How many of you drink cold water early in the morning? About 79% of people prefer drinking cold water early in the morning, especially on hotter days or just after a workout, as it acts as a refreshment. It is necessary to consume 2.5 liters of water a day as it helps with dehydration but, most importantly, with digestion and metabolism.
For several years, there has been debate about whether cold water is better or warm water; they both have their set of advantages and disadvantages. Warm water is proven to improve the blood circulation and digestion of a person; Hence, it is recommended to drink a glass of warm water the first thing you wake up.
Cold water helps our body in cooling down when we have a fever; it also helps us as a refreshment after a workout; however, some people think that consuming cold water can affect the digestion process leading to constipation and also weaken our immune system, so let’s find out the risk factors of drinking cold water in the morning.
Indigestion
Drinking cold water in the morning can lead to the contraction of blood muscles after digestion which hinders the natural process of our stomach’s responsibility of absorbing the nutrients that are required for our body. After consuming cold water, your body now needs to invest more energy to regulate back to the original body temperature, which affects and stops digestion for a while. It can also affect the body’s ability to break down fat effectively, making it difficult to lose weight and cause constipation.
Weakening of the immune system
Several studies suggest that cold water affects our immune system. While drinking warm water improves one’s metabolism, cold water, on the other hand, harms our immune system as it weakens the ability of our white blood cells to fight off viruses and bacteria. Cold water can affect the inability of our body to warm itself, and it can also lead to ‘cold stress’.
Tooth sensitivity
US experts from McCarl Dental Group from Maryland report that some people suffer from intense pain or dull discomfort after having cold water. When the protective layer of tooth enamel wears down, it exposes the soft inner part of teeth, which can lead to tooth sensitivity when triggered by some cold drink or cold food; Hence, if you already have tooth sensitivity, it is often instructed to avoid anything cold.
Headache
Department of Neuroscience from the hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, reported from their research that around 7.6% of women experience headaches after consuming 150ml of ice-cold water. Drinking cold water also causes a ‘brain freeze’ which can be very painful. People with sinus are the most vulnerable to headaches; Hence, they are often advised to avoid cold water. Several studies have been conducted on this matter, proving that for women who already suffer from intense migraines once or twice a year, their symptoms seem to increase twice as compared to before after drinking cold water.
Nasal mucus thickening
In the study conducted in 1978 by the American College of chest physicians, it was found that thickening of nasal mucus was common to occur after drinking cold water; the cold temperature of the water led to a reflex of our body producing more mucus. This increased mucus production would be a reason for colds and flu to occur so frequently. Cold water consumption also causes the blood vessels of our throat to narrow, causing sore throat.
Achalasia
Yutang Ren from China’s Union Medical College Hospital stated that cold water consumption increases the chances of Achalasia. Cold water damages the nerves present in the esophagus, which is a muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach; damage in the esophagus triggers the occurrence of Achalasia.
There is not much scientific evidence on the risk factors of drinking cold water in the morning; however, there is still little scientific research that discusses the risk factors of cold-water consumption. It is now proven that drinking cold water hinders our digestion and causes constipation, headaches, mucus production, etc.