down the neck.
It sends a message to the heart to slow down so the body can get its temperature back to normal.
3. It can make you gain weight
Ice water on its own can’t make you gain weight, as it doesn’t contain any calories.
However, cold water causes the body to slow its digestive process due to the drop in body temperature, which in turn makes it more difficult to break down fats. If you’re gunning to lose weight, this can mess up your efforts.
4. It affects digestion
Similarly to our previous point, ice water causes food to solidify. This can lead to digestive issues like nausea, stomach upsets, bloating, abdominal pain and even constipation.
For this reason, you shouldn’t reach for ice water right after eating a meal.
5. It can trigger a migraine
No one enjoys migraines, but iced water doesn’t just give brain freeze – it can cause longer headaches and even very painful and intense migraines.
The nerves can get upset through the sudden intake of a cold beverage, especially since the mouth cannot work fast enough to absorb cold.
6. It makes you tired
In order to warm up the cold liquid you’ve consumed and bring the body’s temperature back to normal, the body needs to use extra energy.
This can lead to you feeling tired soon after drinking ice water. So if you’re exercising, never opt for cold water, no matter how much you’re sweating!
7. It closes and constricts skin
We all know that warm or hot water opens up the pore and cold water helps to close them back up. Still, you should stick to applying cold water directly on the face, not drinking it.
When you drink cold water, the skin constricts and this is bad for your skin’s health.
Drinking warm water can actually boost the circulation of blood and make your skin look healthy, bright, and glowing.
8. It irritates the throat
Ice water blocks off the sinuses by coaxing the body into secreting more mucus.
The body’s defense system then kicks into gear, telling you you’re uncomfortable and often causing irritation and scratchiness in the throat as if you have a cold.
