Dehydration is a dangerous and often overlooked winter health threat, with researchers warning that its life-threatening potential is frequently underestimated.
While commonly associated with hot, sweaty weather, the current Arctic blast sweeping the nation, sending temperatures as low as -20F, poses an equally severe risk of dangerous dehydration and experts urge Americans not to let the cool air fool them into thinking they’re protected from dehydration.
In frigid weather, dehydration can strike silently. The cold constricts your blood vessels, redirecting fluid from your limbs to your core and tricking your brain into a false sense of hydration. This blunts your thirst drive by up to 40 percent, dangerously delaying your instinct to drink.
Janelle Bober, a registered dietitian based in Texas, told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s an unfortunately common misconception that dehydration is less of a risk in winter. People tend to assume they’re not losing fluids or sweating because it’s cold out, and because of it, they tend to drink less.’
Cold, dry air forces your body to work overtime. Each breath requires fluid to humidify the air entering the body, and wearing heavy layers to stay warm often leads to sweating. Together, these two invisible processes can cause significant water loss.
Your skin naturally loses fluid through a passive process where moisture continuously evaporates from the skin. The dry, artificial heat common indoors acts like a sponge, pulling this moisture from your body at an accelerated rate and fast-tracking the effects of dehydration.
While early signs of dehydration, like thirst or dry mouth, can usually be reversed with drinking water, severe dehydration is a dangerous condition where the body loses more fluids than it takes in. This critical deficit can cause organ dysfunction, severe electrolyte imbalances and even loss of consciousness.
In the US, dehydration accounts for one of the top reasons for hospitalization and dehydration in children is a leading cause of emergency care, resulting in an estimated 385,000 visits to pediatric emergency departments every year nationwide.
Projected lows range from a frigid -20 degrees Fahrenheit in Maine to six degrees in Boston, with 13 degrees and snow in both New York City and Washington, DC (A snowstorm in New York City is shown above – file photo)
The widespread Arctic blast poses a severe dehydration risk that rivals the dangers of a heatwave, challenging the common association with hot weather alone (stock)
A powerful Arctic blast is driving temperatures to dangerous lows across the eastern and midwestern United States.
Projected lows range from a frigid -20 degrees Fahrenheit in Maine to six degrees in Boston, with 13 degrees and snow in both New York City and Washington, DC.
In the Midwest, cities will face similarly severe conditions, with lows ranging from -19F to 3F in Minneapolis and -5F to 11F in Chicago.
Bober said: ‘If you’re in a cold front or a cold-weather climate, watch out for fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth, headache, and dark urine as early signs of dehydration.
‘More extreme signs of severe dehydration include severe confusion and disorientation, low blood pressure, lack of urination, rapid heartbeat, and even loss of consciousness. You really want to prevent it from getting to this point, because you may require medical intervention.’
Even mild dehydration – fluid loss equating to about two percent of your body weight – is enough to negatively affect athletic performance, cognition, focus and mood.
Breathing in frigid temperatures increases fluid loss because the moist mucous membranes and airways have to warm and humidify the air before it hits the lungs.
Physical activity, such as shoveling snow, hastens this path to fluid loss because heavy, deep breathing requires more energy in the nose and throat.
Lows on Wednesday will hit the teens on the East Coast and the upper Midwest
On Saturday night, snow up and down the East Coast will exacerbate frigid air temperatures, while the Midwest will see temperatures drop well into the negatives
And sweating under all those layers can often go unnoticed because moisture evaporates quickly in cold air.
‘The fact of the matter is actually that you’re still losing water, you’re just less aware of it,’ Bober added.
At rest, the body maintains an extremely precise water balance achieved through water from food and drinks, metabolic water produced internally, and finely tuned systems that control fluid loss.
Dehydration symptoms progress in severity with each percentage of fluid loss. Even a mild one to two percent loss can trigger fatigue and reduced appetite. At three to four percent, physical performance drops and dry mouth and reduced urination occur.
A five to six percent deficit leads to headaches, poor concentration, and impaired temperature control. A severe loss of seven to 10 percent or more can cause dizziness, delirium, muscle spasms and life-threatening conditions like heat stroke.
To avoid winter dehydration, be proactive with your fluid intake, as your thirst response is blunted in the cold. Make a habit of drinking water regularly throughout the day, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
Warm beverages like herbal tea or broth can be both comforting and hydrating. Be mindful that dry indoor heat and the effort to humidify each breath accelerate fluid loss, so consider using a humidifier at home.
Finally, remember that bundling up can cause you to sweat; opt for breathable, moisture-wicking base layers and adjust your clothing to prevent overheating.
