Why It Is Important To Stay Hydrated in the Winter

Drinking enough water is incredibly important for your health all year round, but often, people do not drink as much during the winter. When it is hot and your body sweats, we naturally tend to hydrate because we thirst. However, here is why staying hydrated in the winter is worth putting in extra effort to sip your water all day.

Prevent Dehydration

Dehydration is easy to experience in artificially heated house all bundled up in warm clothes, but it is not easy to recognize. We might not feel dizzy or develop a headache; instead your body’s skin might start flaking and your lips might crack and bleed. Just because you are not thirsty does not mean you are hydrated.

Healthy Anatomy

Water’s benefits to your body are plentiful. According to waterlogic.com, keeping hydrated will regulate your body temperature, allowing your blood to carry important nutrients and oxygen around your body and remove toxins from your body.

Fight Fatigue & Winter Weight

Midday fatigue is often a characteristic of dehydration. Water replenishes our bodies and keeps us energized. Skip the 2:30 cup of coffee and reach for a water bottle instead. In the same way, drinking water can keep your body working to its full potential and help you lose weight. We need water to properly digest food, so sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger. Next time you are reaching for a snack, drink a glass of water and see if it satisfies you.

Easy Ways to Stay Hydrated

A couple ways you can consume more water is to eat fruit. Many fruits are incredibly hydrating and healthy for you! Another idea is to buy a fancy water bottle. When you are using a water bottle you like, you tend to drink more water throughout the day. Bring it with you to work and especially to the gym. Another tip from health.com is to drink room-temperature water. The regulate your internal temperature better than water at cold or hot extremes.

These concerns should have you convinced that staying hydrated in the winter is very important! Find easy ways to drink water and appreciate the benefits that comes with it this cold weather season.

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

At least 60 percent of your body is made up of water. It’s important to drink as much as water as you can to help replenish your body every day. Sadly, water is only the second-most popular beverage in the United States–after soft drinks. That’s a scary realization, since overindulging on sugary soda drinks is an enormous health hazard.

When you’re not drinking enough water, your body will give you warning signs that something isn’t right. Here are a few other warning signs:

You Can Feel it in Your Bones

Just as a car needs oil to run properly, your body needs water to do well. If you don’t have enough water in your body, your joints will begin to break down and you could injure yourself while doing normal activities. According to an article by Lifehack.org, the cartilage that protects our joints is made up of 80% water. This means if you’re not getting enough water, you can risk injury while running or jumping or even when performing daily activities or making sudden movements.

You Don’t Recover Well From Illness

Your grandmother always told you to drink more fluids to help you recover from an illness; she was right. Your body requires a minimum amount of water each day to function at a normal level and get the toxins out of your system. These amounts vary depending on your body type, activity levels, and several other factors, but illnesses will dehydrate you faster than normal - especially if you are vomiting, have diarrhea, or have a fever. When you get sick, increase your water intake even more. Even things like soup, fruit juices, and gelatin help with your fluid intake.

You Feel Sleepy

Fatigue is one of the first signs you’ll encounter from being dehydrated. If a lack of fluids turns into full-blown dehydration, it can cause an imbalance in your sodium, potassium and electrolytes, therefore, making you sleepy and lethargic.

You Get Hungry Out Of Nowhere

When you don’t drink enough water, your body receives mixed signals on hunger. According to an article on Spright.com, “Your hypothalamus, the portion of your brain responsible for controlling feelings of hunger and thirst, responds similarly whether you’re thirsty or you haven’t had enough to eat.” Dehydration causes you to believe you need to eat when you actually need more liquid in your system.

You Don’t Age Well

Water acts as a natural (and much cheaper) facelift as it flushes out the toxins in your body. Hydrating yourself on the inside will result in a dewy and fresh-looking skin on the outside. If you’re dehydrated, things will start to look dry, cracked and unhealthy.


Water is very important to your overall health. Becoming dehydrated too often can do plenty of damage to your body, and as you’ve probably heard, if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables that are high in water content is also a good way to stay hydrated. Staying full for the entire day is just as important as staying hydrated.

For more information on hydration, visit the Minnesota Chapter of the American Water Works Association.