Sadly that is something many people can’t rely upon. I am not that old, and have a tendency to get pretty dehydrated before i get thirsty at all. Old people are famous for getting so dehydrated that they get delirious - ask any nurse working in a hospital, they will agree that this is the case. With summer temperatures rising this will hit a lot more people of the already affected groups, and additional groups which are not sensitized yet towards that issue.
I agree that most people do not need to drink 3 liters of water per day. But what happens is that people aim for that amount and then land somewhere around 1.5-2 liters / day, which is a pretty good amount for normal days, and they will be more alert towards their water intake on hot days, which prevents deaths.
There is a difference between “drinking a glass of water wouldn’t hurt you” and “you are dehydrated and it is medically relevant”. Every organism on this planet can easily cope with a reduction in available water if it isn’t severe. The operating conditions of a human body, if formalized, would only state a minimum of water intake, because the optimal amount of hydration varies wildly from person to person, and it is also dependent on outside circumstances, like heavy work or high temperatures.
During the winter months, i am completely fine with around 1 liter of fluid intake per day most of the time when sedentary. During the last 2 months, i have topped out at around 7 liters/day (i do sweat a lot), which made me a bit nervous and i made sure to increase my normally very low salt intake a bit, to prevent running out of electrolytes.
Which is why “thirsty” as an indicator is the problem. It is your body telling you there is already a problem.
Every organism on this planet can easily cope
You can easily cope with all manner of problems. You can go 2 months without Vitamin C. You shouldn’t wait until you develop the first signs of scurvy before eating an orange.
Sadly that is something many people can’t rely upon. I am not that old, and have a tendency to get pretty dehydrated before i get thirsty at all. Old people are famous for getting so dehydrated that they get delirious - ask any nurse working in a hospital, they will agree that this is the case. With summer temperatures rising this will hit a lot more people of the already affected groups, and additional groups which are not sensitized yet towards that issue.
I agree that most people do not need to drink 3 liters of water per day. But what happens is that people aim for that amount and then land somewhere around 1.5-2 liters / day, which is a pretty good amount for normal days, and they will be more alert towards their water intake on hot days, which prevents deaths.
Thirst is something no one can rely on. This is the same information I got from multiple doctors each in different fields.
By the time you register thirst, you are already dehydrated.
There is a difference between “drinking a glass of water wouldn’t hurt you” and “you are dehydrated and it is medically relevant”. Every organism on this planet can easily cope with a reduction in available water if it isn’t severe. The operating conditions of a human body, if formalized, would only state a minimum of water intake, because the optimal amount of hydration varies wildly from person to person, and it is also dependent on outside circumstances, like heavy work or high temperatures.
During the winter months, i am completely fine with around 1 liter of fluid intake per day most of the time when sedentary. During the last 2 months, i have topped out at around 7 liters/day (i do sweat a lot), which made me a bit nervous and i made sure to increase my normally very low salt intake a bit, to prevent running out of electrolytes.
Which is why “thirsty” as an indicator is the problem. It is your body telling you there is already a problem.
You can easily cope with all manner of problems. You can go 2 months without Vitamin C. You shouldn’t wait until you develop the first signs of scurvy before eating an orange.
I just wanted to emphasize that optimal fluid intake is not a simple number - anyone peddling that is full of shit.
1.5 - 2 liters a day is perfectly fine if you don’t just eat dry, salty food. Vegetables contain a ton of water.