Cold water may not be safe after a workout. This was the case with one bodybuilder who ended up getting heart surgery after quenching his thirst with ice-cold water following a session at the gym.
Drinking Water After Gym Sent Man Into Hospital
Franklin Aribeana, 35, from Houston, Texas, had a mysterious reaction after drinking cold water following his workouts. He first collapsed from drinking cold water at the age of 18 and had been hospitalized 20 times over 15 years before physicians finally figured out his condition.
He was later diagnosed with irregular heartbeat, which doctors believed was due to drinking cold water after workouts. Doing so reportedly caused the organ to beat too quickly and irregularly. They identified his condition as atrial fibrillation.
Aribeana recounted sipping cold water while playing golf one hot summer day. According to him, shortly after taking a sip, he had palpitations out of his chest.
He remembered how they removed his shirt, and he could reportedly see his heart "literally pounding out." The bodybuilder said he passed out shortly after.
"As I'm drinking the water, I feel probably the most noticeable thud in my chest. I'd never experienced it before," he recounted.
He was previously diagnosed with heart enlargement and arrhythmia, a different type of irregular heartbeat.
It took over a decade for doctors to diagnose his condition correctly. They believed the cold water irritated the vagus nerve that connects the heart and brain, triggering atrial fibrillation.
It might result from the diving reflex, which occurs when someone is exposed to cold water. It slows the heart rate and constricts the blood vessels to preserve oxygen.
The experts said the condition could prompt the heart to beat too fast, resulting in dizziness, shortness of breath, and tiredness. The condition also increases one's risk of stroke by five times.
The doctors addressed Aribeana's condition with an ablation. The procedure seeks to stop some heart rhythm abnormalities by obstructing the heart's electrical channels, in this case, through the vagus nerve.
Aribeana hasn't had any complications after the surgery and can now drink water without any problem.
What Is Atrial Fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is a cardiac disorder that results in an erratic and frequently unusually rapid heart rate.
When you're at rest, your heart rate should be regular, between 60 to 100 beats per minute.
Atrial fibrillation is characterized by an erratic heartbeat, which can occasionally be relatively fast. It can occasionally be significantly more than 100 beats per minute. One will recognize this since their heart is hammering, fluttering, or beating erratically, usually for a few seconds or, in some situations, several minutes. This condition is known as palpitations.
Atrial fibrillation can occasionally have no symptoms, and the patient is ignorant that their heart rate is abnormal.
One should see a doctor if they experience any of the following:
- Chest pain that comes and goes
- Chest pain that goes away quickly but leaves you worried
- Sudden change in your heartbeat
- Heart rate is consistently lower than 60 or above 100, and feeling dizzy or experiencing shortness of breath.
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