Every Running Hydration Question, Answered can make even easy runs feel not-so-easy. Dehydration can increase heart rate, make you feel weak and lighted-headed, and put the kibosh on regular bowel movements.
Institute of Medicine recommends meta-analysis published in July 2022 in the Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness suggests that your perceived exertion goes up 0.21 points (on a toughness scale of 6 to 20) every time you lose 1 percent of your body mass in fluids. In other words, dehydration can make even “easy” runs feel not-so-easy.
So, staying on top of your fluids is a smart move. Another good idea? Paying attention to the temperature of your water.
Many experts name warm water their beverage of choice for healthy digestion. Others claim warm water can even cool you off faster than an ice-cold drink on breastfeeding, or sweating a lot.
Admittedly, the research is sparse, so it’s unclear whether the benefits of drinking warm water are thanks to the tepid temperature or the water itself. Still, opting for warm H2O may offer unique perks. Here are a couple to consider, along with a few caveats.
2 Major Benefits of Drinking Warm Water
Aids Digestion
Staying hydrated is essential for keeping your digestive system working properly. According to the Mayo Clinic, water helps your body break down and process food, preventing constipation and other digestive woes.
Warm water may be particularly effective. “There hasn’t been much scientific research, but anecdotally, warm water should help with digestion because it’s believed that it can soothe the digestive tract and improve circulation,” says The Benefits of Drinking Warm Water vs. Cold for Staying Hydrated., Advertisement - Continue Reading Below.
Running What Fruit is In Season Now lemon might take the digestive benefits of warm water to the next level. “Lemons specifically have citric acid, which boosts gastric acid production in the stomach to help you digest food,” Berookim explains.
We need more research before we can say that water temperature makes a difference in digestion. “Researchers don’t seem to know if it’s simply being hydrated that helps produce regular bowel movements or the heat of the water that helps relax your gastrointestinal tract and stimulate your digestion,” says Foods That Cut Inflammation to Improve Performance, a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and adjunct professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
Healthy Eating Myths study in Gastroenterology Nursing found that drinking warm water helped a group of patients jumpstart their intestinal movements more quickly post-surgery than the control group.
Cools You Down Faster (Sometimes)
When the heat hits, your first instinct probably isn’t to reach for a glass of warm water. But 2012 research in Acta Physiologica is essential for keeping your digestive system working properly. According to the.
For the study, researchers had nine volunteers perform 75-minute cycling bouts at a moderate effort. During their bouts, the volunteers were asked to drink water of varying temps: 34.7, 50, 98.6, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit (or 1.5, 10, 37, or 50 degrees Celsius). By measuring the volunteers’ metabolic rate and monitoring the temperature of different areas of the body, researchers discovered that the hot water triggered a sweat response that more than made up for the drink’s heat. Meanwhile, the cold water lowered the sweat response enough to negate the drink’s cooling effect.
The one caveat: Your sweat must fully evaporate to offer a cooling effect. That means if you’re exercising in extreme heat or humidity and/or wearing clothes that don’t breathe, your sweat won’t evaporate quickly enough to see any benefit from warm water. In these situations, the authors of a 2018 review in Sports Medicine daily hydration needs.
Which is better during and after a run, warm or cold water?
Despite the potential benefits of drinking warm water, it’s not always the ideal choice. If you’re sweating like crazy on a run or rehydrating postrun, room temperature or cold water is the way to go.
Warm water may prompt your body to cool you down by releasing sweat, which could cause you to become more dehydrated. “If you’re active already and sweating a lot, you don’t want to drink a warm liquid that makes you sweat more,” Berookim notes.
Plus, warm water helps with digestion—not something you want to encourage during your run. As Berookim explains, running causes your sympathetic (“fight-or-flight”) nervous system to kick in, which slows your digestion so more blood is available for your heart and muscles. (And prevents bathroom pit-stops from interrupting your workout.)
Besides, most runners prefer to sip a cold beverage over a warm one during or after a hot, sweaty run. So, why not go with the option that’s most appealing?
Bottom Line: Drink Up!
Staying hydrated Felice H. Schnoll-Sussman, M.D Institute of Medicine recommends that women get at least 91 ounces (about 11 cups) of fluids from water and food daily and men get at least 125 ounces (about 16 cups). Keep in mind you may need more if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or sweating a lot.
To know if you’re getting enough water, simply take a peek at your urine. It should be clear or pale yellow.
“Water that’s between 50 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit is generally preferred for drinking and may be optimal for allowing the body to absorb the water and rehydrate,” says Felice H. Schnoll-Sussman, M.D., a gastroenterologist with Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. But cold water may be best if you’ve already lost a lot of sweat or can’t stop sweating.
Ultimately, the goal is to stay adequately hydrated—regardless of the water temperature. “I encourage people to drink water in whatever temperature they prefer,” Ehsani says. This may make it easier to meet your daily hydration needs.
Lauren Bedosky is a freelance health and fitness writer who specializes in covering running and strength training topics. She writes for a variety of national publications, including Runner’s World, The Benefits of Drinking Warm Water vs. Cold for Staying Hydrated and Women’s Running.
