What about winter dehydration? Are you kidding me? Who gets dehydrated in the winter? Surely one only gets dehydrated when it is really hot outside or when you are doing some really major physical exercise?
If you, like me, thought that there is no way that you could possibly get dehydrated in the cold winter months you would be, like me, very wrong! Don’t feel bad though (I don’t) if you thought that; most individuals think the same!
The problem is not that we do not get dehydrated in the winter months, but that very few individuals recognise the signs of dehydration in the winter, and this can be extremely dangerous.
Why We Don’t Realise We Are Dehydrated in Winter
During the hot summer months our bodies elicit a thirst response when we start becoming dehydrated, and more often than not that is what makes us realise that we need to drink water or some other fluid in order to replace lost body fluids.
The body does not react the same way in the cold winter months; the brain reacts differently in colder temperatures, and does not elicit a thirst response, which is why many individuals do not realise that they are getting dehydrated.
According to a study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, by Robert Kenefick, UNH associate professor of kinesiology, “Fluid balance in our bodies often relies on the stimulation of thirst, resulting in voluntary fluid intake, as well as the kidneys conserving or excreting water,†Kenefick says. “This process is mediated by fluid-regulating hormones such as plasma argentine vasopressin (AVP).â€
[Source: Cold weather study at the University of New Hampshire]
According to Kenfick, vasoconstriction takes place during cold weather; the body decreases the flow of blood to the body’s peripheries to decrease heat loss (which is why our fingers, nose and toes get so cold in the winter). This makes blood volume at the body’s core increase, which is why the brain does not detect blood volume decrease and does not secret the AVP hormone, which causes the kidneys to slow down urine production. This creates a fluid imbalance and dehydration.
When we inhale our body humidifies the air, which is why we can see our breath when we exhale. This means that we are losing a considerable amount of body fluid and need to drink water to replace it in order to keep our body fully hydrated.
One of the problems is that in dry or high altitudes, one’s sweat immediately turns into vapour instead of forming on the skin, which is why some skiers often look as though they are steaming when they come off the slopes. What has happened is that their sweat has already vaporised and looks like steam.
How to Remain Hydrated in the Winter
Make sure that you drink water in the summer and the winter, because your body will not function optimally if it is dehydrated. Watch out for the signs of dehydration such as fatigue, dizziness, increased heart-rate, dark yellow urine, sore and stiff joints, dry eyes and mucous membranes.
Drink water as regularly in the winter as you do in the summer; if it is too cold to drink water, try drinking warm or boiling water with a teabag in or a squeeze of lemon. Green tea is very refreshing and very healthy.
If you have an office water cooler that offers chilled, ambient and hot water you will definitely drink water more often in the winter as well as in the summer.
Source:
Living-Water sells water coolers in London and water cooler accessories. Get bottled water coolers and mains water coolers for your home or business.
