We all know that water is, without a doubt, the most beneficial liquid you can drink. There is always much talk about how we should drink it, what kind of bottle we should drink it in and whether or not it should be cold or warm.
The internet is inundated with sites from the top health guru about how, where, when and why you should drink water. I’ve scoured most of them to try to get to the bottom of this great water debate.
I’m a lemon water drinker and I prefer my water at room temperature for many reasons. Some people love their water in a frosty glass with ice cubes. Let’s have a look at some of the reasons why drinking your water warm or cold is good or bad for you.
- Our body temperature normally sits at 37 degrees C (98.6 F). When we are overheating from being in hot climates or exercising too hard, then our body craves cold water, however drinking cold water may not do it any good at this time. Our body has to work really hard to normalize the temperature of the water which can result in raising our body temperature. Room temp is best.
- Warm water helps aid in digestion. When we drink our water ice cold it is said to harden the fats that we have consumed which in turn will cause them to settle on the inner wall of our intestines and could also be the cause or link to constipation. Drinking warm water, however, will help flush the fat out and help in healthy bowel movements.
- Cold water is desperately trying to warm up in our body which makes our body have to work really hard. When our body is this hard at work it is sure to burn some calories. Not thousands, but when we are trying to lose weight, every calorie counts .
- Warm water is great for any kind of cramping, whether it be menstrual or from indigestion. It quickly soothes any discomfort you are feeling.
- Cold water does actually taste better. It’s crisper, cleaner and somewhat more refreshing. Because of this, people who struggle to drink the recommended 8-10 glasses of water a day may choose cold for that simple reason.
- Warm water is fantastic if you are doing a detox. By warm water here I mean almost hot
. When you drink hot water it causes you to sweat which aids in the detox process. Sweating helps to flush out toxins. If you are detoxing, the recommended number of glasses of hot water will differ depending on what method you are following.
- Cold water is the nemesis for anyone who suffers from teeth sensitivity. Cold anything actually. Ask anyone who suffers from this and they will tell you of the pain they endure drinking cold water. In this case, warm or room temperature is the temperature of choice.
- Warm water and lemon is super awesome for cleansing, revitalizing organs and for giving you a healthy dose of vitamin C.
- Cold water can actually raise your metabolism which in turn can give you a little more energy whereas warm water may slightly relax you.
- Warm water with a shot of lemon or any herbal tea leaf can be very soothing. Many teas are extremely beneficial to our health in many ways.
- Cold water can actually be detrimental to anyone who gets frequent headaches or migraines, unless you are holding the cold glass to the sore spot (which isn’t a bad idea anyway and has been known to help relieve the pain).
- Warm water is the drink of choice for singers. For most, they will reach for a glass of warm water before they go on stage to belt out the tunes. Cold water can hurt their throat, warm water soothes. So before you jump on stage at the next karaoke festival, have some warm water. You’ll rock the house for sure!
You can see there are many pros and cons to drinking your water warm or cold and many reasons why you should choose one over the other.
Whichever way you decide, try to aim for at least 8 glasses (ounces) a day. Our body is made up of approximately 65% water, give or take a few so it is imperative to keep it hydrated.
Water isn’t the only source of hydration either. Most of our fruits and vegetables are full of water so if you have a hard time drinking 8 glasses of water a day, substitute for something tastier.
How do you like your water? Warm or cold? Share below. Sharing is caring.
