Temperature matters, so which is better for your health: drinking cold or room temperature water? We’ve got the answer, so keep reading to find out more!
Is Drinking Room Temperature Water Better Than Cold Water?
Maximizing the Benefits of Drinking Room Temperature Water
We already likely know how important water is to our health and that we should be drinking more.
However, have you ever considered that the temperature of your drinking water matters too?
While making sure to get enough water daily is priority number one, the second would be ensuring to drink water at the ideal temperature for maximum benefits to your overall health and wellness.
Is Ice Water Bad for You? Potential Cons of Drinking Cold Water
Ancient forms of wellness and healing, such as Ayurvedic medicine or Traditional Chinese Medicine, which have been around for over 3,000 years, note the importance of temperature and how it affects the body, either promoting or preventing disease.
To preface this, it’s important to understand that making sure to drink enough clean water is priority number one, no matter what the temperature is.
But beyond getting enough water, considering the temperature can do good things for your overall wellness. Most people aren’t aware that, especially at certain times, drinking cold water isn’t the best option, and here’s why:
1. Staying Hydrated Is Difficult with Cold Water
According to some experts, cold water is not as good as room temperature water at hydrating the body.
Warm (a.k.a. room temperature) water is more readily available to the body for hydration, which is especially important during times of dehydration.
2. Water at Room Temperature Is Better for the Stomach and Intestines
Cold water causes the blood vessels around the stomach to constrict, which can slow down absorption.
The overall effect of cold water in the body is contraction, slowing, and shrinkage. Warm water, on the other hand, helps keep everything moving, fluid, and protected.
It does all this while promoting healthy blood flow and circulation. Furthermore, warm (or room temperature) water has a greater ability to relax the body.
3. It’s Challenging to Lose Weight with Cold Water
When cold liquid passes through the body, it can cause fat from the food you’ve eaten to solidify, causing it to become more sludge-like and difficult to digest well. It can also make it hard for the body to eliminate any unwanted fat.
Warm or room temperature water, on the other hand, does not solidify fat, allowing it to remain fluid, easy to digest, and pass through the body, reducing the risk for clogged arteries.
4. Room Temperature Water Helps Manage Core Temperature
What is core temperature? The ideal body temperature of the internal organs.
Interestingly, if you’re dealing with someone who has a fever or who just had a heat stroke, covering them in cold water is not ideal but, rather, room temperature water. The reason for this is cold water can bring on chills, which could end up raising the body temperature instead.
Cool water can help bring down fevers as long as it’s not cold enough to cause shivers or chills. Room temperature water is generally the safest option.
RELATED: Quality Water: Quality Life
When to Drink Room Temperature Water
The best times to make sure to drink room temperature water include:
1. When Digesting
During or following a meal, it’s best to drink room temperature water to prevent fats from solidifying and to stimulate the digestive system.
According to some experts, drinking cold water can slow down the digestive process. It can cause digestive issues, especially in sensitive individuals.
Think about what happens when you put your arm or leg in cold water: you stiffen up a bit. If you want to maintain or achieve a healthy gut, warm water is the best choice as it’s much easier on your stomach.
2. When Trying to Detox
Warm water takes the least amount of energy for your body to use, allowing it to focus on cleansing, digesting, and achieving internal homeostasis.
What is homeostasis? It is the body’s ability to maintain internal stability to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function.
3. When Healing Inflammation or Trying to Decrease Pain
Warm water helps stimulate blood flow to the body’s tissues, helping to decrease inflammation. It can help with a number of ailments, including headaches, pain, injuries, or cramps.
4. When Constipated
Because cold water can affect the digestive system, if you need to get your bowels moving, warm water is definitely the way to go. It helps stimulate blood flow and can help better soothe the intestines.
5. In the Morning
Drinking warm water in the morning helps wake up the digestive system and optimally helps hydrate the body after sleep.
The bottom line is to make sure to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and also take into consideration the temperature of your water, aiming to at least start drinking more room temperature water!
Is Drinking Cold Water Bad for You?
Based on the arguments above, it’s easy to assume you should drink only room temperature water because drinking cold liquid is harmful to the body.
For the sake of clarity, cold water isn’t always bad. It’s important that you don’t miss out on the benefits of drinking cold water as well:
1. Burning Calories
Room temperature water may prevent fats from turning into sludge, making them difficult to remove from the body. Cold water, though, can also be a strategic tool for jump-starting weight loss.
One of the benefits of drinking ice water is it may help burn calories. This is because it forces the body to work harder to maintain its ideal core temperature.
As to how much calories are burned, studies don’t seem to agree on the numbers. In one small study, it could increase the burning rate by 30%.
Keep in mind that this is a small research study, and you may need to consume at least two liters of really cold water to burn 100 calories more a day. For anyone trying to lose weight, burning 100 extra calories is a huge help.
2. Regulating Core Temperature When Exercising
When it comes to drinking cold water vs warm water when working out, you may want to do the former. Cold water can help prevent your body from overheating.
Even when you exercise, your body strives to maintain its core temperature. It is usually between 36.5 and 37.5 degrees Celsius (97.7 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit).
When you perform an exercise session on a hot day, your body’s cooling system needs to work harder. It can then raise your body temperature by a few degrees.
In the meantime, you end up losing more water because of profuse sweating. If it’s a humid day, your sweat won’t evaporate, and it prevents your body from cooling.
If you work out outside, make sure you can bring a water bottle of ice-cold water with you. It helps you stay hydrated and enables your body to regulate its temperature.
This is also a good excuse to enjoy the benefits of drinking cold water in the morning (if you work out around this time). As a bonus, it stops you from drinking sugary beverages, which can do more harm than good.
3. Fasting
More studies reveal the benefits of fasting, including intermittent fasting. In a 2012 study, doing IF for a month can significantly reduce inflammation markers.
This can help you manage different chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, and hypertension. Even better, you can still drink water and tea during IF.
The question is, should you drink ice water or room temperature water when fasting? The answer is it depends.
Drinking cold water when hot (or during summertime) is a good idea while doing IF. Meanwhile, you may want to consume room temperature water or even warm water during colder seasons like autumn and winter.
Drinking Warm Water vs Cold—Just Drink Water!
It is easy to get caught up with the cold water vs temp debate. It’s understandable as you only want the best for your health.
When in doubt, you can keep the following tips in mind:
- Use room temperature water to aid in digestion.
- Mixing room temp and cold water is possible as well when making smoothies with Sunwarrior Warrior Blend. For example, room temp can dissolve the powder, while cold water improves its texture and flavor.
- Bring cold water when you’re going out on a hot day.
- When you’re feeling the cold, drink warm or room temperature water.
- Just drink water because it’s good for the body.
Taking care of yourself requires many steps and even an overhaul of your lifestyle, but it doesn’t need to be complex. Drinking clean room temperature water, for instance, is a good start.
Which do you prefer drinking: cold or room temperature water? Share your answers in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 17, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
