When you think about healthy water to drink, chances are hot water will be the first to pop up in your mind. Well, you must have heard, more than once, about the incredible health benefits of drinking a glass of warm water in the morning.
While some of these benefits are science-backed, others are just based on the healthy feeling people experience after drinking hot or warm water. Some people even believe that drinking hot water on a hot day can actually help cool down the body better than any cold drink.
Read on to find out if it’s true and decide which water is healthier for you.
Benefits of Drinking Hot Water
The great hot water health benefits include:
- Weight loss promotion: Many people drink hot water for weight loss. The truth is drinking hot water will not make you lose weight, however, it will help speed up the process. Hot lemon water is even more beneficial in this regard as it can fire up your metabolism, especially when consumed first thing in the morning.
- Gut care: Drinking hot water can clear out the intestines, preventing bloating and eliminating any excess water weight. Warm water can also help ease constipation.
- Home remedy for a stuffy nose: This study found that hot liquids (water, tea, soup, etc.) might help manage the fluids in upper respiratory tract infections better than cold liquids.
- Elimination of toxins: When you drink hot water, your body temperature rises, thus stimulating sweating and toxin elimination.
- Muscle relaxation: Unlike drinking cold water, warm water boosts blood flow to the tissues, allowing muscles to relax. This can help ease all types of body pains.
- Dental care: Warm water takes better care of your teeth (just think of what drinking iced water does to your teeth.) Plus, it is more easily absorbed than cold water.
Benefits of Drinking Cold Water
The major benefit of drinking cold water is helping keep the body from overheating during exercise, in addition to improving the workout session. This is likely because the cold water helps the body maintain a lower temperature.
In fact, drinking plain water, be it warm or cold, has been proven to offer the body extra energy throughout the day.
Cold water VS hot water: what are the risks?
Drinking hot or warm water has been linked to decreased thirst, which can be risky, especially when you’re sweating and losing body water. So it’s wise to keep in mind that drinking warm water will make you feel less thirsty than usual. Moreover, drinking water that’s too hot can burn your tongue, taste buds, and even the tissue in your esophagus. Never drink boiling water!
On the other hand, drinking cooled-down water has been proven to be best for rehydration.
Generally, drinking warm water doesn’t have any harmful effects on the body. But to stay on the safe side, it’s important not to drink water (or any other liquid) that’s too hot nor drink too much water. Over-hydrating can lead to a dangerous imbalance of electrolytes that can result in cardiac issues and other health problems.
As for drinking cold water, you should better avoid it when you’re having a cold or flu, or if you have digestive problems.
So what’s the healthiest water to drink?
While drinking cold water is generally more frowned upon, there isn’t much evidence to support that it’s bad. On the other hand, warm water is linked to a lot of health benefits.
In fact, drinking cold water has the same benefits as drinking room-temperature water; those are keeping you hydrated and energized. But it can be more beneficial to drink warm water if you’re trying to lose weight or improve your digestion.
The bottom line is, both cold and warm water are healthy when consumed according to your body’s needs.
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