5 reasons why a glass of water on an empty stomach is healthy

Many people start their day with a cup of coffee to wake up. But actually you should start the day with a glass of water, because that is super healthy.

Japanese women have been doing this for centuries, it is a tradition there to start the day with a glass of water. If you know that the Japanese live the longest of all peoples in the world, then this habit cannot be bad. ;-)

I did some research for you and collected 5 important reasons why a glass of water on an empty stomach is good for you .

1. It detoxifies your body

Our body consists for the most part of water (about 60 to 70% of the body is water). During the night, your body loses a lot of fluid through sweating and breathing. It is therefore important that you replenish your water level after a night's rest.

But not only that, because during the night various processes take place that restore your body. These processes release waste products. If you start the day with a glass of water, you detoxify your body because these waste products are immediately removed.

2. It stimulates your digestion

A study (1) shows that drinking a cup of water on an empty stomach increases your digestion by 30%. That means that you stimulate your metabolism in the morning. That has many advantages:

• Your body will burn energy, ideal if you want to lose a few kilos because you burn extra calories.
• A good metabolism also ensures that you can go to the toilet more easily. This way you are less likely to suffer from constipation.
• It makes you feel full, so you are less likely to snack.

3. It makes you more productive

The body therefore consists mainly of water, which means that our organs and body processes need a lot of water to function properly.

If you start your day with a glass of water, then immediately ensure that your brain can work properly, because it mainly consists of moisture. This is also shown by research, which showed that your brain gets an energy boost by drinking water. That is good for your productivity and your ability to concentrate. (2)

4. It is even good for many diseases and heart problems

A study (4) shows that drinking water on an empty stomach reduces the risk of heart problems, diabetes, kidney disease and certain cancers. In addition, it would also reduce the risk of kidney stones. However, more research is needed to fully confirm these health benefits.

5. Less headaches

Did you know that dehydration is one of the leading causes of headaches? If you hydrate your body from early in the morning, your body will never be short of water and you won't give that annoying headache a chance.

What do you think, will we make it a Belgian tradition from now on? :-)

Start every morning with a glass of water and feel what it does for your body.

Scientific sources

1. Sunil S. & Mani K. (2010) Sleep and Metabolism: An Overview. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2929498/
2. Jianfen Zhang,1,2 Na Zhang,1,2 Songming Du,3 Hairong He,1,2 Yifan Xu,1,2 Hao Cai,1,2 Xiaohui Guo,1,2 and Guansheng Ma1,2. (2018). The Effects of Hydration Status on Cognitive Performances among Young Adults in Hebei, China: A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6068860/
3. Barry M. Popkin, Kristen E. D'Anci, and Irwin H. Rosenberg. (2010)
   Water, Hydration and Health https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/