When most people are extremely thirsty, the first thing they do is find a glass of nice and cool water. Coldwater can be pleasing, but is it better to drink room temperature water instead? There are many ways to stay hydrated and enhance the benefits of drinking water, and drinking room temperature water can provide you with more health benefits.
Why Does Water Temperature Matter?
Many say that it is best to drink a cup of hot water with a few slices of lemon. This can do wonders to your health and immune system, from jumpstarting the digestion process to boosting metabolism. This little trick also delivers immune-benefitting vitamin C into your system.
The temperature of the beverages you consume for the rest of the day can also determine the rate your cells hydrate, how quickly you cool down after a workout and even the blood flow. The reason athletes are recommended to drink cold water after training is that it helps cool down their body’s core temperature, helping restore equilibrium.
Similarly, Chinese medicine and Ayurveda have a history of using water temperature to help heal a person, recover, and even fight infections. The Ayurveda further shows that besides temperature, the speed and position of drinking, whether standing up or sitting as we sip, too affects the body.
Warm Items Ease Digestive Functioning
According to ayurvedic practitioners, it is not just water, but the temperature of other things we consume that impacts the digestive systems functioning in our body. Drinking cold liquid slows down the digestive system as a whole. It restricts blood flow in the stomach and intestines while also slowing down the enzyme secretion, resulting in a slower metabolism and lymphatic stagnation.
However, the consumption of warm or room temperature water has an exactly opposite effect on the body as it not only increases the blood circulation in the digestive tract but also stimulates ‘digestive fire,’ also known as ‘Agni.’. A weakened ‘Agni’ can result in an upset digestive functioning from interference inadequately processing the food to accumulation of toxins in the body, leading to several diseases.
What’s more, drinking ice-cold water has even been compared to dumping a bucket full of ice over a bonfire, given how it requires extra energy expenditure to keep the digestion process going.
Water At Room Temperature Is Easier To Digest And Promotes Gut Mobility
Optimal drinking water temperature is known to maintain homeostasis in your gut. Warm water becomes easier to digest for your stomach because it is close to the temperature of your internal organs. However, even drinking water at room temperature is equally beneficial as it does not interrupt the body’s optimal state, nor does it interfere in the process of food absorption.
But that’s not all. The fact has been studied on patients who had undergone abdominal surgery, among other conditions such as functional dyspepsia that result in slower gut movement. Hot meals for such patients have proven beneficial in accelerating bowel movement and gastric emptying. For example, gut mobility, or the passing of food efficiently from your gut, is also assisted when you drink warm water over cold.
Warm/Room Temperature Water Boosts Metabolism And Helps In Weight Loss
Based on a study on normal-weighted participants, seven men and seven women, those who drank 16 ounces of room temperature water had a whopping 30% increase in their metabolic rates in just ten minutes. In comparison, the peak of energy production reached within 30-40 minutes after drinking.
While for women, carbohydrates were the primary energy source, in men, it was lipids that fueled the metabolic rates. Since the study suggests that drinking warm or room temperature water mobilizes fat or carbs, anyone who wants to lose a few pounds must fill themselves with a tall glass of water right away, boosting your metabolism.
Is Cold Water Bad?
No, drinking cold water is not bad. There are times one craves cold liquid to quench thirst, and it is perfectly alright. There are even certain benefits of cold or room temperature water. While it certainly helps to drink room temperature or warm water whenever possible, it does not mean you have to stop drinking cold water.
A study suggests that cold water leaves the body faster than warm water, making rehydration faster. It also helps the body get to average temperatures much quicker after an intense workout session to avoid overheating.
Coldwater VS. Hot Water
You do not need to struggle to understand when to drink warm or cold water, as drinking more water is the first and foremost thing to do despite the temperature. However, if you are willing to take a step forward, begin by drinking room temperature or hot water with and around the meals to ease digestion and metabolism, not to mention the morning cup of warm lemon water. As for the cold water, try having a mug full right after your workout session to see how you feel after.
Conclusion
While the above items are just a few prime reasons to switch to warm or room temperature water daily, there are several other benefits. From treating cold and flu symptoms to aiding nasal congestion, there is an endless list to it.
However, you do not need to bring it into the habit at once and avoid cold water when thirsty or even when it is a hot day outside. Instead, your prime focus must be to stay hydrated, irrespective of the temperature of the water.