Living · 6 pages · 12 min
Why thirst is a late-ish signal
The urge to drink shows up while the body is already conserving water.
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From the opening
Thirst is the conscious urge to drink that appears when osmoreceptors notice a rise in plasma concentration, or when volume loss opens a second pathway. It feels a step late because water saving has usually begun before the urge is obvious. The opening covers osmoreceptors start the water saving, volume loss uses another pathway, and a dry mouth is not the blood level.
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Inside
- Osmoreceptors start the water saving
- Volume loss uses another pathway
- A dry mouth is not the blood level
- Aging can blunt the urge to drink
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Osmotic thirst through brain osmoreceptors
- Hypovolemic thirst through baroreceptors and angiotensin