Winter Dehydration Could Be Wrecking Your Health

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Winter Dehydration Could Be Wrecking Your Health

Winter hit hard this week. Arctic air pushed down from Canada, and most of the U.S. is locked in freezing temperatures.

Cold weather brings an unexpected health problem most people miss: dehydration.

You're not sweating. You're not exercising outside. You don't feel thirsty. But your body is losing water faster in winter than it does during summer heat.

Here's why winter dehydration happens, what it's doing to your health, and how to fix it.

Why You Dehydrate in Winter

Summer dehydration is obvious. You sweat. You see it. You feel it. You drink more water instinctively.

Winter dehydration is invisible.

The mechanism:

Cold air holds less moisture than warm air. When temperatures drop, relative humidity plummets. Your body contains more water than the surrounding air, which creates an osmotic gradient.

Water evaporates continuously from your skin and lungs. Every breath you take releases water vapor. Every inch of exposed skin lo...