I did it! Lukewarm water in the morning wakes me up quickly and keeps me going round the clock
22/1/2025
Translation: Elicia Payne
A glass of lukewarm tap water in the morning is said to work wonders. Is that really true? I gave it a whirl. Spoiler alert: there haven’t been any miracles, but I have a new morning routine now.
It took a huge amount of mental strength to start my latest «I did it!» experiment week (which continued for an extra 7 days). After discovering the ultimate morning freshness kick in the form of lemon water last year, I now want to try an alternative. A glass of lukewarm water on an empty stomach is supposed to have the same effects but not destroy your enamel.
Day 1: it’s a lot of effort
I already imagine what the lukewarm water tastes like. And since it’s not pleasant, starting my new self-experiment (yes, even if it’s just water) takes quite a bit of effort. Yuck...the lukewarm water from the tap really isn’t satisfying. I bravely down it anyway and soon get a reply from my stomach – I feel nauseous. I tell myself it could be down to my imagination and hope that the experience doesn’t repeat itself all week.
In fact, I soon feel more awake, and fortunately the queasy feeling in my stomach goes away after a while. I’m amazed at how the day unfolds – I should actually be terribly tired. The holidays are just behind me and my sleep-wake rhythm has been on a rollercoaster for weeks. After a bad night’s sleep, I expected to be much more tired today.
Day 2: warm is better
The next morning, I’m dreading the lukewarm water. Yesterday is fresh in my memory still. I can’t give up just yet, though. It wouldn’t be the first time that my first impression has changed during my experiment week.
Ultimately, there are good reasons why the water should be around body temperature: it indirectly warms the body, which can be very comforting, especially now in the winter months. Despite my experience yesterday, warm water is supposed to be more pleasant for the gastrointestinal tract than cold water. The heat also has an antispasmodic effect on the stomach and intestines and stimulates digestion. It’s also said to boost metabolism.
It all sounds incredibly logical, but I’m still not really looking forward to it. Anyway, deep breaths, day two is done.
Source: Anna Sandner
Day 3: less isn’t more, but it still helps
I long for my cool lemon boost. Instead, I pour myself another glass of lukewarm water. But I reduce the quantity: instead of 500 ml, today I only have a small glass of 200 ml. For now, this is easier to digest and to some extent it works: I feel less queasy in my stomach today.
When I arrive at the office two hours later, I’m much more alert than I could have hoped for on a Thursday after the Christmas break. However, I’d also already completed a 20-minute walk in the cold January air. Of course, I’m not going to deny the positive effect this has on my alertness.
Day 4 and 5: my self-experiment goes out the window
In the chaos of the school morning, I don’t really pay attention to the water temperature the next day and drink a glass of cool rather than lukewarm water. Was it an accident? I’d like to say yes. However, I suspect it’s more of an underlying self-sabotage, because I still haven’t really gotten used to the lukewarm water. And I don’t really pay attention to the temperature on day five either. But I can live with the result, my stomach is happy and I’m awake too.
Day 6: now I really want to know the truth
After putting lukewarm water to the back of my mind the last two days, I’m pulling myself together again today. The experiment is with warm water, so I’m sticking to it now. No matter how I feel. After all, I can hardly get used to it if I don’t do it for at least a few days at a time. This was how I made the decision to turn one trial week into two.
I boil the water and wait until it’s cooled down to a good drinking temperature. Perhaps it tastes better this way than lukewarm from the tap. For the time being, I’m sticking to about 200 ml, and then I’ll gradually increase the amount over the next few days.
Day 7: getting there
The pleasant side effect of drinking water in the morning is that my obligatory morning coffee is postponed. This gives my internal clock time to get used to the new day without me upsetting everything again with a load of caffeine. I only have my coffee after my metabolism is already revved up. This saves me from the afternoon slump, which is a huge plus that I learned back when I did my coffee withdrawal week.
I’m now conscious of focussing on the idea that the warm water’s bringing my body up to operating temperature more quickly in the morning. This helps immensely, especially for someone like me who really feels the cold. Plus, its a good way to overcome my aversion to heated water.
Day 8, 9 and 10: routine kicks in
By the eighth day, reaching for a glass of water in the morning is more or less routine. And I’d almost dare to say that I’m looking forward to the warmth a little bit. Since I’ve been consciously observing how I practically wash away my morning chills and replace them with pleasant warmth, I’ve become less and less reluctant. I’ve also found a good balance in how much I consume – I’ve settled at a solid 300 ml. It’s enough to get me going, but not too much that I feel heavy and bloated.
Days 11 to 14: a successful attempt, but I’m still not entirely satisfied
The rest of the second week passes without much excitement. I’ve got used to the new routine and I’m no longer ruminating about how I can potentially optimise the results. But to be honest, I’m not really satisfied. What have I been missing this week? I definitely feel positive effects, I wake up more quickly, no longer feel cold in the morning, feel fresher during the day and am somehow more alert in the afternoon. My coffee consumption is automatically limited (which is actually always good in my case) and doesn’t start the moment I’ve opened my eyes. And yet I don’t have the euphoria that I had last year when I tried lemon water in the morning.
As suspected, I’d probably already found the best solution back then and any alternative would inevitably be a disappointment. A glass of lemon water in the morning has a great effect and has proven its worth for me to this day. Now I’m just missing the lemon in the water.
But, of course, there was a reason I went without the extra lemon boost this time. After an insightful interview on the subject of dental health, I was unfortunately made aware of a problem with lemon water – the acid in the fruit attacks your tooth enamel and does so quite aggressively. Of course, this is no reason to give up everything acidic forever. But a set morning routine that gradually destroys my tooth enamel over the years isn’t exactly smart, no matter how overly enthusiastic I am about the wake-up effect.
So although lemon water is still my secret weapon against tiredness, it’s not a permanent solution for every day. Can lukewarm water now replace it?
Verdict: good but room for improvement
After these not so stringent weeks of testing, I can draw a clear conclusion. A glass of lukewarm water in the morning is an effective way to wake up faster and more sustainably. Personally, I miss the special kick of lemon, but I can include it once or twice a week. That way I get a boost of energy every morning and hopefully it won’t destroy my tooth enamel in the long term. With a little more positive mindset, I finally learned to love the warmth. That being said, I’ll probably switch to cooler water in the summer.
But what I’ve taken away from this again is, it’s worth sticking to new habits for a while, even if they’re unpleasant at first. Some of them turn out to be good after all.
You can read about how I fared in previous experiments in the «I did it!» series here:
Header image: Anna Sandner
Science editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always outside - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.
