John Myers
On average, the body needs between one and a half and two liters of fluid a day. Properly distributed throughout the day, drinking can even help you lose weight. But the feeling of thirst is not always reliable.
Drink a lot in the morning
A glass of water upon waking can help you feel fitter. While the body reduces water consumption during sleep, the reserves can still be used up in the morning – especially after too short a night’s sleep. Then the body does not release enough of a hormone that reduces water consumption during sleep.
Covering a large part of the daily liquid requirement in the morning can prevent excessive thirst and headaches in the afternoon.
Drink while eating
Drinking before and during meals reduces appetite and can thereby help with weight loss. Hunger and thirst are closely related to the brain. This can lead to people feeling hungry even though the body needs fluids. When you get hungry, experts recommend drinking a glass of water first and then waiting to see if you feel hungry.
There is no evidence that drinking improves digestion or dilutes stomach acid.
Thirst decreases with age
When you feel thirsty, your body signals that it needs liquid. From the late 20s, the signal becomes increasingly unreliable. Thirst can then make itself felt, for example, through circulatory problems, lack of concentration, or headaches.
To prevent such symptoms, as you get older you should drink water regularly throughout the day, even if you don’t feel thirsty. After drinking, it takes about half an hour for the liquid to be distributed throughout the body and for the symptoms to subside.
