Did you know that drinking more water during winter is crucial to your survival? This fact is especially important when you are spending more time outdoors.

Hydration is imperative to achieve proper gut functions, healthy skin and hair, and lubricated joints. With winter right around the corner, many of us are chucking the ice-cold drinks for hot teas or coffees. That’s great, but make sure you are still getting adequate hydration this winter.

Drinking enough water each day is crucial for many reasons: to regulate body temperature, keep joints lubricated, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, and keep organs functioning properly. Being well-hydrated also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood.

While dehydration is often associated with those blazing hot summer months, winter should be of concern as well. During the winter, we tend to go for longer periods without water, not realizing that breathing cold and dry air causes the body to lose significant amounts of fluid, which would lead to dehydration. People often feel about 40 percent less thirsty in the winter, even though the body’s need for water is unchanged year-round. Because we don’t feel thirst as acutely as well do in summer, we’re less likely to keep a bottle of water handy during cold-weather months.

Here a few ways to make sure that even as the temperatures dip and snow starts to fall, that you get enough water to stay healthy:

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…