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You're drinking water wrong: Why doctors say temperature matters more than you think

You might be missing out on some serious health benefits.

Photo credit: Canva

Could you be more effective with your water intake?

Here’s something we all know but rarely think about: 75% of the human body is made up of water. Essentially, we’re water balloons with legs, or whatever the heckFlubber was. To maintain that internal reservoir, humans need to drink 15 cups of water (for men) and 11 cups of water (for women) daily. It doesn’t take a math whiz to realize that’s a lot of water. To put that into perspective, according to the Omni Calculator (a great online tool that determines a person’s total body water volume using a formula developed by Dr. P.E. Watson), beloved character actor Steve Buscemi is currently carrying around 83.74 pounds of water in his body, or approximately 10 gallons.

But what if you’ve been drinking water, that sweet elixir of life, all wrong? Or, at the very least, ineffectively? Just as every plant has its ideal growing conditions, according to doctors and medical professionals, the temperature of the water we drink matters a lot more than you might think.

Woman, drinking water, hydration. hydration, water temperatureThis goes beyond personal preference.Photo credit: Canva

Room-temperature, ice-cold and straight from the fridge, slightly warm for no reason at all: when it comes to drinking water, everyone has their own unique methods of getting the job done—but while we continue to chug our preferred water temperatures without question, we might be missing out on some serious health benefits—or even causing ourselves unnecessary discomfort.

Medical experts have discovered that water temperature, when used at the right time, can significantly improve your wellbeing, affecting everything from how we digest our food to how well we perform during workouts. All water hydrates, but the temperature at which you drink it can make all the difference.

Room-temperature water is your digestive system's best friend

Ariana grande, sipping, drinking, hydrate, waterTry a new morning routine with water.Giphy

When to drink

Good morning! Many dieticians and wellness experts recommend drinking room-temperature water (about 68°F) first thing in the morning to gently activate your gastrointestinal tract (It also promotes regular bowel movements, FYI). This gentle approach is often referred to as “Japanese water therapy,” and encourages sipping 4-5 glasses (about ¾-cup each) upon waking then waiting 45 minutes before breakfast. It’s also great for everyday hydration, since room-temperature water is often easier to gulp.

Why it works

"In Chinese medicine we advocate drinking warm water because of its effect on the digestive system," Dr. Jill Blakeway, a licensed doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine explains. “Drinking cold water can congeal the fats in food and because of that can make the digestive system sluggish." Your body absorbs room-temperature water more easily, causing minimal disruption to the digestive system, making it the go-to option for sensitive stomachs.

Ice-cold water is perfect for workouts and hot days

Man, ice-cold water, glass, ice water, waterCheers to the athletes and workout buddies.Giphy

When to drink

This one is for the athletes and fitness gurus: Cold water (around 41°F from the fridge or 60°F from the tap) is your new best friend. Like a refreshing summer breeze, cold water has a natural way of cooling the body down during or after an exercise. It also gives your metabolism a tiny boost: according to research, your body expends about five calories per ounce of ice while warming the water to body temperature.

Why it works

Studies show that drinking cold water triggers a special reflex that helps you to stop sweating sooner, effectively lowering your core temperature and enhancing overall performance. “It turns out that sweating stops before fluid can completely be incorporated into the body,” says gastroenterologist Dr. Brian Weiner. “There’s some kind of reflex that acknowledges liquid intake, and studies have shown that it kicks in more at the cold tap water level.”

Hot water soothes what ails you

Woman, mug, hot drink, sipping, hot, hot waterHot drinks create steam, which clears out so much internally. Photo by Jarek Ceborski on Unsplash

When to drink

Hot water (130-160°F) can be incredibly soothing when you’re under the weather. So, if you’re feeling congested or battling a sore throat, a nice mug of hot water might be just what the doctor ordered. A 2008 study found that hot drinks work like a natural remedy, providing quick, lasting relief from runny noses, coughing, sore throats, and fatigue.

