When the summer sun is scorching, nothing seems more refreshing than a cold bottle of water to cool you down. We all know that drinking too much water quickly, especially in the sun, isn’t a good idea. However, Adam Schaub didn’t think that just two bottles of cold water could cause him to collapse face-first on the ground, leaving his body in total shock.
This happened while he and his dad were working outside in sweltering 100-degree weather and took a short break. Adam shared his experience in a Facebook post, which has now been shared over 600,000 times. He wanted to issue an urgent warning to make people think twice about gulping down cold water to beat the summer heat.
In his post, Adam explained the situation:
“PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
We’ve all heard not to drink really cold water in the heat, but many of us haven’t heard why or experienced it ourselves. Cold water is good, so how could it be bad? Well, yesterday I found out. We were out working in 100° weather (which is not a good idea in itself) when my dad noticed my face turning red and suggested I take a break. I immediately grabbed a cold bottle of water and drank it. After doing a bit more work, he recommended I get in the truck and blast the air conditioning. In the truck, I drank some more cold water (another bottle) and very shortly started feeling strange. I began seeing spots, my stomach got extremely nauseous, and my hands and feet started tingling. I felt like I was going to throw up, so I opened the truck door, and the next thing I know, I’m face first on the ground, and my dad’s rolling me over and wiping off my face. He said my eyes had rolled back a bit, and I didn’t come to for a few minutes. The EMT arrived and asked what was going on. Immediately, the guy knew what had happened.”
Adam learned from the EMT that when you’re really hot and you gulp down a bottle of cold water, it can shock your body. Your body thinks your stomach is getting too cold, so it sends warm blood there. This can make you lose consciousness. The EMT advised that while cold water is good, it should be sipped slowly. If you need to rehydrate quickly, room temperature water is better. Adam wanted to share this experience to help others stay safe in the summer heat. He emphasized that drinking water throughout the day and staying hydrated is crucial. However, if you make a mistake like he did, don’t repeat it.
He added a disclaimer that he’s not a doctor, and his experience shouldn’t replace advice from a healthcare professional. He urged people to consult their own doctors for guidance. Nonetheless, he wanted to share his story so that others could benefit from his mishap as summer approaches.
