# Hard to breathe whern suddenly cold? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 15, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922 "2003-06-15T00:05:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nitek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@nitek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitek)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922/1 "2003-06-15T00:05:13Z")
Why is that when one jumps in cold lake or steps into a cold shower its hard to breath? ---
**Author:** ![milk\_milk\_lemonade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@milk\_milk\_lemonade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milk_milk_lemonade)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922/2 "2003-06-15T00:59:33Z")
Survival reflex - it’s cold, get outta here! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922/3 "2003-06-15T09:58:54Z")
It can also be a sign of asthma. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922/4 "2003-06-15T13:46:51Z")
I’ve noticed this too. In the shower, place the water on cold and put your face in directly with the shower. It is hard as hell to breath. \*And I don’t have asthma. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922/5 "2003-06-15T15:03:17Z")
I think your lungs compress to save oxygen for your brain. I always wondered about this cause I surf in cold water. I wish Cec would write about it. ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922/6 "2003-06-15T17:06:20Z")
I’ve always found it easier to breath cold air than warm air. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922/7 "2003-06-15T22:46:00Z")
This is, I think, the so-called diving reflex (I say “so-called” because you don’t need to dive to stimulate it). There are receptors on the face that when they are suddenly immersed in cold water or are covered with ice packs cause the body to react: the airways are constricted, breathing motions inhibited, heart rate slowed and blood flow to the extremities reduced. Warm water does not have the same effect. The effect is found in many (if not all) terrestrial mammals, but is much stronger in aquatic mammals. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922/8 "2003-06-16T02:05:23Z")
Mammalian dive reflex. To reduce the effect when rapidly entering cold water, shut your mouth, and cover your neck by hunching you shoulders up and your chin down. ---
**Author:** ![stypticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@stypticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stypticus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-breathe-whern-suddenly-cold/181922/9 "2003-06-16T02:27:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ParentalAdvisory \* > \*\*I’ve noticed this too. In the shower, place the water on cold and put your face in directly with the shower. It is hard as hell to breath. > \*\* I always found it difficult to breathe with my face in the shower stream, regardless of temperature. But maybe you’ve got gills. Kidding aside, I have quite some trouble entering cold water. When the water reaches my chest, my breath catches and my chest tenses, sometimes so much so that my chest muscles are sore for some time afterwards. Often the process causes me to inhale, which may have to do with the dive reflex people are mentioning – get air while you still can! It happens in cool water too; usually I acclimatise and am able to swim after a while.