The digestion cut is one of the terms that are heard the most in summer, especially among bathers. But it is not used well, since it happens with sudden changes in temperature and not with a stop in digestion.
“You must wait at least two hours to bathe, because otherwise you will have a digestion cut.” It is the expression most used every summer by those who go to the beach or the pool. A belief that has been installed in our ideology for decades and that affects how dangerous it is to take a bath just after having eaten, since a digestion cut can occur.
But is there a digestion cut? The answer is no . As specialists point out, this term has no scientific basis and has nothing to do with an error in the digestive system, since there is no stop switch for digestion. So the appropriate concepts are hydrocution syndrome or thermodifferential shock . According to the bulletin of the National Institute of Health Management , published by the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, these concepts explain “death by immersion in a liquid before it passes into the lungs. It is, therefore, a submersion-inhibition syndrome ”.
Why is the digestion cut off?
With regard to the causes that cause it, said bulletin remarks that there are three options. The first maintains that it can appear as “a consequence of an inhibitory reflex of respiration and circulation, producing a severe vasoconstriction, triggered by the sudden contact of the skin with cold water, which would cause a hemodynamic shock.” Explained in another way, it consists of a reaction of the body caused as a consequence of the change in temperature between our body and that of the water. For this reason, specialists recommend getting into the water little by little, so that the body adapts, not spending a lot of time in the sun before bathing, not doing physical exercise in advance or eating a lot.
However, it can be “a sudden discharge of histamine – a molecule found in mast cells, the increase of which (histaminosis) causes varied symptoms, playing an essential role in digestion – and related substances.” In this case, the state of the digestive system is not a trigger, but it does predispose. Hence, “the regularity with which this type of situation occurs during the summer, when bathers enter the water after having eaten and producing the well-known digestion cut”.
The last cause is related to the vagal or vagus nerve stimulation produced by the contact of cold water with the nasopharyngeal mucosa, which causes a laryngeal spasm –the vocal cords close abruptly– ”. As a result, there is obstruction of the airways , which temporarily prevents speech and breathing, and can cause drowning.
Symptoms of digestion cut
There is a set of symptoms that warn that we are facing a hydrocution syndrome: dizziness, redness of the skin, vomiting , excessive sweating , blurred vision, and, in extreme cases, loss of consciousness . In many situations, they appear suddenly , without the person being able to react, causing death by drowning. In changes, in other situations they can be detected. When this is the case, specialists advise getting out of the water quickly and lying down to enhance the redistribution of blood flow, so that the body can return to normal temperature. In less severe cases, it is advisable to drink water.
How to prevent digestion cut-off
To avoid a digestion cut, specialists recommend entering the water little by little so that the body can adapt, especially if we have been sunbathing or doing sports before.