Why it works

Like a warm summer rain, hot water creates steam that helps clear sinus congestion, while its pacifying warmth relaxes the gastrointestinal and digestive muscles. In fact, a small study showed that warm water worked wonders for patients recovering from surgery, improving their comfort and digestive health. Warm or hot water can also literally melt away stress, as long as temperatures are kept comfortably warm: water above 160°F can scald your esophagus or damage your taste buds.

When to avoid certain water temperatures

While most doctors agree that drinking enough water is far more important than the temperature, there are specific circumstances to keep in mind:

Shaking head, no, refusing, nope, gifKnow when to say no.Giphy

  • Migraines. Do not drink cold water! Research from 2001 found that the refreshing drink can trigger—or even exacerbate—headaches in those who are already prone to them.
  • Achalasia. If your esophagus is compromised, cold water can worsen symptoms. Try swapping in warm water instead, which can help soothe and relax the lower esophageal sphincter.
  • Hot, sweaty days. Surprisingly, despite what old wives’ tales might say, warm water can actually make you feel less thirsty, which registered dietician Vanessa Rissetto warns "can be dangerous on days when your body is losing water through sweating to try to keep cool."

We all know drinking water is important, but just as a garden thrives with the right care at the right time, you can optimize and customize that all-essential water you drink throughout the day. Whether that’s out of a Stanley tumbler, Owala water bottle, or Yeti flask, is up to you.

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Family

Judge orders all detained immigrant children released. But only because COVID-19 is 'on fire' in detention centers.

As a result of declining health conditions within ICE Family Retention Centers, a U.S. District Judge from California has ordered the release of all detained immigrant children by July 17. While this is presented as a victory on a humanitarian level, it still leaves a copious amount of questions. Why can't all families be released while the coronavirus is running rampant? Why are kids the only concern? How long do kids have to wait to see their families again? Will they ever see them? If no one in the U.S. will sponsor the kids or they don't have a relative on site, will they be placed in better conditions?

Children are locked in cells and cages nearly all day long. Yazmin Juárez, a Guatemalan woman, watched her 19-month-old daughter Mariee die of a viral lung infection from neglect and mistreatment after being held in an ICE facility in 2018. She told a congressional panel that she begged for medical staff for help. She watched as her daughter got more and more sick, while doctors and nurses barely treated her. "We made this journey because we feared for our lives," she said in Spanish at the hearing, with a photograph of her and her daughter next to her. "I hoped to build a better, safer life for my daughter. Unfortunately, I watched my baby girl die, slowly and painfully."

This shouldn't be happening. Why are the detention centers in such poor conditions? Babies should not be dying. Families shouldn't have to lose their loves ones. Although children being released may seem like a victory right now, it's a very small one, as there is still an overall systemic health and human rights problem at these detentions centers continually plaguing the United States.





Upon hearing reports from federal court monitors, Judge Dolly Gee referred to the ICE-operated facilities as being "on fire." According to NPR, Gee wrote, "Although progress has been made, the Court is not surprised that [COVID-19] has arrived at both the [Family Residential Centers] and [Office of Refugee Resettlement] facilities, as health professionals have warned all along."

ICE has been reluctant to release children being held in retention centers. "In order for [ICE] to do it in a humane way, they have to release the child with the parent," says attorney Holly Cooper, co-director of the University of California and Davis Immigration Law Clinic. She tells NPR, "What we're hoping is that ICE will do the humane thing and not separate any child from their parents because that's what the children want. That's what the advocates want. That's what the parents want."

Gee's orders can be carried out in two ways: one is that minors can be released to suitable sponsors provided there is signed consent from their parents or guardians. Secondly, minors can be released along with their parents or guardians in the event ICE, or a court document, determines that the conditions at their current facility justifies a transfer to a non-congregate setting.

The real problem lies with our definition of "humane." These families risked everything to come to this country for a better life. It is easy to say they broke the law because they didn't go through the appropriate channels, but not everyone is educated on American law.



These families risk so much to start another life in America. Let's be honest, it's probably not the best environment where they are escaping from. But these detention centers may even be worse. President Trump kicked off his 2015 campaign calling immigrants from Mexico "rapists" and "killers." Our country can do better.

