Drinking water is essential to a healthy body and lifestyle. Many health and skin experts agree that drinking water is important to keep your body free of toxins, make you fit and give you soft and youthful skin.
In fact, starting the day with a fresh glass of water is a routine that many health-conscious people follow daily without fail.
Well, drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning is a very good habit, but it is important to know whether it is cold or warm water that you should prefer.
Physicians recommend drinking warm water in the morning, even though it may not suit your taste buds. You can drink it plain or with a little bit of lemon juice for taste.
Drinking warm water is not limited to just the morning, either. Read on to find out how it can be helpful at other times of the day and for alleviating various ailments.
Here are the top 10 health benefits of drinking warm water.
Contents
1. Improves Digestion
To improve digestion, start drinking warm water regularly.
Tepid water stimulates the digestive gland to function properly. It helps break down the food in your stomach, so that the digestive system does not have to work as hard and it also uses less energy for the digestion process.
Plus, it helps the body get rid of excess stomach acids as well as neutralizes digestive juices.
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility reports that hot water swallows can help people with esophageal motility disorder, which causes difficulty swallowing, regurgitation of food and a spasm-type pain.
Those suffering with poor digestion should start as well as end their day with a glass of hot water.
2. Relieves Constipation
Regularly drinking warm water on an empty stomach can help regulate your bowel movements and fight constipation.
Constipation occurs due to less water content in the intestines, which causes the stools to turn hard and dry and makes them difficult to pass.
Drinking warm water helps your digestive system maintain regularity. It helps decompose any remnant food and makes bowel movements smooth and less painful. It will also reduce abdominal bloating, pain and discomfort, mostly associated with constipation.
To fight constipation, it is recommended to drink a glassful of hot or warm water every morning on an empty stomach. For added benefits, add honey or lemon juice to warm water before drinking it.
3. Soothes Sore Throat
Sore throat is a common problem characterized by pain and irritation of the throat and is caused by a cold or flu infection. Drinking warm water soothes a sore throat and makes you feel more comfortable.
The warm water helps dissolve the thick mucus and removes it from the respiratory tract.
In addition to drinking warm water, you can also drink other warm liquids like herbal teas. Plus, you can gargle with a glass of warm water mixed with ½ teaspoon of salt to treat a sore throat and throat infection.
4. Treats Nasal Congestion
Drinking warm water is an excellent natural remedy to treat nasal congestion.
Warm water will help cleanse the nasal cavities, bringing instant relief when suffering from congestion.
When you drink warm water, it loosens the mucus buildup in your nasal cavities and respiratory tract. This in turn lowers the chance that viruses or bacteria will grow there.
Also, it supports detoxification, meaning your body will be able to get rid of toxins, which in turn will accelerate the healing process.
5. Sheds Excess Pounds
Those who follow a strict diet and exercise regimen for weight loss can benefit greatly by drinking warm water rather than cold water.
Warm water increases the core body temperature, which in turn increases the metabolic rate. An increase in metabolic rate will help your body burn more calories.
Hot water even helps break down fat deposits in the body.
For added benefit, drink a glass of warm water with a little lemon juice added to it daily in the morning. It will further help break down the adipose tissue, or body fat. Plus, the pectin fiber in lemon will help control food cravings, which means you will stop munching on fatty and unhealthy foods.
6. Detoxifies Your Body
Drinking warm water can also cleanse your body by flushing out harmful toxins.
When you drink a few cups of warm water, it leads to a rise in body temperature. This makes you sweat to cool down. Sweating helps flush out toxins trapped in your body.
Daily consumption of warm water also detoxifies your skin, thereby lowering your risk of skin-related ailments like acne breakouts and skin blemishes. Drinking water, in general, is also good for the purpose of detoxification and removing impurities from the body.
For better results, add a squeeze of lemon juice to a glass of tepid water before drinking it.
7. Alleviates Menstrual Cramps
Though it sounds odd, drinking warm water can help prevent and alleviate painful menstrual cramps.
The warm water relaxes the contracting muscles in the uterus, which in turn will provide instant relief from cramps and muscle spasms.
Plus, it will help stop your body from retaining water and prevent painful bloating during menstruation.
Next time you start having menstrual cramps, drink a glass of hot water to get instant relief. You can also apply a hot water pack on the lower abdomen to ease the pain.
8. Improves Blood Circulation
Drinking some warm water will help improve blood circulation, which is important for moving blood throughout your body in order to deliver oxygen and nutrients to different tissues and organs.
Proper blood circulation also is important for proper muscle and nerve activity.
When you drink hot water, the fat deposits in the body burn and the built up deposits in the nervous system also break down. This improves blood circulation in the body and also flushes out harmful toxins.
Avoid drinking extremely cold water, as it is known to close up your veins.
9. Slows Down Aging
Drinking warm water is good for your skin as well. It helps remove toxins and other impurities from the body. The various toxins contribute to premature aging and various health problems.
Also, drinking warm water helps in repairing the skin cells, hence rejuvenating your skin and improving skin elasticity.
Add the juice of ½ lemon to a glass of warm water before drinking it to enhance its detoxifying power.
10. Induces Sleep
If you are having difficulty getting sound sleep, sipping a glass of warm water before going to bed can help you sleep like a baby.
The warm water raises your internal body temperature, which in turn relaxes your body, soothes your nerves and makes you sleepy and calm.
It also prevents midnight cravings and leads to a feeling of rejuvenation in the morning.
Important note
- Always drink tepid water, as drinking hot water can potentially be damaging to the tissues in the mouth and esophagus.
- After boiling water, allow it to cool for a few minutes before drinking.
- Always drink tepid water while eating food. When you drink cold water, your body will need more energy to increase its temperature, which detracts from the digestion process.
- Avoid drinking warm water after a workout, as the body temperature at this time is already high.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3479247/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012369215373876
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19145994
http://www.ejpmr.com/admin/assets/article_issue/1435658742.pdf
Qquiet helpful I have being drinking warm water and is helpful but is there any home remedy for uterine fibroid ? Thanks.
Good information. Must indicate chances of success