Staying Hydrated During The Winter Months Is A Key To Good Health
By Sara Tipton
Did you know that drinking more water during winter is crucial to your survival? This fact is especially important when you are spending more time outdoors.
Hydration is imperative to achieve proper gut functions, healthy skin and hair, and lubricated joints. With winter right around the corner, many of us are chucking the ice-cold drinks for hot teas or coffees. That’s great, but make sure you are still getting adequate hydration this winter.
Drinking enough water each day is crucial for many reasons: to regulate body temperature, keep joints lubricated, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, and keep organs functioning properly. Being well-hydrated also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood.
While dehydration is often associated with those blazing hot summer months, winter should be of concern as well. During the winter, we tend to go for longer periods without water, not realizing that breathing cold and dry air causes the body to lose significant amounts of fluid, which would lead to dehydration. People often feel about 40 percent less thirsty in the winter, even though the body’s need for water is unchanged year-round. Because we don’t feel thirst as acutely as well do in summer, we’re less likely to keep a bottle of water handy during cold-weather months.
Here a few ways to make sure that even as the temperatures dip and snow starts to fall, that you get enough water to stay healthy:
- Drink More Tea – Hot teas are a great way to stay hydrated and beneficial to your health. Choosing herbal blends or decaffeinated teas will also be beneficial to your overall hydration, as caffeine is a mild diuretic. If you love black tea though, it shouldn’t affect overall hydration.
- Take a Drink With You – When you leave the house to do errands, take a to-go drink with you. Often hot teas and coffees or even ciders are comforting during the cooler months, but cold drinks can work too. Make sure you sip on your drink at a stoplight, stop sign, or before getting out of your car. Take another sip when you get back in. This will get you in a habit and before long, you’ll be well hydrated!
- Sip on Water While Watching TV or Reading– instead of simply mindlessly getting absorbed in a book or a TV show, make it a habit of sipping a glass of water every time you turn the page or a commercial comes on.
- Stay Away From Sugary Drinks – focus on drinks that contain little or no sugar. Limit the honey you put in your teas and coffee. Even though honey is natural, it will spike your blood sugar level.
- Eat More Veggies – make sure you are getting plenty of leafy greens and other vegetables. Not only are the nutrients good for you, but veggies have tons of water in them! Some veggies like cucumbers are composed of 90% water!
Infographic: The Effects of Dehydration
Basically, one of the best ways to make sure you stay hydrated is to be conscious of the fact that even though you may not be thirsty, because it’s cold out, you may still need to hydrate.
This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on November 15th, 2020
Image: Pixabay
