I drank only warm water (no tea/coffee) for 7 days and this is what happened

If there is one home remedy that I have found in every health-related article without fail, it is to drink lukewarm water. A lot of these websites claimed that drinking a glass of warm water every day could take care of a myriad of health conditions including digestive troubles, acne and other skin issues, kidney stones and may even help in fighting lethargy and nausea. Even though I could easily drink 4 to 5 cups of adrak wali chai or filter coffee throughout the day, I was not particularly a fan of sipping warm water.

Drinking lukewarm water is said to benefit your body in several ways and is often considered a holistic remedy in several systems of medicines including Ayurveda and ancient Chinese Medicine. I decided to make the switch from ‘chai’ to ‘garam paani’ the day my digestive troubles started paving the way to an acne-ridden face. I had tried almost every medicine I could lay my hands on, but I still felt uncomfortable, nauseous, bloated and my skin simply refused to co-operate.

One fine day, one of my co-workers who began her day with a glass of lukewarm water daily, suggested me try the same. Yearning for her luminous skin and the lack of nausea and discomfort, I took the challenge immediately. I decided to swap all my drinks (mostly teas and coffees) with a cup of warm water for one whole week. Here is what happened:

As I missed my customary morning cup of tea (with sugar) to begin my work, I felt unusually tired and irritable. I desperately wanted to add a dollop of honey to my warm cup of water for some taste but chose otherwise. When the fragrance of adrak wali chai wafted in the household, my caffeine headache began. All in all, not a good first day and I had six more days to go!

My crushing headache had left me feeling very irritable, so I wasn’t looking forward to another day of lukewarm water and caffeine headaches at all. I noticed that as I replaced my tea-break with a cup of lukewarm water, my trips to the washroom increased and bloating seemed to go down a bit. My face was still red, irritated and filled with angry pimples.

I surprisingly did not have any headaches on day 3, caffeine or otherwise. I squeezed in half a lemon for added flavour as I was bored of same old taste of warm water. I still felt drowsy without my cup of caffeine and getting through a hectic day like today was obviously tougher. I gulped down another cup of warm water during lunch as I could feel my nausea subsiding slowly. Was it due to the lack of caffeine in my system? Only time would tell.

I felt slightly better and more accepting of the thought of warm water as the rest of the household continued to function on tea and coffee. I still envied them but I was no longer as irritable as day 1. My digestive system seems to be getting better and even though the acne did not go away, my skin felt….less angry.

I woke up feeling less exhausted than I usually do when I sleep for less than five hours and I could not think of any other change than warm water for the same. I had fewer stomach aches or bloating troubles as of now and I had also stopped snacking unnecessarily. All in all, it seemed like a good day.

I actually woke up feeling excited about drinking warm water and observing closely how my body felt. I chose to add a dash of lime juice in my morning glass of water and I felt my body was thanking me for it. I felt like my lost concentration was returning WITHOUT any cup of caffeine and it felt like a huge victory!

I had made it through one whole week without a single cup of coffee or tea! I still couldn’t believe it. Even though the spike in energy and concentration was barely noticeable, it was still enough for me to consider including more water in my daily routine. The biggest difference switching to lukewarm water made was on my bloated stomach and frequent nausea episodes. I also didn’t feel as uncomfortable as before sitting for long periods of time as I had to get up and pee throughout the day. Although I am looking forward to my first cup of tea after 1 whole week, I would still continue with my warm water routine for the rest of the day.