Splash cold water on your face.
It works!
It works!
Did you know that when someone falls into icy cold water face first, an instinct to preserve life takes over, slowing the heart and redirecting blood to the heart and brain.
This innate response called the mammalian diving reflex, is actually present in all mammals.
(Yes, we are mammals.)
When we plunge face first into very cold water (well below 70 degrees Fahrenheit), the body responds with an immediate slowing of the heart and a redirection of blood to the vital organs in an attempt to survive. This is one reason why some people, especially children, have been successfully resuscitated after being submerged in an icy lake for 30, 40, or more minutes.
Plunging a patient’s face into ice water was also used in ERs not too long ago as a way to slow an abnormally rapid heart rhythm. Today we have medicine to do that job.
This innate response called the mammalian diving reflex, is actually present in all mammals.
(Yes, we are mammals.)
When we plunge face first into very cold water (well below 70 degrees Fahrenheit), the body responds with an immediate slowing of the heart and a redirection of blood to the vital organs in an attempt to survive. This is one reason why some people, especially children, have been successfully resuscitated after being submerged in an icy lake for 30, 40, or more minutes.
Plunging a patient’s face into ice water was also used in ERs not too long ago as a way to slow an abnormally rapid heart rhythm. Today we have medicine to do that job.
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