Benefits of Drinking Warm Water and Avoiding Cold Water
Water is the healing potion of nature. It helps our body regulate bodily functions and guards our well-being. But did you know that warm water is even more beneficial for your health? Yes, you read that right. Drinking warm water has hundreds of health benefits. But the same cannot be said for ice-cold water.
Drinking cold water creates more problems for your body than it solves. Since our body is not accustomed to deal with ice-cold water, it can make our organs work a lot harder to keep up. Most people would benefit significantly from decreasing their consumption of cold water.
But don’t take my word for it. Let us explore the benefits of drinking warm water and avoiding cold water.
Advantages of Drinking Warm Water
1. Warm water helps with Nasal Congestion
Warm water generates steam, which in turn can loosen clogged sinus inside our body. Since our body has mucous membranes in our internal organs, warm water can help the buildup move along. It can usually cure any discomfort caused by nasal congestion and even fix a sinus headache.
Lukewarm water also helps our body battle cold symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, and a blocked nose.
2. Warm water improves digestion
Lukewarm water helps in digestion by facilitating the movement of undigested food. When the water moves through our stomach and intestines, it cleans out the path it travels. Although this theory is still in the works, there are numerous pieces of evidence supporting this cause.
Apart from this, a study in 2016 indicates that warm water helps our intestines with regulating digestion movements. However, you should try drinking warm water to see if it works out for you.
3. Warm water will relieve you from constipation
Dehydration is a leading cause of constipation. Although other factors also contribute to constipation, most cases can be easily combatted by following simple techniques, like drinking warm water after regular intervals. As mentioned above, warm water aids digestion.
Drinking warm water also helps to keep bowel movements regular.
4. Warm water is excellent for hydration
Warm water is just as good as normal water for hydration. But if you are bored with normal water and want to jazz things up a bit, warm water is a great choice. The added benefits of warm water should be enough to make a person switch to warm water. There is a lot of speculation about the difference in hydration with warm water since the results vary from person to person.
However, if you do notice a difference, it is your call.
5. Warm water reduces cold shivers
Warm water is best for pumping heat into the human body. The human body responds positively to most warm fluids as they travel throughout our body while maintaining their lukewarm temperature. A study in 2017 experimented with various individuals and closely monitored their body temperatures in response to the varying temperatures of fluids.
The research proves that drinking hot water should also help with meeting the body’s immediate heat requirements.
Disadvantages of Drinking Cold Water
1. Coldwater slows down digestion
Coldwater causes blood vessels to contract. Hence, when water passes through our stomach and intestines, it slows down the process of absorption of nutrients. Furthermore, the cold water dilutes the acid action for digestion. It takes a lot of energy to digest the remaining food and ultimately leave the person feeling bloated and gassy.
Just like warm water helps our body warm-up, cold water brings down our body’s temperature. The body redirects energy reserved for digestion to take care of the heat problem, which also slows the body’s digestive actions.
2. Coldwater negatively shocks our body
One should avoid drinking cold water after strenuous activities. For example, a workout generates a lot of heat in the human body. When cold water enters our system, our body is confused with the temperature differences of the body’s inner and outer surfaces, and this change takes a toll on a person’s digestive health.
In addition to this, our body does not absorb chilled water. Also, many people claim to suffer from stomachaches after drinking cold water.
3. Coldwater often results in a sore throat
A sore throat is often the result of drinking too much cold water. When cold water passes through our body, it can result in the production of mucus. When this lining of mucus along the respiratory tract becomes congested, it leaves the body susceptible to various inflammatory diseases. It often leaves the person with cold symptoms like a sore throat and a stuffy nose.
Therefore, it is advisable to avoid cold water as much as possible.
4. Coldwater can interfere with the breakdown of fats
Experts state that one should never drink cold water after a meal, as it interferes with the breakdown of fats in our body. r Fat globules break down into smaller fat globules through the action of digestive enzymes. But when cold water enters the equation, these enzymes have a hard time acting upon the fat.
The low temperature of water solidifies the fat, which ultimately leads to improper fat breakdown.
5. Coldwater can result in a decreased heart rate
Coldwater can also result in a decreased heartbeat. Since the water passes through our body, it can touch the tenth cranial nerve, i.e., the vagus nerve. This nerve is responsible for regulating involuntary functions, including the pumping rate of our heart. Hence, cold water slows down our heart rate, and it pumps less blood through our body.
In a way, cold water can interfere with the circulation of our extremities.
Conclusion
While warm and cold water has its benefits and disadvantages, drinking warm water Pros outweigh the Cons. We can conclude that drinking cold water does more harm than good. The main advantages of drinking warm water revolve around the digestive benefits it offers. On the contrary, cold water is very harmful for digestion, mainly because it dilutes our organs’ internal actions.
