This topic reminds me of something funny from the past. One might wonder what is so fascinating about something as mundane as water. But hear me out here, and by the end of this blog, you will understand the reason. 

Years ago, when I had just moved in with my fiance, I found something amusing about it. Whenever I would complain of some discomfort, be it cramps, cold, or just hunger, he would suggest a glass of water. Our friends had this inside joke that he would suggest a glass of water to someone dying, believing it might save the person. 

Years later, as a functional adult myself, I realize how true his words are. Water does play a good part in solving a lot of your health problems. It certainly isn’t a magic potion, but it does wonders to our bodies.

Why Is Water Essential For More Than Just Thirst?

Most of our organs need a neutral solvent to function, and that’s where water comes to our rescue. You would be surprised to know that water is what transports nutrients and oxygen to organs. That is why a glass of water helps when you feel dizzy. It helps in flushing out toxins from organs helping them to function efficiently. A lot of minerals and nutrients can not be consumed by our bodies directly. Water plays the role of a solvent here and makes those nutrients easily available for consumption. 

👉 Are you also aware of the Health Benefits of Drinking Water from Copper Bottles?

Our bodies lose water in different forms of perspiration, bowel, urine, etc. This is why it’s advisable to keep replenishing it with the fuel that runs in smoothly. 

Is Drinking Hot Water Better Than Normal Water? 

The answer to this is controversial, actually. Drinking hot water has added benefits certainly, but completely shifting from cold to hot water is not advisable. The very obvious reason is your body needs 4 liters of water to function for a day. It is difficult to sip 4 liters of water because of the inconvenience. It’s a known fact that our quench is fulfilled only by room temperature water and not hot water. Hot water can be a part of your daily water requirement but not the whole requirement in itself. 

Drinking hot water is beneficial as the change in temperature does great things for your body. Read further to understand how efficiently hot water works on human bodies. 

How Hot Is Hot Actually?

Hot water is not necessarily boiling. The water you consume could be at room temperature or a slightly higher temperature. You do not have to scald yourself to be able to enjoy the befits of hot water. It could be lukewarm or a little hotter, something that you can sip onto without bothering your palate or internal organs. It could be anywhere between 50 C to 70C. 

Drinking Hot Water – Health Benefits Explained!

1️⃣ Helps In Improving Mood And Reducing Stress

The higher temperature of hot water plays around inside our body and excites it positively. The central nervous system breaks its monotony when hot water enters our system. This helps in activating our cells and improving our stress levels. It’s even better if you have hot water along with some form of caffeine or as some beverage. Most people like adding a slice of citrus for a boost of Vitamin C or in the form of a fruit tea. The change in taste can also be a booster for your mood and spirits. 

2️⃣ You Will Be Encouraged To Consume Beverages

You might wonder how consuming caffeine is considered a benefit. But studies have shown that moderate caffeine consumption can do wonders for one’s body. It can help fight cancerous cells, diabetes, liver disease, and heart problems. Do not consume more than 2-3 cups of hot water if it’s in the form of caffeine. You can instead try a non-caffeinated beverage like fruit tea or lemon tea. This will also help you get a boost of added nutrients into your system while also uplifting your mood. 

3️⃣ Helps In Weight Loss

Most often, when the brain sends signals of hunger, we misinterpret it. This is what leads to binge eating. This happens because we misread the signal for thirst and fed our body when it didn’t require it. This converts into fat, as the excess food is stored and not used immediately for body functions. 

Drinking hot water every time you feel hungry is a great way of understanding if you require food. Most often than not, we are just thirsty as our body needs to feel full. Water also helps in the absorption of the right nutrients and flushes out excess toxins from our systems, keeping them clean. 

Studies have shown that replacing cold water with slightly hot water aids in weight loss by improving our metabolism significantly. 

4️⃣ Helps In Circulation And Keeps Our Skin Clean

Our body is very much like a highly functional machine we see in our day-to-day life. Machines need lubricants to clean themselves of particles. That is how they function smoothly. 

