When you are out and it gets cold, there are several ways to stay warm. Best way is layering clothing and being near a heat source like a campfire. But if you get a downpour of rain while you are building a shelter and get soaking wet, you may have limited amount of dry clothing to get into. The best thing to do is drink water.
In many survival situations, you must boil the water before drinking it. If you have watch Naked and Afraid, many episodes, where someone drinks water without boiling it, gets sick. Usually, we tend to like cool water to quench our thirst, but our body doesn’t care how we get the hydration in our system.
What this means, is if you are cold and your core body temperature is dropping, boil water and drink hot water. Your body temperature will rise, though it may be temporary, and it is a good way to maintain your body temperature in the cold. It has other benefits.
- May relieve nasal congestion
- May improve central nervous system function
- May aid in digestion
- May aid in relieving constipation (too much protein can cause this)
- May help the detoxification system in your body
- May improve circulation (which aids in maintaining body temperature)
- May decrease stress levels (when the body lacks water, you tend to stress out and become negative)
- Keeps you hydrated (again, regardless of the temperature of the water, your body will get the hydration it needs)
So next time you are shivering cold, try a cup of hot water every so often and it may help in raising your body temperature a bit and calm you down.
