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Drinking enough fluids is essential for maintaining overall health – almost everyone knows that.
What many people don’t know, however, is that not only the amount of water matters, but also its temperature.
There is a fairly lively discussion about this in medical circles. What is actually the ideal temperature of the water a person drinks?
It may surprise you now, but the answer is the opposite of what most people think.
What is the optimal water temperature?
To maintain optimal health, you should drink lukewarm, not cold, water.
The ideal temperature is around 37 degrees Celsius, the same temperature as the human body.
It can be a bit warmer, but not more than 45 degrees, because then it can scald and also lose some of its health benefits.
Why is that?
Well, if water at room temperature or even cold water is drunk, the body cannot use it immediately but must warm it up first. That requires time and expends extra energy.
Drinking a glass of lukewarm water first thing in the morning is the best way to keep your body adequately hydrated and full of energy for the rest of the day.
If you like, you can add a little honey, lemon juice, or both to the water.
And here are the 4 main benefits that drinking lukewarm water in the morning will bring you:
1. Pain relief
Believe it or not, a glass of lukewarm water can effectively suppress a headache or other types of pain in your body. If you don’t believe it, try it.
Heat relaxes the nerves and muscles, which ultimately leads to reduced tension, stress, and various bodily pains.
2. Improved circulation
Have you noticed that your body tends to be stiff in the morning?
That’s because blood and lymph circulation slow down during the night. Your heart rate is also slower.
If you drink lukewarm water in the morning, it has an almost immediate effect in promoting the circulation of body fluids and the metabolic exchange between tissues.
3. Slowing down aging
The accumulation of toxins in cells causes you to age faster. Toxins enter the body through the food we eat, the air we breathe, and sometimes even through the skin.
You’ve surely noticed that warm water is more effective than cold when washing and dissolving dirt.
The same applies in the body. Warm water can more effectively dissolve and flush out toxins and other impurities stuck in the intestines.
Ultimately, however, it affects not only the intestines but also the regeneration of your skin and other body organs.
4. Weight regulation and support for weight loss
Cold water lowers body temperature and slows metabolism. The body will burn some calories warming it up, but it does not speed up the metabolism.
On the other hand, lukewarm water acts exactly the opposite.
Lukewarm water thus helps kick-start your metabolism, which then burns calories faster and more efficiently and makes it easier for you to lose weight.
In addition, your kidneys also benefit from it, as they better manage to maintain a healthy blood sugar level in the body. You then have lower cravings for sweets, which is considered one of the biggest obstacles to losing weight.
