Drinking Warm Water Versus Cold Water?
Think in terms of ease of absorption, cohesiveness, synergy, flow, flexibility, and effective ancient medical practices.
Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine – both ancient modalities – promote drinking warm water for good reason.
There are fantastic health benefits to drinking warm water versus cold and once you begin, you won’t go back.
Drink Your Water Warm for a High-Level Health Practice
For individuals serious about their health and interested in how the human body works, drinking warm water versus cold water is an easy, high-level health practice.
Consider for a moment how Chinese restaurants serve hot tea with meals. Hot tea is a cultural practice with an ancient Chinese medicine philosophy.
At times, it is best for our bodies to have cold water. I will explain in a bit.
Let’s first learn about the five benefits of drinking warm water.
Iced Drinks Are Actually Freezing
Water or any beverage with ice in it is 32 Degrees Fahrenheit/0 Degrees Celsius. The freezing point of water.
Therefore, drinking beverages with ice are like drinking fully frozen water (if it were possible).
Think about how this would impact your organs and overall body functioning. Seems a bit shocking to your system, doesn’t it?
Kitchen Tip. You can test your thermometer calibration with iced water. Set your thermometer in ice water to see if it balances at the freezing point.
Cold Versus Warm
- Cold water contracts, congeals and stagnates
- Warm water expands, liquifies, and flows
- Cold water shocks and tightens
- Warm water soothes and relaxes
Symptoms of Drinking Cold Water
- indigestion
- constipation
- bloating
- stomach pain
- stress on the body
- holding stress in the abdominal area
- fatigue from organs not functioning smoothly and having to work too hard
- feelings of depression
Five Benefits of Drinking Water Warm
One. Improved Digestion
Warm water works easily with your body to dissolve and dissipate foods you’ve eaten that your body might have trouble digesting.
Warm water calms and stimulates your digestive organs acting as a welcome lubricant. Waste that was trapped in your intestines is able to pass out of your body. Therefore, this is especially helpful when you are constipated.
Due to fluctuating hormones, women tend to be prone to constipation. As warm water moves easily through your spleen, stomach, and intestines, your organs are better hydrated and able to eliminate waste with less effort.
Less effort = less stress, less tension.
Oppositely, cold water congeals fats into globs, blood vessels shrink, organs slow down, and waste is hard to eliminate. Ugh.
Two. Better Nutrient Absorption
The normal human body temperature is 98.6 Degrees Fahrenheit/37 Degree Celsius.
Drinking warm water allows your body to spend energy in nutrient absorption instead of rebalancing your body temperature.
Drinking cold water requires that your body works hard to re-balance your body temperature by spending energy.
This energy could instead be used for absorbing nutrients.
Three. Averts Premature Aging – Yay!
A build-up of toxins in the body can lead to a body’s aging process.
Drinking water cleanses the body of toxins, assists in repairing skin cells, and increases skin elasticity giving skin a more youthful texture and appearance.
Four. Pain Relief: Menstrual Cramps, Headaches, Body Pain
Similar to taking a warm bath, drinking warm water assists with pain relief.
Warm water has a calming and soothing effect on muscles both inside and out.
Five. Weight Loss
Studies have found that drinking warm liquids, increases body temperature.
Increased body temperature increases metabolic rate.
The result is your body burns more calories.
For more metabolism boosters for weight loss, read this article: Safe Natural Metabolism Boosters for Weight Loss
Best Practices for Drinking Your Water Warm
Now that you understand the benefits of drinking water and beverages warm versus cold, here’s what to do:
- Drink it Warm, not Hot, not Cold, no Ice
- Don’t care for plain water? Add a squeeze of real lemon, orange, lime or add some cucumber. Bonus, lemon may curb appetite.
- Drink it warmed up in the morning to activate your digestive system but not hot. Hot water can be damaging to the tissue in the mouth and esophagus. Avoid the microwave, please!
- Caffeine drinks such as tea and coffee are not the same as plain water. Caffeine is known by most as a diuretic = fluid loss, not absorption.
When You May Want to Drink it Cold-ish
There are times when you may want to drink cold-ish water.
For example, during exercise and/or activities in the heat, you may want to have some cooler water on hand.
Coldwater may help decrease your heart rate and help you cool down from overheating during exercise and exertion.
Read about The effect of ice water ingestion on autonomic modulation in healthy subjects. on the US National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health.
However, check with your doctor if any concerns about exercise, heart rate and over-exertion in general.
Drinking Water and Exercise Suggestions
- Consume 17 to 20 ounces of water two to three hours before exercise
- Drink at least 8 ounces of water within 30 minutes of exercise
- Don’t overdo water consumption (chug water) too soon before; during; or after a workout
In Summary, The Benefits of Drinking Warm Water Are:
- Ease of absorption
- Keeps the digestion moving
- Relaxation of muscles and pain relief
- Easier nutrient absorption
- Staves off aging
- Weight loss promotion
Give drinking warm water a try for a month, feel the benefits of drinking warm water and the improved health!
For more on the Benefits of Drinking Water and how much you should drink, check out Health Benefits of Drinking Water.