Water, hot or cold is crucial to the body’s overall wellbeing, keeping it healthy and hydrated. Drinking water supports skin, muscle, and joint health. It helps the body absorb nutrients and fight infections. Here are some benefits of drinking hot water, based largely on folk medicine and traditional healing practices. Further research is however needed.
Health benefits of drinking hot water
Improve circulation
Hot water is a vasodilator. That means it expands blood vessels which improves circulation. This can help the muscles relax and reduce pain. In the same way using hot water bottles externally helps with pain, drinking warm water helps calm the central nervous system and helps relax the joints.
Improve digestion
Cold water needs time to adjust to the body’s internal temperature. Warm or hot water does not require this extra time or energy to help digest food. Studies show that drinking cold water at mealtimes hardens food oils which creates fat deposits in the intestines which can contribute to intestinal cancer. Warmer water gets rid of fat deposits and helps the food break down faster which also reduces the risk of constipation. Adding lemon, especially to the water in the morning stimulates digestion. 7 Amazing Things That Will Happen If You Drink Lemon Water Every Day
Relieve nasal congestion
Warm water produces steam which when inhaled may help loosen blocked sinuses. It may also help relieve sinus headaches. Hot water also warms the area around the neck and upper torso which can soothe sore throats caused by mucous accumulation. One study found that drinking hot fluids is more effective at providing relief from a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and tiredness than room temperature fluids.
Weight loss
Research has long supported the idea that drinking water can help a person lose weight. This may be because drinking water increases feelings of fulness, helps the body absorb nutrients, and flushes out waste. One study found that switching from cold water to hot water could increase weight loss. Drinking warm water before a meal increased metabolism by 30%.
Helps clear out toxins
Drinking hot water raises the body’s core temperature which stimulates sweating. Sweating is one of the ways the body eliminates toxins. Adding lemon to it may help balance the acidic foods consumed daily as well as decrease free radical activity.
Reduces the symptoms of achalasia
Achalasia is a condition in which the oesophagus has trouble moving the food down into the stomach and the person has trouble swallowing food. Drinking hot water accompanied by some kind of oily food helps address the problem.
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