You’ve probably experienced this: You wake up in the morning, grab a glass of water that you intentionally or unintentionally left out overnight, and take a big swig of that room-temperature water. Your immediate reaction is, “That’s stale water!”
And while “stale” may not be the ideal descriptor, you’re not wrong. It has an unmistakably stale taste as it goes down and may also leave a bad taste in your mouth.
The Science Behind the Taste of Water in the Morning
When drinking tap water first thing in the morning and thinking something’s “off” about its taste, you may try to attribute that perception to something other than the water. You’re not awake yet, your “morning breath” is influencing the water’s bad taste, etc.
However, researchers have discovered two reasons why the glass of water you drink in the morning actually tastes different. The first is that temperature affects the way water tastes. Of course, there are reasons to choose room-temperature water over a nice glass of cold water. For instance, room temperature water aids digestion.
You’ll just need to decide what’s more important to you: taste or digestive assistance. Unless your water tastes particularly bad in the morning, you might tolerate it for the health benefit.
The second reason is that when water sits out uncovered overnight, different types of gases dissolve in it. Who would’ve thought that was happening? But invisible gases like carbon dioxide and even things like acetone and aldehydes in the air are making their way into what starts as a glass of cold, refreshing water.
Most noticeable among the changes is that carbon dioxide that dissolves in your water lowers its pH level, meaning it increases its acidity, giving it that stale taste. Is it harmful? No, not unless you have some dangerous gases floating around in your home. But is it unavoidable? Also, no.
Supporting Your Body While Enjoying Your Water
Being properly hydrated provides many health benefits. As noted above, water aids digestion, including assisting in the transport of oxygen and nutrients. It also helps maintain a steady heartbeat and normal blood pressure.
In addition, water helps your body maintain the appropriate temperature and is essential in flushing harmful bacteria and other unwanted substances out of your body.
Consequently, consuming a tall glass of water first thing in the morning gets your day off to a healthy start. And if you drink coffee, which is a diuretic (meaning it makes you urinate more and lose more water), it’s wise to put plenty of water into your system before you start sending it out!
Fortunately, you can drink your water and enjoy it, too. All you have to do is put Eldorado Natural Spring Water into a sealed container (if it isn’t in a bottle) overnight to keep the unwanted gases out. That way, our water’s award-winning taste will be unchanged in the morning.
And if you’re not looking for a digestive boost, consider putting that sealed container in the refrigerator or using a vacuum-insulated water bottle. If you’ve never tried one, you’ll be surprised that they can keep water temperature nearly constant for several hours.
Either way, your morning glass of water will please your taste buds and also be cold and refreshing. What’s more, if you’re focused on weight loss, drinking cold water can help you burn a few extra calories since your body must use energy to warm it up before using it.
Consider the mystery around stale-tasting water solved and the problem corrected. Now, drink up and stay hydrated!
