The thirst mechanism

Did you know that our body has a thirst mechanism that kicks into place to let us know when we need to drink more water?  Our mouth becomes drier and we become thirsty; therefore, we drink more water. 

The problem is that if someone is chronically under-hydrated, the body doesn’t kick in this mechanism because it is trying to conserve as much water as it can.  Contrary to what you might think, as someone stays under-hydrated, the less likely the body is to signal that he is thirsty.  This is obviously problematic.

The good news is that we can rehydrate ourselves and get back the thirst mechanism, but it does take some time.  As a person starts to take in more hydrating liquids, the thirst sensation will reactivate and signal to the person when they need to drink more water.  Our bodies are amazingly adaptable and usually are great at telling us what they need if we just listen.

Drinking Water: For those over 50!

As we get older, some of us produce less hydrochloric acid in our stomachs.  The problem is that this acid helps us to break down the proteins in our food and kills any microbes that may have entered.  Despite what the commercials may have you fearing, it is often NOT too much acid in the stomach causing digestive problems, but too little.  Drinking water with meals can even further dilute the hydrochloric acid in your stomach.  So if you think low acid may be an issue for you, try to drink only a little water with meals and drink most of your water between meals.