Why is it that when humans enter a cold pool or take a cold shower, the moment the water hits their body they begin hyperventilating? We are also left gasping for air after drinking cold water.
In: Biology
There’s a Wikipedia article on this I found quite interesting because I didn’t think it was a ‘thing’ so to speak. But humans basically have a inherent instinct when their face touches water that’s colder than the air around them, as a protective measure.
It triggers a response that diverts all oxygen to our main organs, like there is an emergency (our body presumes drowning) and our body needs to prioritize the vital things the most. Stuff like external limbs are basically restricted since they’re not necessarily for our survival in the moment. The initial gasp is a reaction to that emergency – get as much oxygen as possible before we go under basically.
It’s called the ‘mammalian diving reflex’. It’s actually the reason when humans are stressed, splashing our face with water is so effective, the reflex forces our hearts to slow to conserve oxygen because it thinks we’re going under.
It’s not ELI5 but here’s a more specific explanation on Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_reflex#:~:text=The%20diving%20reflex%2C%20also%20known,breathing%20vertebrates%20studied%20to%20date.
Your brain thinks you are going to drown, so it’s trying to get all the oxygen it can.
While it (your brain) is going to run through reasonable alternatives (like drinking water, swimming, or taking a shower) it will always prepare your body for the worst case scenario.
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