Perhaps some may have unsavory intentions, but last time I checked, so do American citizens. So, put yourself in their shoes. Unless your children have a safe place to go with a relative or close friend, would you really let them go to a foreign building where you cannot protect them?

Ask yourself, is this really a victory for humanity? What would wealthy and privileged Americas do if faced with this issue? Our government can do more.

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Heroes

Greenland turning rainbow-colored seems funny, but the truth behind it is no joke.

Greenland is supposed to look like this, right?

[rebelmouse-image 19529223 dam="1" original_size="750x491" caption="Photo from David Mark/Pixabay." expand=1]Photo from David Mark/Pixabay.

So why are parts of it starting to look like this?

Colored ice down in Antarctica. Photo from Serge Ouachée/Wikimedia Commons.

That's no snow cone.

It's ice down in Antartica, and Greenland's stating to look that way too. The normally pale ice that covers 80% of the islands' surface has been turning some weird colors recently — green, yes, but also brown, and pink, and red.

What the heck is going on here? The answer: teeny, tiny, microscopic algae.

Out on the ice might seem like a weird place for anything to grow, but for cold-adapted algae, it's home. They can come in a wide range of colors. There are even pink species that create so-called "watermelon snow."

[rebelmouse-image 19529225 dam="1" original_size="750x413" caption="Watermelon snow near Mount Rainier. Photo from brewbooks/Flickr." expand=1]Watermelon snow near Mount Rainier. Photo from brewbooks/Flickr.

This is more important than you might think, especially if you live on the coast.

Dark colors absorb more sunlight, which makes those spots out on the ice warmer. This is known as the albedo effect and could make the ice sheet melt faster, which is in turn connected to sea level rise. Researchers say hundreds of cities and towns in the United States could flood thanks to rising sea levels.

These colorful changes are pretty incredible, but they're also evidence the Earth is changing.

There are still things we can do to help head off the worst effects of climate change, but this is a serious problem, and we need to take it seriously. If we don't, Greenland might really start living up to it's name.

More

A senator desperately takes to Twitter to try to save a mother and child.

On May 3, 2017, Sen. Bob Casey posted a series of gut-wrenching tweets encouraging his followers to rally behind a mother and child whose lives are at risk.

Photo by Alex Brandon/AP.

According to the Pennsylvania senator, a mom and her 5-year-old son — who were in the U.S. seeking refuge from gang-related violence in Honduras — are in the process being deported by the Trump administration.

Though the senator referenced a child and "her" mother in the initial tweet, it appears to be an error — the child, as the senator writes throughout the rest of the series, is a boy.

Needless to say, the two are certainly not among the "bad hombres" Trump promised to kick out during the 2016 election.

The mother reportedly fled Honduras with her son after witnessing the gang-related murder of her cousin. Because she was a witness, she's now being pursued by the gang.

Despite the fact that the mother and son are being directly targeted — and the fact the child is likely covered under Special Immigrant Juvenile Status meant to protect abused or endangered foreign minors — the Trump administration is flying them both back to Central America — as Sen. Casey was tweeting about it.

The flight back is "a plane ride that can very likely lead to their death," Casey tweeted.

The senator confirmed shortly after 1 p.m. the mom and child were, in fact, ordered to board a plane back to Honduras.

Casey frantically made phone calls to the White House and Department of Homeland Security to see what could be done at this hour.

He was able to reach White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, who said he'd look into the matter. And after touching base with the DHS, Casey confirmed that only the president can intervene at this stage to save the family.

Casey is now racing against the clock.

There are two planes the mother and son could be on, but the Trump administration refused to give that information to Casey.

One has a layover and the other is a direct flight to Honduras. If they're on the direct flight, Casey fears the worst.

The senator is pleading with his followers to tweet @DHSgov and @realDonaldTrump to do anything they can to keep the mother and son safe.

"This particular case is very simple," Casey said adamantly on MSNBC, explaining the dangers the mother and son face. "We should protect her. We should protect her son."

This is an on ongoing story. This article may be updated.

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