Is there a difference between being thirsty and dehydrated? Like scientifically, biologically – by the time you notice that you are thirsty, are you already dehydrated?

Question

Is there a difference between being thirsty and dehydrated? Like scientifically, biologically – by the time you notice that you are thirsty, are you already dehydrated?

In: Biology

Answer 1

I read somewhere recently that while the two are separate, thirst is VERY easy to ignore. Thirst comes first, then dehydration. When you’re busy doing something and don’t want to go grab a glass of water or tell yourself you’ll grab some I’m 10 minutes, you’re essentially training yourself to ignore the “thirst” signal your body is sending.

Pretty soon you kind of just ignore the signal until you remember you needed a drink and you end up dehydrated. Similar to how you “forget” to eat or suddenly your not hungry anymore. You learn to ignore the signal for food your body is sending.