While a glass of ice water can sound incredibly refreshing, it turns out that there are a number of reasons why drinking warm or even hot water is far more beneficial.
Pain relief
Drinking warm or hot water has a soothing effect on the muscles of the abdomen and can provide relief from menstrual and other abdominal cramping, as well as muscle spasms.
Boost your weight loss
By drinking a cup of hot water first thing in the morning, you can jump-start your metabolism. Warm water increases body temperature and increases the rate at which your metabolism burns calories.
If you add some lemon to your morning cup of hot water or tea, it helps to lower the activity of free radicals and increases the breaking down of body fat, also known as adipose tissue. The pectin fiber of the lemon can also help reduce food cravings.
Prevent premature aging
Drinking warm water helps to flush compounds from the body that can accelerate aging. It also improves skin elasticity by aiding in cellular repair.
Clear nasal and throat congestion
Hot water is a wonderful natural treatment for colds. It can naturally dissolve phlegm and clear your airways. It not only clears out nasal congestion, but it also soothes sore throat symptoms as well.
Prevent constipation
Hot water can help you to maintain bowel movement regularity. Dehydration is a frequent cause of recurring constipation problems. Not to mention that the movement of the bowel slows down as it fills up. The hot water can finish breaking down food remnants and flush them through the intestines.
Aid your digestive process
It is believed that drinking cold water during a meal might promote hardening of oils in the food and lead to a fat deposit in the intestine. As mentioned previously, warm water boosts metabolism and aids the digestive process.
Detoxification
The act of drinking hot water naturally raises the temperature of the body. As the body temperature rises it activates the process of sweating, which flushes toxins out of the body through the pores of the skin. The extra hydration also helps the function of the kidneys to flush waste material out of the body, along with toxins.
Improve your outlook
According to Dr. Michael Wald, the director of Nutritional Services at Integrated Medicine and Nutrition in Mount Kisco, New York, consuming hot water activates receptors found in the stomach, esophagus, intestines, and mouth which stimulate pleasure regions of the brain.
Maintain balance in the body
Practitioners of Chinese Medicine believe that drinking warm water that is similar to the temperature of the body maintains balance. They believe that extremes of either hot or cold throw off the body’s yin and yang. Imbalances are believed to be responsible for symptoms like chills, depression, thirst, “foggy” thinking, sleepiness, bloating, and more.
Enhance blood circulation
Drinking warm water breaks down fat deposits that are present in the body and blood stream. The warmth increases the flow of blood circulation and promotes the removal of toxins. The increased circulation induces muscle relaxation, which can reduce pain.
Clearly there are many benefits of drinking warm water. Don’t forget the added payoff if you drink it as tea or with the addition of lemon.