No one would argue that water is an essential part of daily life. Our bodies desperately need hydration to function properly and keep us alive. However, there is more debate regarding the desired temperature of water in regards to health. There are two schools of thought. Warm water drinkers vs. cold water drinkers. Perhaps you’ve never thought about which temperature your water should be and are happy with your H2O at room temperature. While neither option is strictly better for you, there may be different situations in which a particular temperature would be more beneficial. The more important issue here is that you actually drink enough water on a daily basis, not necessarily what temperature it is.
Warm water
Digestion: Many experts agree that warm water is more suited than cold water to help promote healthy digestion. If you have frequent stomach problems, it may be a good idea to sip on a glass of warm lemon water in the morning to help stimulate your digestive system.
Pain relief: Wam water can actually decrease pain and inflammation in the body. It soothes your sore and tired body and acts as a stimulant to restore healthy blood flow to the tissue. Warm water has been shown to help with headaches, joint pain, and even menstrual cramps. Plus, there is something so soothing about a warm drink that you are almost immediately more relaxed mentally, which also works wonders for pain.
Detox: Warm water is an excellent resource for those wishing to rid their bodies of impurities. It is a natural means of detoxing that can cleanse and refresh your whole system. While keeping you hydrated and flushing out dangerous toxins.
Cold water
Exercise: There is nothing your body craves more after a hard workout than a nice cold glass of water. In fact, there is a reason for this! Drinking cold water after exercise doesn’t only serve to rehydrate you, but cools you down as well and returns your core body temperature to normal levels.
Weight loss: One of the first steps in adopting a healthy lifestyle is to cut out sugary drinks and soda and up your water intake. Specifically, you should increase your cold water intake, as it helps burn calories and increase metabolic rate.
Protection from heat: There is a reason that they say to be sure you drink lots of water on blazing summer days. When you are outside in hot temperatures, your body loses a lot of moisture and electrolytes as you sweat. Cold water protects you from heatstroke and ensures a normal temperature range.
Tips and tricks to help you drink more water:
- Drink water every time you return from the bathroom: If anything is guaranteed to be part of your daily routine, it is using the bathroom. Start implementing a habit where you drink water every time you come back from relieving yourself. This way, you can be sure that you are at least drinking some water throughout your day.
- Set reminders on your phone to help you remember to take a drink: You’ll be surprised at how much more water you drink using this simple tip.
- Keep a reusable water bottle handy: Bring a water bottle with you wherever you go and keep it full. Simply having access to water makes you much more likely to sip on it when you’re bored, waiting for a stoplight, or just performing daily work tasks.
- Try drinking herbal tea: Unsweetened, herbal tea is essentially healthy flavored water. Not only will you be receiving all the benefits of the water itself, but you also get the healthy antioxidants and healing powers of whatever tea you’re drinking while enjoying a nice change of pace from plain old water.
- Reward yourself for hydrating: Staying properly hydrated is a big deal. Plus, it’s not easy! Pat yourself on the back when you meet your hydration goals for the day, and you will soon come to associate positive reinforcement with drinking water.
Ultimately, there really is no clear answer to the question about which temperature water is better for your health. Drinking hot or cold water in any particular situation may help, but the key is to keep drinking it! Ideally, you should consume half your body weight in ounces of water every day. Happy hydration!
-Susan Patterson