As cold winds knock at our doors and there is chill in the air, we ready ourselves for winter. From long cosy nights under the blankets, enjoyed with peanuts, a good book and steaming mugs of hot chocolate or coffee, winter is surely a favourite time of the year for everyone, despite all that cold.

However, the season carries its blues, the most prominent one being cold and flu, as well as sore throat and thus the rounds to the doctors and all those medicines. But whatever I’ve said so far are the obvious signs and symptoms of this season. There is another, often overlooked factor in this season — dehydration.

Surprised? Yes, many of us limit the phenomenon of dehydration to summertime. But the truth is, it is as much real during winter as in the summer heat. Moreover, the process of dehydration is often accelerated during the cold due to our neglect of it. Water in winter is lost almost as rapidly as in summers, if not that obviously. And less intake of water can lead to alarming problems including constant tiredness, fatigue, muscle cramps, the urge to sleep more (laziness), lack of coordination and being more prone to colds and flu.

We often substitute the intake of water with that of hot beverages including tea, coffee, sodas, etc., which are actually more dangerous, such as caffeine, and leads to dehydration. Also, we feel hungrier during cold and tend to eat more, whereas it is simply the body’s signal to take in water. Thus, we need to drink adequate amount of water to replenish our body’s requirements and we can substitute it with green tea or even fruits with high water content.

Keeping in mind these simple techniques, we can successfully avoid the winter blues and enjoy the season fully.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 21st, 2017