02 Apr 2024 - News

Hot Water vs Cold Water: Ayurvedic Point of View for Better Health

Water is necessary for sustaining life, and its temperature can have a significant impact on our health and wellbeing. In Ayurveda - the ancient Indian system of natural healing – water plays an important role in maintaining balance within the body.

This article delves into Ayurvedic beliefs surrounding hot water versus cold water and how it contributes to better health.

Firstable: Understanding Agni And Doshas:

In Ayurveda, ‘Agni’ refers to digestive fire, which is responsible for processing food and maintaining good health overall. Different agni levels are associated with different doshas – Vata, Pitta, Kapha; each responding differently to the temperature of consumed water.

- Vata Dosha: Those with a dominant Vata dosha tend to have irregular digestion and benefit from warm or hot water in order to stabilize their delicate digestive fire.

- Pitta Dosha: A strong internal heat characterizes this dosha type. Drinking cool or room temperature water balances this warmth and prevents overheating without disrupting digestion.

- Kapha Dosha: Kaphas typically have slower metabolisms; warm water stimulates digestion and helps prevent sluggishness.

Benefits of Hot Water

- Promotes Digestion: The consumption of hot water increases blood flow to digestive organs, while also stimulating the secretion of enzymes that break down food.

- Detoxification: Sweating and increased urination help flush toxins out of the body when hot water is consumed; these processes support overall detoxification too.

- Relieves Congestion: Soothing sore throats by relieving congestion is just one of steam’s many benefits. It’s especially helpful during common colds and respiratory infections when inhaled alongside hot water vapor.

7 Motivation For Drinking Warm Water First Thing In The Morning

Many benefits come along with starting your day off with a glass of warm water; here are several reasons why you should consider adopting this habit:

1 Stimulates Digestion: By stimulating the gastrointestinal tract, warm water jump starts your digestive system and promotes the production of digestive enzymes. Over time, this function will make it easier for you to process food throughout the day.

2 Flushes Out Toxins: Overnight, your body goes through a natural detoxification process where waste and toxins are eliminated. Drinking warm water in the morning helps flush out these toxins, thereby cleansing your system completely.

3 Hydrates Your Body: After a night of sleep, it’s not uncommon for our bodies to get dehydrated. Hence, starting your day with warm water will help rehydrate you by lubricating your joints and supporting circulation as well as metabolism.

4 Aids in Weight Loss: Warm water can enhance your metabolic rate, which in turn allows you to burn more calories more efficiently. Having warm water first thing in the morning can provide this metabolic boost that is sure to benefit anyone aiming to lose weight or achieve any other fitness goal.

5 Promotes Healthy Bowel Movements: Acting like a natural laxative, warm water softens stools and promotes regular bowel movements. Starting your day with warm water will help prevent constipation and keep things moving smoothly within.
 
6 Soothes Aches And Pains: The soothing effect of warm water on muscles can help alleviate pain and tension. Drinking it in the morning improves flexibility by relaxing muscles and relieving stiffness that come along with waking up after an entire night's rest.

7 Boosting the immune system: Drinking warm water may help to improve circulation, flush out toxins, and support the function of your lymphatic system. As a result, you may experience less risk of infections and illnesses.

Benefits of Cold Water

- Cooling effect: Cold water can be very beneficial for cooling off the body and reducing inflammation. This can be especially useful for individuals who have heat-related conditions or pitta imbalances.
  
- Hydration: More people prefer cold water as it is more refreshing and can encourage them to drink more water to stay hydrated throughout the day.
  
- Recovery after workout: Exposure to cold water or ice baths can help reduce muscle soreness and inflammation that occurs after an intense work-out.

Motivation to Avoid Cold Water Before, During, and After Meals:

Cold water before, during, and after meals impedes digestion by causing stomach blood vessels to constrict when consumed in large quantities. This constriction slows down the digestion process, so your body struggles more when breaking food down and absorbing nutrients. Along with this, drinking cold water during meals dilutes digestive juices in your stomach, which further compromises the overall digestive process. People who do this will most likely feel symptoms such as bloating, indigestion, and sluggishness.

For optimal digestion, it is best that you avoid drinking cold water before, during, or immediately after a meal. Instead, stick with room temperature or warm (not hot) waters because these would promote efficient digestion by supporting natural fire's temperatures. With this simple adjustment, we hope you enhance your overall digestive health while promoting well-being too!

Listen To Your Body

Take note on how different temperatures affect your body! Try experimenting between both extremes of hot and cold waters then see how they affect digestion levels that eventually lead up to affecting your general energy levels too! Adjust temperatures accordingly in order to aid individual constitutions.

The temperature of what you consume largely impacts your health. Feel free to take in the Ayurvedic practices as they can guide you to find out what is best for your dosha balance. So long as you’re conscious with what you drink and maintain a healthy diet, then it should be a lot easier for you to live life more vibrantly!

Just one more thing, our advice isn't limited to drinking water alone but is applied on how we treat hydration habits alongside our daily routine too.

Christianne Madrazo. Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, graduate of Mount Madonna Institute, College of Ayurveda in California, and student of Dr. Vasant Lad, one of the world’s foremost experts in Ayurveda.

AyurVida Wellness and Clinic is located in Mission Hills, San Diego, CA.

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