With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.
When you’re dehydrated, it’s natural to quench your thirst with a tall cold glass of water. But, there are times when you need your water to help you in other ways and the temperature can be a huge factor. Of course, a cup of herbal tea can be very beneficial for health, but when it comes to plain drinking water what are your options? In this article, we will take a look at various drinking water temperatures and how they can improve various aspects of your health and wellbeing.
A Brief Primer
Most people reach for a glass of cold water when they feel thirsty, but there is no set temperature for drinking water. If you’re experiencing a certain physical condition or you want to support other complementary health efforts, it can be helpful to examine the temperature of the water you drink. Some examples of aspects of health that can be affected, include: dealing with illness, improving circulation, losing weight and more. Let’s take a look at cold and warm drinking water in more detail.
3 Reasons to Drink Cold Water
As we mentioned earlier, most people tend to drink cold water because it’s more refreshing and it tastes better. When drinking water is at room temperature, it tends to be less appealing and that’s why many people keep a jug of water in their refrigerator. In fact, according to a recent study more than 60% of people prefer to drink cold water exclusively. Let’s take a look at three main reasons to drink cold water beyond the refreshing taste, they are:
1. Fever Management
Experiencing a fever can make you feel very ill, during a bout of fever you will typically notice an increase in your body temperature. Another accompanying problem is dehydration because it can be hard to drink adequate volumes of water when you feel unwell. Drinking cold water can help to alleviate both of these problems at the same time. The body temperature is lowered to help you feel more comfortable and good levels of hydration help you to deal with the fever. Adding some sea or pink salt and some lemon juice to your glass of water can also help you to replace lost electrolytes quickly.
2. Raising Metabolism and Losing Weight
One of the more surprising characteristics of cold water is that it burns far more calories than the same volume of warm water. In fact, if you regularly drink cold water you can burn as much as 70 calories more per day of consumption. To put this into some perspective, a person weighing 70kg would need to walk for at least 15 minutes to burn the same amount of calories. Of course, this is only helpful as part of a healthy diet and fitness regimen but if you’re looking to maximise your fat burning this is a useful tip.
3. Lowering Core Body Temperature
Regular exercise is extremely important but when we engage in physical activity our body temperature is raised significantly. We deal with this with sweating which helps us to equalize our body temperature to a more acceptable level. In fact, perspiration is very important for weight loss but there is a drawback. When we sweat we do lose a lot of water and electrolytes which can lower the efficiency of a workout. Drinking cold water can help you to lower the core temperature of your body and you can retain more water. Fitness experts agree that people drinking cold water during exercise are 50% more capable of keeping their core temperature at a lower level. If you want to boost your electrolytes you can add sea salt, pink salt, or fruit juice to your cold drinking water.
4 Reasons to Drink Warm Water
When we think about warm water exposure, it’s typically related to feelings of comfort and relaxation. Swimming in a heated pool, taking a hot shower or a warm bath can all help us to unwind and deal with muscular issues. But, there are significant benefits when warm water is ingested and it can make a real difference if you feel unwell. Let’s take a look at four key reasons why you may want to drink warm water:
1. Detoxing the Body
Drinking warm water can help you to detox your body and it may even aid you in your efforts to lose weight. Ingesting warm water regularly can help you to clear up any skin problems you may have. Adding some lemon juice to warm drinking water will control food cravings due to the pectin and the warmth will raise your metabolic rate to burn fat easily.
2. Pain Relief
When the body is receiving adequate levels of hydration, it will produce sufficient synovial fluid to reduce joint inflammation. This will not reduce joint pain directly, but it will help to improve the ability of the cartilage to absorb shocks. Treating the source of the pain may not lead to immediate pain relief, but it may be less likely in future if you make this part of your daily routine.
3. Aiding Digestion
Drinking warm water can aid food digestion because it helps to dissolve oils and fats. In fact, many health issues are caused by the accumulation of fats in the body and this can help to alleviate those risks. But, don’t drink too much warm water because it can cause gastric fatigue because the digestion system is working constantly.
4. Upset Stomach Issues
Ingesting warm water can help to ease the pain that may follow a meal. Aside from the digestion benefits, it can help to loosen stools and reduce the effects of constipation.
What is the Optimal Drinking Temperature?
As you can see, the temperature of the water you drink can have a number of benefits for your health. But, what if you’re just interested in the optimal drinking temperature for hydration? Experts agree that 16ºC which would be cool and not cold water is the best temperature for optimal hydration.
In Conclusion
The temperature of your drinking water is important, but the quality of that water is also crucial for your health and wellbeing. If you want to have access to the best drinking water, you need a home water filtration system. Contact your local water treatment specialist for more information today.