Why do I get more dehydrated in the winter?

[Sannum]

Every day, I buy the biggest bottle of water in the store, because the pipes in my building make the water all milky and lead-y. So, I end up drinking up 2 liters of water a day, but it just doesn't seem to be enough. This only happens in the winter! Why?

[mark414]

1. because

there is less moisture in the air

it's the same reason your clothes are more clingy when they come out of the dryer in the winter

[gmoney]

2. less moisture in the air

you lose moisture every time you exhale... more in the winter

[Skink]

3. You live under the Bush regime?

Actually it is probably the Molson but Bush sucks too.

[starroute]

4. Probably the same reason people run humidifiers in the winter

If I have it right (and if I don't, someone will correct me), cold air can hold less moisture than warm air. So as you heat the air inside your house, its ability to hold moisture increases and therefore it tends to suck moisture out of anything that's around. Including you.

[LiberalFighter]

5. I always had problems in the morning when I woke up with my throat

After I got a humidifier it got better.

It is also harder to breath outside in the winter when it is very cold. Ever notice if you wear a scarf around your mouth that it got moist when you exhale?

[Mz Pip]

6. Heaters dry out the air

I have to get a humidifier, too. I get horrible nose bleeds in the winter. I've been misting the air with a plant mister but I don't think it really does the trick. Time to go hi-tech.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Sannum]

7. This is why I come to DU.

You guys are much smarter than I am:)

Thanks!

[NightTrain]

8. Because you have not accepted Jesus into your heart.

Sinner!

[Mz Pip]

10. That might be cheaper

than a humidifier.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Nikia]

9. I have that problem too

I knew that it was because the air is dry. I just thought that it was strange that all the health and exercise books always say that you are more likely to dehydrate in the summer. They never talk about winter drying action.

[SOteric]

11. Typically it's the heaters we use in winter

to warm our homes. Even here in Seattle, where the weather is damp and humid pretty much year round, we dry out a bit in our cheery little houses during the colder months.

I find an easy and rewarding way to deal with it is to long simmer a pot of split pea or lentil soup once or twice a week. It puts the humidity back in the air. And instead of turning on the fan after I shower, I just open the doors to the bathroom and let the humidity drift outward.

Also, - drink more water. :hi: It's not a bad thing.