Side Effects & Benefits of drinking hot water in Morning

Having plenty of water, especially when you are living in areas that have hot and humid climate and during the summer months is necessary for maintaining healthy physiological activities. It is also crucial to have enough amounts of water each day to prevent chances of dehydration.

But have you ever wondered whether you should be having hot water or not? Many health care professional often advise people to have hot water in certain conditions. This is because, drinking hot water helps you to derive a lot of health benefits from having hot water daily. In fact, in Ayurveda and ancient medicine systems, people use to consume hot water mixed with components like lemon, honey, and ginger for improving their health and overall physiological activities.

This article will help you to get a detailed guide about why you must drink hot water and what type of health benefits you must derive from it, the side effects of having hot water, and other necessary details related to the consumption of hot water.

Drinking hot water: Why is this necessary?

Drinking hot water or a as a beverage with added lime or a tea bag dipped into it with ginger extracts or honey can help you to get a lot of health benefits, such as improved digestive and excretory processes, along with better functioning of the circulatory system, and it can even help in maintaining proper mental health conditions by reducing the levels of stress. Apart from all these, drinking hot water can be a very effective remedy for curing nasal congestion, particularly when you are suffering from conditions like common cold.

But what is the optimum temperature for drinking hot water for health benefits? If you are thinking what should be the most appropriate temperature for having hot water, then according to experts, it can be recommended that one should consume hot water at a temperature of between 130 and 160°F (54 and 71°C). If the temperature of the hot water goes above this suggested levels, then it is more likely to cause burns or scalds.

Types of health benefits to derive from having hot water:

Consuming hot water is beneficial for some, because when you consume water raised at a certain temperature, then you are more likely to derive some of the most crucial benefits that can help you to have some of the major and necessary physiological processes improved and properly regulated. The most common health benefits that one can derive from hot water include the following:

1. Helps in healthy digestion:

Many health care professionals and experts claim that having hot water can help to improve the overall digestive process, especially for those who suffer from digestion related health issues. In fact, experts often recommend people who have problems like constipation to drink hot water. This is because, when you consume hot water, the body is hydrated to some extent and the peristaltic process is gradually enhanced, which may provide relief from mild to acute constipation and aid in better movement of the bowel through the gastrointestinal tract.

2. Helps to enhance circulatory system:

Having hot water can help to improve the functioning of the circulatory system in your body, which is most likely to keep your heart in good functioning conditions as well. Moreover, hot water is known to help in the expansion of blood vessels, as it is often considered as a vasodilator. This allows in better flow of blood through the blood vessels and this will also help you to improve your circulation. Better circulatory system means that you are more likely to have reduced chances of facing palpitations (high heart rate) and blood pressure related problems as well.

3. Reduces shivering of the body:

Hot water is highly beneficial to calm down conditions of shivering, which occurs when a person feels cold. This is one of the major reasons why many people dwelling in areas that experience freezing cold try to have hot water to keep themselves both warm and hydrated. Having warm water can help you to keep the body warm quite effectively and reduce shivering. People who work or exercise in cold conditions are also advised to drink hot water because they do not have to shiver while they are performing their tasks. Apart from water, in order to get rid of shivering, especially in colder weather conditions, you can also try hot tea or a hot drink that can help to put off the shivering and can also keep you stay hydrated.

4. Reducing the symptoms of cold and flu:

When people suffer from the symptoms of common cold and flu, such as runny or stuffy nose, coughing, congestion, sore throat, fever, and so on, then doctors often recommend these patients to take in hot water as a natural and homemade remedy to get rid of the symptoms of common cold. In fact, gargling with hot water is known to provide significant results for curing conditions such as sore throat or dry (or even congestion) coughing. This happens because having hot water aids in to soothing the throat by lubricating it and reducing inflammation. Moreover, you can easily cough out phlegm when you are suffering from common cold, because after drinking hot water the mucus and make it easier to cough out the phlegm because now it is easier to loosen the mucus.

5. Helps in reducing high levels of stress:

It might sound odd but drinking hot water can help to take good care of your mental health as well, as it helps to reduce the levels of stress. This happens because having hot water helps to enhance the functioning of your central nervous system which helps you to get relief from high levels of stress. In many cases, experts also suggest that you may add milk to the glass of hot water and then consume it, because adding milk can help to increase the chances of lowering your stress levels. But here is a word of caution: milk and dairy products promote mucus build-up which can deteriorate nasal congestion while curing stress disorders, so you must be mindful about the addition of milk to hot water before having it.

6. Hot water flushes out toxin:

Drinking hot water plays a major role in easy removal of all the types of toxin components that are present in the body. This happens because once the hot water increases your internal body temperature after consuming, which helps to activate the endocrine system of the body, and thus helps in removal of toxins which is also related to better kidney functioning. This process is beneficial in another way - experts claim that since drinking hot water helps in easy detoxification process, this is also helpful for loosen clogged sinuses and nasal passageways which help in clearing congestion. Toxins usually make you age faster, so once they are removed from the body, there will be much lesser chances of fast ageing.

7. Helps in treating Achalasia:

Achalasia is a type of health issue that makes the lower part of the esophagus unable to relax, which prevents the proper passage of food from the food pipe into the stomach. Many experts claim that having warm water can help the esophagus to relax, which is also linked to better digestion.

Side effects of having hot water:

Though drinking hot water is highly beneficial for your health, there can be some significant side effects of hot water as well. Some of the major risks of having hot water include the following:

1. You may get burned, especially in the tongue or throat

2. It will not cure diseases, rather make you feel nauseated

3. For some, having excessive hot water can result in loose motion.

Though these types of side effects are not applicable for all people, these can be the negative effects that people might have to face after consuming too much of hot water for too long, that is above the necessary levels.

Conclusion:

It is always advisable to drink hot water at an optimum temperature once a day. This will help you to derive a lot of health benefits, which can include improved processes such as digestion to circulation, better relaxation and stress removal, and so on. But there are also some types of side effects of having hot water as well. So, it is always recommended that one must be highly aware of the pros and cons of having hot water before having it. You may also consult a health care professional if in case you are facing health issues.