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illessen t1_j6buokb wrote

Reply to comment by blakevh in ELI5: why do our bodies randomly act like we haven’t had water in days and that we need to chug a bunch randomly? by Serratedlily

I’ve always been told, if you’re thirsty that you’re already dehydrated.

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BowzersMom t1_j6cjski wrote

That’s not true. Dehydration means you are taking in less water than you are losing to the point that your body isn’t working well. The first signs of mild dehydration include thirst, but also headaches, muscle cramps, dark urine, cool dry skin.

If you are just thirsty, you should drink some water. But just being a little thirsty doesn’t mean you are in danger of anything.

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Aristox t1_j6cob6e wrote

The first signs of dehydration are not headaches and muscle cramps lol that's when you're already well into it. Your physical and mental performance will have already been reduced by the time you feel thirsty. If you're correctly hydrating you won't experience any symptoms whatsoever

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BowzersMom t1_j6cwiwy wrote

….if you’re correctly hydrating you won’t be dehydrated. So of course you won’t experience symptoms of mild dehydration!

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BeneficialDog22 t1_j6c4qov wrote

Well yes, that's what thirsty means lol.

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Tiramitsunami t1_j6d2oyg wrote

That is not what being thirsty means. When you are thirsty you are down by a zillionth of a percent of what you'd need to be before you'd be close to dehydrated.

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RixirF t1_j6c7p5k wrote

No, people think it's okay to be thirsty, and it's not. If you're thirsty, it's too late and you're already dehydrated.

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UNFORTUNATE_POO_TANK t1_j6cc3hi wrote

What's too late? Your body has a very robust system to let you know if you need more water. You can go days without. Strongly not advised, but being thirsty doesn't mean too far gone in any way.

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RockinMadRiot t1_j6d1hz8 wrote

Think of it this way, the brain is 80% water. So just as much as 2% dehydration can really effect its performance and cause issues.

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Aristox t1_j6codeg wrote

Just because you don't die doesn't mean your physical and mental performance aren't reduced. You absolutely cannot go days without being dehydrated

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ThePhysicsOfBaseball t1_j6ccokp wrote

Sorry, no. The way most people talk about this, it's horse shit, although that doesn't stop the myths from persisting:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/hydration-myths-debunked-in-5-easy-sips-1.3155705

> Bottom line: for healthy people doing normal things under everyday conditions, nature has already provided the perfect tool, precisely calibrated to replace the fluids that are lost through exertion, perspiration, urination and other excretion. > >It's called "thirst." Use it, and you can stop sweating about hydration.

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DoctorWaluigiTime t1_j6ctbkp wrote

Indeed. If thirst meant dehydration, then everyone sleeping for 6+ hours a night would be dehydrated every morning lol.

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RockinMadRiot t1_j6d1n90 wrote

But you could argue that we aren't doing as much in our sleep so using less fluid, when awake that's a different matter as we are using everything, including our brains.

Edit: just re-read, yes I agree with you. Thirst is just a sign you are starting to get low and need water, if you ignore that then very likely you will have dehydration

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WeirdlyTallDwarf t1_j6chclu wrote

This is like saying "if you're hungry, you're already malnourished/starving".

Silly, is it not?

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Aristox t1_j6coiyn wrote

No it's radically different. If you haven't eaten enough food your body will burn fat for energy. But your body has no alternative hydration source. You can go a month easy without food, you cannot go more than a few days without water and still live. And you cannot go a few hours of being lightly dehydrated without your body's performance falling below optimal

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Tiramitsunami t1_j6d2gz2 wrote

You are almost NEVER dehydrated. It's a myth. You don't need to drink nearly as much water as the current fads make it seem. You certainly don't need a personal water bottle. If thirsty, drink, and that's all you ever need to do.

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