# Winter Hydration



## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

As many of you know, I spend a lot of time in the winter cutting firewood, which means I'm out in the cold doing a fair ammount of labor for several hour stretches at a time. I came in with a headache a couple weeks ago and was about to pop a couple ibuprophins when I remembered a conversation I'd had with a medic in a fire class I took this fall. She said that one of the key symptoms of dehydration is a headache. I chugged a bunch of water and the headache went away with no medicine. When you're hot and sweaty you know you need to hydrate, but in the winter when you're cold, you have to remember to drink lots of water, too. I know I don't drink much water when it's cold unless I remind myself to do so, and I'd imagine I'm not unique in that regard. I usually drink from pint beer glasses at home, and I try to have at least 4 of those a day and that seems to do it for me, but the more the better. I do drink more if I'm especially active. Just a little bit of info I thought I'd share with the group.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Jason said:


> When you're hot and sweaty you know you need to hydrate, but in the winter when you're cold, you have to remember to drink lots of water.


You are absolutely correct. :2thumb: 
Another thing that will tip you off for the need to hydrate is chapped lips. I've work outside for 30 years and had always used lip balm. A few years ago I read that chapped lips were the first sign of dehydration and you should consume water at a rate of 1/2 your body weight in oz's per day. A 180lb body; 90oz of water per day. In the summertime I do that easily. It's hard to do in the winter unless, as Jason said, you make a conscience effort to do it. I still use the balm for protection from the wind, but I have less problem with chapped lip than I used to.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

the headache is identical to what happens when you overindulge with alcohol & get a 'hangover'... the body does not have enough water to run the Krebs Cycle efficiently. Ethanol is a carbohydrate and a food, and as such is broken down in the body by a complicated metabolic process. Ethanol becomes acetaldehyde, then acetic acid and then carbon dioxide and water. The cycle is very delicate, and if it is upset, toxic acetaldehyde remains in the system during the hangover... the cure is also the same, water & lots of it! large doses of vitamins A & C also help in the breaking down of acetaldehyde, but the water is the key.

on a side note, do NOT eat snow to get water, unless absolutely necessary! you will reduce your core temperature and also get too little water in the process... if you have to, pack your canteen/cup with snow & melt (even with body heat, I find an armpit works well  ) the snow into liquid water before you drink, you will then see how little water you are actually getting.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

Geez, I didn't know that about the chapped lips. Nor the hangover connection. Thanks for the info, guys.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

This thread is an antique, but it's relevant this time of year so I figured I'd give it a bump.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Dehydration can kill you very quickly, I think that this thread is appropriate any time of the year. Thanks Jason for bringing it back and reminding us of one of the Basics of survival.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Dehydration can make you tired*

This is a good thread. I know that when I am not eating carbs, as I have done sometimes in my life, my lips get chapped. I never thought about the Krebs cycle as a piece of this. I knew there was a connection, but didn't know what the cause was. I have been working on eating many more green vegetables, as the main part of my diet, for healthy eating reasons. Yep, chapped lips.


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