Water is a vasodilator that helps expand muscles and flushes our systems of unwanted particles. Our systems perform better when they are hydrated, thus keeping our skins breathing and clear. 

5️⃣ Body Detoxification Is Aided By Water

What do you do when a certain pipe in your bathroom or kitchen gets clogged because of the oil and scum in it? We use water for its fluidity to flush that unwanted particle. This is essential for the pipes to be functional again. This flushing process works even better if the water is at a higher temperature and has some acid in it. 

It’s the same with our bodies too. Our bodies retain a good amount of unwanted toxins that create blockages, leading to indigestion and skin breakouts, etc. Toxins end up finding different ways to expel themselves from our systems. 

This is where hot water comes to our rescue. It cleanses the system from the inside out by flushing the toxins. The kidney is the most benefitted when your body is well hydrated. Its job is to flush out toxins through urine so that your blood stays clean. Hot water is also known to raise your body temperature, hence encouraging your pores to sweat it out. 

6️⃣ Does Wonders For Digestion And Bowel Movements

Dehydration is the main reason for constipation. Water, irrespective of temperature, helps in hydrating. But hot water warms up your cores along with expanding the tracks too. This helps in clearing up your blocked passages. 

I have personally felt that consuming a glass of warm water after every meal has benefitted me significantly. It helps me feel fuller for longer and reduces the chances of getting acidity. Our GI track does the job of breaking down food. Hot water helps it further to soften and break the same food. This is why it is said that drinking a cold glass of water does you more harm than gain. Water at higher temperatures is known to break down food faster, be it sugar or the proteins you consume. 

7️⃣ Helps In Keeping Congestion At Bay

The feeling of having a stuffy nose is worse than a nightmare, at least to me. I believe it feels worse than the cough and cold that follows. 

Inhaling the steam while sipping on a hot beverage of lemon or ginger tea is known to soothe your sinuses and throat. The logic behind this could be that the steam loosens up the mucus in your nasal cavity and helps it to flow easily. The higher temperature of the water helps in soothing the itchiness in the throat by expanding it and cleansing its path. 

Hot water doesn’t directly cure the sore throat and cold, but it helps make it more bearable. 

Ways You Can Consume More Hot Water

Understand that consuming hot water is majorly done for health purposes. You wouldn’t want to get in trouble by making it caffeine-rich every time you drink hot water. It will end up giving you more problems than gains. 

Here are some ways you can consume hot water while also enjoying it:

1. Apple Rinds and Hot Water: You can boil your apple skins and rinds in a mugful of water. Add a stick of cinnamon or nutmeg; the spice takes this drink to another level. Once they come together after coming to a boil, sieve and drink it. The drink turns out to be mildly sweet and has a lovely cinnamony roll-type aroma. Your kitchen would stay smelling wonderful for hours too. 

2. Citrus and Mint: This drink is much easier than the previous one. You can add a slice of any kind of citrus that’s available in your kitchen and a couple of mint leaves into a cup. I usually crush them together with a little before adding in hot water and then add a couple of drops of juice. The drink feels very refreshing, and the Vitamin C in it does wonders to your mood too. 

3. Ginger and Honey: Cut a couple of ginger stems into really thin slices and hot boiling water to them. Let it steep in hot water for a while to infuse all the gingery goodness into the water. You can add a dash of lemon and a spoonful of honey into the cup. And voila, magic potions are available for you!

4. Peach / Strawberry Minty Tea: Crush a few seasonal fruits in your favorite cup and then add boiling water to it. It could practically be any fruit you love unless you love bananas. I usually add a couple of mint leaves too for the extra xing and your fruit tea is ready. 

The only risk that hot water consumption could pose is scalding. Until and unless you aren’t burning yourself, hot water consumption is excellent for you. This is major because water consumption in any format is beneficial. However, note that you do not overdo water consumption. That can create a series of other problems for you.