Most people would never dream of drinking hot water, but it provides a lot of health benefits. Cold water might seem more refreshing, but it actually hinders the absorption process of nutrients during digestion since your body must instead focus on warming up your body temperature. One study even found that cold water can make nasal mucus thicker and more difficult to pass through the respiratory tract.
In ancient Chinese and Indian cultures, they believed that drinking hot water when you wake up helps improve digestion and relieve congestion. Some even say that hot water can relax your nervous system since your body won’t have to work so hard to warm up the water. In Chinese culture, having cold water with meals is seen as an imbalance; they typically have hot tea or warm water instead.
Remember that water should always be between 120 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit so that it doesn’t burn your throat or esophagus. Water warmer than 160 can cause serious burns, so use caution when you heat up your water in the morning.
Adding lemon can provide even more health benefits. It adds necessary Vitamin C to your body, boosts your immune system, and helps protect you from colds and flus. Lemons are high in Vitamin C, folate, potassium, flavonoids, and compounds called limonins. A quarter cup of lemon juice contains 31% of the RDA for Vitamin C, 3% of the folate, and 2% of the potassium you need daily. Additionally, it has only 13 calories.
This article will review the many benefits of drinking warm water with lemon each morning. If you don’t already start your day off with a glass of water, we hope you will start this amazing ritual after reading about what it can do for your body.
Ten Reasons to Drinke Warm Water and Lemon Each Day
Here are ten ways that drinking hot water with lemon might benefit you:
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Relieves sinus congestion
When you’re sick, everyone recommends to drink hot tea to get over a cold or sinus infection faster. The reason for this might be that hot water helps mucus travel faster than cold water, which can speed up your recovery rate. Drinking hot water in the morning can clear your sinuses and help you breathe better. Adding lemon can further boost your immune system due to the high amounts of antioxidants.
Lemon has also been found to help clear mucus and boost respiratory health. So, adding this citrus fruit to your warm water can further bolster your health.
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Promotes healthy digestion
Warm water helps widen the blood vessels and increases blood flow to the intestines, which helps speed up digestion. Warm water also helps you stay hydrated more than cold water, which means your body will get rid of toxins much faster. Lemon can also help with detoxing your body as it has been shown to improve liver function.
If you have digestive problems, warm water with lemon can serve as a potent natural remedy.
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Calms the central nervous system
Since the body must warm up cold water to its natural temperature of 98.6 degrees, this requires a lot more energy from your body. It also shocks your nervous system, which can ramp up feelings of anxiety and stress throughout the day. Drinking warm water can help you relax and feel less stress, especially if you add lemon.
Lemon has been shown to improve mood and stabilize emotions. It can also improve concentration and focus due to activating a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine, which affects the part of your brain that controls attention.
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Relieves constipation
Hot water helps your intestines contract, while cold water can greatly slow down your digestive enzymes. If you suffer from constipation, adding warm water to your morning can stimulate your intestines and ensure you keep a healthy digestive system.
Additionally, lemon contains a form of soluble fiber called pectin, which can improve gut health and slow digestion of sugars and starches. This may help control blood sugar and ensure regular bowel movements.
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Keeps you hydrated
Warm water helps you stay hydrated more than cold water since the body absorbs warm water more quickly. This means that you might not need to drink as many glasses of water to keep hydrated if you stick to warm water. As far as how much to drink, you really have to listen to your body and find what works for you. Activity levels and body weight also play a role in how much water you need daily.
Lemon will aid in keeping you hydrated as well due to the high water content and refreshing flavor.
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Might help with weight loss
Drinking hot water helps boost your metabolism, which should help you lose weight. It also “wakes up” your intestines, which aids you in eliminating waste and excess water weight. Lemons have also been shown to aid in weight loss because they help keep you hydrated. Studies have shown proper hydration could be a key component of weight loss.
Plus, a tablespoon of lemon juice contains just four calories. For this reason, replacing sugary beverages with lemon water can help eliminate unnecessary calories and aid in weight loss.
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Increases circulation
You might have heard that a warm bath or shower can temporarily expand your veins and arteries, which will help improve blood flow throughout the body. Experts have found that drinking hot tea or water can have a similar effect.
Drinking water with lemon every morning can further increase circulation due to the powerful antioxidants and nutrients present that help to boost oxygen levels throughout the body. Greater oxygen in the body means better blood flow, which will ensure proper circulation.
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Helps relax your muscles
We already explained how warm water can help relax your central nervous system. It therefore makes sense that it can relax other parts of your body as well. Since warm water increases blood flow to your tissues and muscles, it can help relieve tension and promote feelings of relaxation.
If you have trouble going to sleep at night, try drinking warm water with lemon before bed. Or, if you have morning anxiety due to feeling stressed about the day ahead, don’t forget your warm glass of lemon water to start your day on the right note.
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Warm water with lemon can lower toxins
When you drink hot water, your body’s internal temperature begins to rise. When this happens, the endocrine system becomes activated, causing you to sweat and eliminate toxins. If you work out regularly, this can boost your elimination of toxins even further by increasing core body temperature.
Lemon also helps eliminate toxins due to the nutrients and antioxidants that help clear out the digestive tract.
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Relieves symptoms of achalasia
Achalasia is when food has trouble moving from the esophagus to the stomach. People with this condition find it hard to swallow and also feel like foods become “stuck” in their esophagus. Research shows that warm water can help people with achalasia digest foods better because hot water travels faster than cold water and speeds up the digestive system.
Lemon may or may not help in this case. Since it can improve digestion, it’s worth adding lemon to your water if you suffer from achalasia.
Risks of Drinking Hot Water
As we said before, ensure your water isn’t above 140 degrees, as scalding water can burn your tongue, throat, and esophagus. Also, hot water can definitely benefit your health, but it isn’t a magical solution to all health problems. Use it in addition to other aspects of a healthy lifestyle such as exercising, eating a balanced diet, practicing positive thinking, and meditating.
Also, ensure you don’t drink hot water while working outside or exercising vigorously. Research shows that drinking hot water quenches your thirst more than cold water. So, if you are working out or doing work outside, drink only cold water, which will help cool down your body temperature.
Final Thoughts on Drinking Warm Water for Better Health
If you’ve been trying to drink less coffee in the mornings, warm water with lemon could be a healthy alternative. It also has numerous health benefits such as increasing your metabolism, keeping you calm, and alleviating colds. What is more, this combination promotes healthy digestion. Drinking warm water at night can also help with insomnia. It relaxes the central nervous system and calms tension in the muscles.
Make sure to add a little lemon to your warm water as well. This will add to the health benefits of the beverage. It also adds some nice flavor to your water if you don’t care for the taste of water by itself.
Tomorrow morning, brew some hot water and add a squeeze of lemon (instead of coffee, for a change). You’ll feel a more subtle jolt of energy that lasts throughout the day and keeps you refreshed and happy.
