Drinking hot water in some cultures is unheard of, but in other communities, you’ll find that it is a completely normal practice. Now, there’s no doubt that water—no matter the temperature—is great for your body. But some people claim that drinking hot water offers more benefitsthan drinking room temperature or cold water.
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Let’s find out what those alleged benefits are and whether there is actual truth to back up the claims!
Facilitates digestion
The most commonly believed benefit of hot water is that it helps with digestion and consequently facilitates digestion as well. Medical News Today explains that this isn’t completely out of the ordinary as dehydration, in general, can make it ‘more difficult to have a bowel movement’ which could then lead to constipation.
Drinking water hydrates the body and gets that function up and running again. And moreover, hot water, in particular, has the ability to break down food faster and hence reduces one's chances of getting constipation.
Most of the data that supports these findings are anecdotal, but Healthline reported that a 2016 study that examined the impact of hot water on bowel movements after surgery observed that there were certain benefits for intestinal movements and gas expulsion.
Helps with cold symptoms
Hot water has also been shown to have a positive impact when it comes to healingcold symptoms like nasal congestion, and clogged sinuses. Registered dietician Beth Czerwony says that it could be because of the steam of the water that travels up the nasal passages. She wrote on Cleveland Clinic:
If you have cold symptoms, drinking hot water can help with things like sinus congestion from the steam rising into your nasal passages.
However, health experts at Healthline also revealed that drinking hot water can ‘warm up your sinuses and throat,’ soothing the areas that are sore because of mucus build-up. Authors of a 2008 studythat explored the effects of hot drinks on a common cold found that:
The hot drink provided immediate and sustained relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness, whereas the same drink at room temperature only provided relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough and sneezing.
If you do decide to heat up your water, make sure that you're not drinking it while it's scalding hot. The only risk of consuming hot water is possibly burning or tongue, but other than it's completely safe.
