When we wake up in the morning, most of us head to the kitchen and prefer to start our day with a warm cup of tea or coffee. However, when it comes to water, we usually prefer getting the cold one. But is cool water always the best option?
Drinking warm water first thing in the morning (or even the whole day) can give you numerous health benefits. Knowing them one by one will help you decide to grab warm water instead of what we get used to quench our thirst every time we head to the fridge.
1. Relieves pain
As warm water increases blood flow to the tissues, it can act as an excellent natural aid to provide relief from pain. Drinking warm water can help soothe dry, irritated or swollen throats. Warm water will reduce the swelling in the throat and help to temporarily relieve pain. This helps during those mornings when you wake up with a dry throat and it hurts to swallow. You will notice a reduction in pain almost immediately after taking the first sip. Warm water also relaxes the muscles of the stomach and soothes any cramps.
2. Improves digestion
Warm water prepares your body for best absorption of food throughout the day. Drinking a glass of warm water in the morning before eating will help activate the colon to move your bowels more easily and helps avoid indigestion. It also helps stimulate blood flow to the intestine and helps prevent constipation.
3. Enhances blood circulation
When you drink a glass of warm water, fat deposits and toxins circulating in the blood are eliminated from the body. It also helps improve blood circulation in your body and lowers your risk of various health complications due to the presence of toxins in your blood.
4. Helps in weight loss
By drinking warm water, there is a slight increase in your body temperature, which in turn accelerates your metabolic rate. Being a zero calorie drink, warm water prevents hunger pangs and also satiates your senses, making it an excellent weight loss aid.
5. Detoxifies your body
Not many people know that warm water acts as a potent potion to cleanse your body by flushing out harmful toxins through your sweat and urine. This in turn flushes out the toxins trapped in your body.
6. Prevents premature ageing
In addition to cleansing your body of toxins, warm water increases your skin’s elasticity and enhances its ability to perform repairs, thereby reducing the signs of premature ageing such as wrinkles, dry skin and dark patches.
7. Helps relieve the symptoms of cough and cold
An effective natural way to get rid of a cough, cold and sore throat is by drinking warm water. It acts as a natural expectorant by aiding in the expulsion of phlegm from the respiratory tract and providing instant relief from respiratory ailments. You can also combat nasal congestion by drinking warm water or through steam inhalation.
8. Acts as an excellent post-workout drink
It’s time to replace your energy drink with warm water post workout. Drinking warm water after a strenuous workout not only replenishes vitamins and minerals in your body (by maintaining the electrochemical balance in your body) but also re hydrates you, and kick starts your metabolic process. In addition to this, warm water continues the calorie burning process post-workout, aiding in speeding up the weight loss process.
9. Induces sleep
Sipping warm water during your meals (especially during dinner) or before going to bed, not only aids in digestion and cleansing your body of toxins but also helps your body relax and soothes your nerves. Additionally, it will also make you feel rejuvenated in the morning and prevent midnight cravings.
10. Protects against skin infections
Apart from rejuvenating skin cells, daily consumption of warm water detoxifies your skin, thereby lowering your risk of skin-related ailments. The rule of drinking at least eight glasses of warm water daily holds true in dealing with acne. Warm water helps unclog your pores and flushes out the toxins present within the skin. Additionally, it also acts as a natural moisturiser for dry and parched skin.
Not convinced yet? Okay, drinking cold water especially when you’re feeling hot in a high humidity country like ours is really heavenly. It can help you cool down within seconds. But do you know what it actually does to your body?
- When you drink cold water, your body has to expend energy to warm up the water in order to use it.
- Cold water constricts blood vessels, thus reducing hydration and its ability to absorb.
- Drinking cold water solidifies the fats in your food, causing your body to have to work harder in digesting the food.
- Cold water creates excess mucus in your respiratory system. When your lungs get congested, you are more susceptible to various infections and chances of a throat infection are higher.
So what can I offer you? Coffee, tea, cold water or warm water? 🙂
Paolo is your regular 8 to 5pm work guy who loves to travel and plays sports once in a while to keep up with his work-life balance. He always bring with him his Oleia Topical oil wherever, whenever.
