9 Important Ways That Drinking Hot Water Benefits Your Health
6 minute read
A cool glass of water is refreshing on a hot day but not many people think about drinking water while it is still hot. Like most people, you probably only drink hot water when it has coffee grounds or a tea bag, meaning you are seriously missing out.
Drinking a cup of hot water each morning has been used for centuries in ancient Chinese and Indian cultures and delivers a host of health benefits.
The Many Benefits of Drinking Hot Water
Drinking hot water may sound pretty nice when the weather is cold out, but there is quite a lot to be said for hot water any time of year. Here are a few of the reasons why you may want to put the kettle on.
1. Weight Loss
The act of drinking hot water alone does not directly cause you to lose weight, but it is part of a process that does. A cup of hot water in the morning (with lemon is healthy too) gets your metabolism going.
This gives your body the ability to burn more calories throughout the day. It also helps to clear out your intestines, which prevents bloating and removes all excess water you may be carrying in your gut.
2. Better for Digestion
Warmer water has a vasodilator effect which means it widens your blood vessels and stimulates blood flow throughout your body. One area that benefits from improved blood flow is your intestines and your digestive processes get a boost from the warm water.
The advantage of drinking hot water first thing after waking is that your stomach is empty, so it speeds through to your gut where it is needed.
Warmer water also has a quicker dehydrating effect. When you eat afterwards, any fats are emulsified faster and are easier to digest.
3. Stay Regular
Constipation occurs when you have little to no bowel movements over a given amount of time. The can be due to stress, eating the wrong foods, or the number one cause for constipation: dehydration, making water the most efficient solution.
| Related: 17 Best Foods to Eat When Constipated or Bloated |
Starting your day with a cup of hot water promotes efficient digestive flow, which can reduce the likeliness of constipation. The higher temperature also helps to break down any blockages that may be in your bowels.
4. Improved Circulation
The vasodilator effects benefit your heart as well as your digestive tract. With wider blood vessels and more efficient blood circulation, blood can be carried more effectively through your body.
This puts less strain on your heart, keeps blood pressure low, and lowers your risk for cardiovascular diseases.
5. Detoxify
Drinking hot water brings up your core temperature, which stimulates sweating. Sweating is one of your body’s most efficient ways of getting rid of toxins, so when drunk regularly, hot water improves your natural detoxification system.
6. Better for Your Teeth
Switching to warm water in the morning is better for your teeth. Warmer water is more easily absorbed and better for teeth restoration. You want to avoid water that is too hot, as this can upset nerves in your mouth, but a glass of warm, room temperature water will make your teeth happy.
7. Sinus Relief
Stuffy noses and sinus pain are a real drag and many medications cause drowsiness. Try a cup of hot water instead and clear any sinus troubles up real quick. Drinking hot water helps to alleviate congestion and breaks up mucus more efficiently, clearing up your sinuses and respiratory airways.
Drinking hot water each day is a great way to prevent respiratory problems especially during the colder winter months when congestion is common.
8. Natural Pain Reliever
Cold water is known to make your muscles contract while warm or hot water enhances blood flow to your muscles allowing them to relax. Being able to relax your muscles can help alleviate many forms of pain from menstrual cramps to joint pains.
| Related: Why Boswellia Serrata Matters to the Health of Your Joints |
When you drink warm water before going to bed, you can also enjoy a relaxing and soothing effect that may help you get to sleep a little faster. Warm water at night also makes you feel full, so you can avoid those unhealthy late-night munchies.
9. Mood Booster
Studies have found that holding a cup of hot water influenced how people think and judge others. Holding a warm cup of water is linked to seeing others as more generous and thinking of others before self.
Depending on where you are, it may benefit your relationships to hold that cup of water for as long as possible before drinking it.
The Bottom Line
Drinking enough water each day is essential to good health, but you cans till add variety even to plain water. As refreshing as cold water is during the summer, don’t forget that hot water delivers some additional benefits you don’t want to miss out on.
Start your day with a cup of hot water and get your blood flowing, digestive tract moving, and health improving before you even step outside the door.
