Thirst The signal of the osmostat (Your hypothalamus detects your blood's water content: its osmolality)

• Confounding factors
  • dry mouth from mouth-breathing or medications
  • appetite suppression (in grownups...)
  • hunger (Can discrimination be trained?)
• Thirst is delayed, esp. in acclimatized folks
  • Up to 3% volume depletion occurs first
• Thirst has limitations as a signal of water need.
  • Temporally it does not parallel water loss
  • Is produced by excessive sodium intake
  • People overestimate the amounts drunk

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