Hydration in the Cold

wintermute

wintermute

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Since it's getting cold out there (not here today - high of 56 deg, but in general), and some people may be planning to do some winter camping, just felt I should bring up the subject of hydration in the winter. I don't have anything technical to discuss, just wanted to start discussion on something important.

I don't know about anyone else, but when it gets cold out, water is the last thing I want to drink. Last winter, I was doing construction supervision in 10 deg. weather that lasted about two weeks. Since all I was doing was watching guys work and I was on an open construction site with plenty of wind, I was freezing, no matter what layers I put on and I couldn't even force myself to drink water. Tea and coffee went down no problem. P.S. I wound up with a kidney stone. I now keep a bottle of gatorade (easier to for me to convince the animal in me to drink this in the cold) in my layers and drink from that to keep hydrated. What's other people's experiences with this stuff?
 
Hydration is as important in the cold as it is in the heat.

Proper hydration is one of the keys to help regulating your body temperature. The body still needs the hydration. It doesn't need the excess like in the heat because you aren't sweating the fluids like the heat but the body needs hydrated.

In the cold, one often has to "force" hydration because the tendency isn't to drink because you're not hot or thirsty like in the heat.

Remember, once you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated to a degree.

Caffeine is one of those dehydrators.
 
Most everyone walks around in a constant state of dehydration.

Well said cmdr. Hydration is key in tempature regulation. Warm drinks can raise core temp very efficiantly. Kinda like warm IV fluids.
 
wintermute said:
Since it's getting cold out there (not here today - high of 56 deg, but in general), and some people may be planning to do some winter camping, just felt I should bring up the subject of hydration in the winter. I don't have anything technical to discuss, just wanted to start discussion on something important.

I don't know about anyone else, but when it gets cold out, water is the last thing I want to drink. Last winter, I was doing construction supervision in 10 deg. weather that lasted about two weeks. Since all I was doing was watching guys work and I was on an open construction site with plenty of wind, I was freezing, no matter what layers I put on and I couldn't even force myself to drink water. Tea and coffee went down no problem. P.S. I wound up with a kidney stone. I now keep a bottle of gatorade (easier to for me to convince the animal in me to drink this in the cold) in my layers and drink from that to keep hydrated. What's other people's experiences with this stuff?
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Tea bags weigh nothing and take next to no space. Some tea bags and sugar make winter hydration very enjoyable. In the winter I'll usually carry a small thermos that effectively keeps my tea warm between stops, but it allows me to keep consuming a hot and sweet beverage to keep me warm and energized.
 
cmdr249 said:
Proper hydration is one of the keys to help regulating your body temperature. The body still needs the hydration. It doesn't need the excess like in the heat because you aren't sweating the fluids like the heat but the body needs hydrated.
Click to expand...

Thats a good point, and one thing people forget is that in freezing temperatures the air is usually really dry, and you end up loosing a lot of moisture with your breath.

I've accustoemed myself in drinking water, but even with a mild hypothermia drinking anything cold makes me shiver like mad. Thermos wont hold anything warm more than a few hours in freezing weather. So, I usually try to keep a flat army bottle inside my jacket. This way the water is at least near +20C.

Btw, my friend uses one of those drinking bladder thingys, with a drinking tube. That thing freezes solid really fast! (the tube, not the bladder). So, he's learned to blow the tube empty after he takes a sip.
 
Caffeine is a diuretic but you are better off drinking tea and/or coffee than nothing at all. Recommendations are changing regarding caffeinated drinks:

"Many studies have demonstrated an increase in urine production following caffeine ingestion, and it is these studies that have led to the recommendations to abstain from caffeine before and during periods when fluid balance may be challenged. But a closer look at the studies shows that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Caffeine has indeed been shown to have a diuretic effect – but only when ingested at levels in excess of 300mg. The first point to consider is just how much tea or coffee would have to be drunk to add up to 300mg of caffeine.

The evidence suggests that you would need to drink as many as six cups of tea to yield this amount, or 3-4 strong cups of coffee. In fact, average daily intake is around 250mg."

In other words, tea and coffee are fine and will help to keep you hydrated as long as you don't over do it.

If you don't like water when it's cold, this may not help - but it works for me and keeps your electrolytes in balance which, as you know, is super important for regulating body temperature - check out eletewater
 
I just drink water. I guess I'm used to it, but I've never seen any problem with it. That's what I always drink, summer and winter. Sometimes tea is nice, and even coffee, but water should be the main drink. :thumbup: If the water is cold, well, so is the air. You'll live. And if you really think you can't, well, there are all kinds of ways to store it warm, like keeping it close to your body and using thermos bottles and even just plain warming that darn water over a fire. You don't want to get too dehydrated in the cold...
 
When it's cold, the water I carry ends up getting carried home. But if I decide to not worry about the weight and and carry a stainless steel insulated bottle full of coffee, it always goes home empty. Hydration AND warmth! A nice combo for winter time.

I usually pack an Esbit stove and a few tea bags in my winter packs.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Dehydration not only greatly reduces physical ability, but also increases the risk of frostbite.
And in a cold condition, you can lose much water without noticing it because the air you breathing is
more dry than other seasons and cold temperature fools your body to think that there are excess water
within your body which results in a unnecessary urination.

You can see the degree of dehydration by the colour of your urine, darker is worse.
I usually carry a warm sweet tea in a medium sized vacuum bottle.
 
I drink between 8 and 10 bottles of water day when not doing much physical activity, whether it be hot or cold. I guess I am just like tat because when I was young my dad always told me I could drink aynthing I wanted, but he only drank water, milk and beer. So I went with water to be like him. And I have stuck with it ever since..
 
When i donated blood the nurse asked if i drink alot of water. When i answered yes i do like to drink too much her answer was. That she can see from the flow of blood that i do and that most people dont drink enough. You should start the day with a large cup of water drink even if not thirsty end the day with a cup of water before bed. Talk about being ready for survival this is as basic as it comes.

Sasha
 
Use both the volume and colour of your urine to tell you how hydrated you are.

Urine volume generally decreases and colour darkens when you are becoming dehydrated.

Urine volume is reasonable and colour is light to lemon yellow when well hydrated.

Adjust what and how much you drink accordingly :thumbup:



Kind regards
Mick
 
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