Heads Up Minnesota, “This” Is A Concern During The Winter

This week it has felt so much better outside with the temperatures being in the 20’s and 30’s. Honestly, I’ve felt this week has felt more like it was in the 40’s and 50’s compared to last week.  

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Something occurred to me this past week when I had to change the battery in my car. The old battery died so I couldn’t drive it to the store to have the staff there replace it. And the way the battery is positioned in my car, it’s not as simple as pulling the old one and putting the new one in it. I’d really like to find the engineer who thought this was a good idea and have a heated conversation with them. 

But the layout of the battery in my car isn’t my point here, when I changed the battery on Sunday, it was about 15 degrees with a strong wind. To say it wasn’t the most ideal of conditions is an understatement, while knowing that you may be had to something similar in worse conditions.  

After pulling and tugging and pushing I got the old battery out and the new one in and once I went inside, I quickly realized that underneath all the layers, my base layer of clothes were soaked with sweat.  

I didn’t feel like I was sweaty, but I sure was. And that got me thinking, this is a good time to remind everyone that staying hydrated during the winter and cold weather is just as important as it is in the warmer weather.  

Feeling thirsty is a sure sign of being dehydrated, but there are other signs you need to look out for as well. Such as, the color of your urine. If it’s a darker color, you need to drink. Other simple signs that could mean dehydration are chapped lips or skin, dry mouth, constipation, and headaches. If you notice that you are having trouble focusing, feeling faint or dizzy, these are also things to look out for. If you have a rapid heart rate or you are irritable, you should also take these signs you could be dehydrated.   

If you can’t pass urine, or you have diarrhea that persists for two days or more, or you run a fever of 101 or higher, you should seek medical attention as this is a more serious sign of dehydration.  

Some people have trouble drinking cold water or beverages when it’s cold outside, if that’s you, try to drink warm water, hot teas, or even warm chicken broth. I worked with a football team once that played in a very cold game and the training staff had plenty of warm chicken broth available during the game for the players.  

The broth is a good way to hydrate, in part because the salt content helps your body hold water. 

We know that most likely there will be more bitterly cold weather coming soon, please use this as a reminder to stay properly hydrated even when it’s terribly cold outside.