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Some psychoanalysts think that a new born baby's first cry is because it's thirsty. Some things called osmoreceptors are responsible for this reaction. They immediately tell the hypothalamus, where our thirst centre is located, that our organism lacks water. This makes us aware that we should replenish it. If we don't, our blood loses water and will subsequently lose volume. Again, other receptors, the volume receptors, transmit this information to the hypothalamus and tell it once again that we need to top up the tank.
Why is water important? For the answer to this we need look no further than our body's own composition. Water represents around 60 per cent of a man's body weight and around 50 per cent of a woman's, since the more fat we have the less water.
Also this colourless, odourless and insipid liquid forms part of the very structure of our body's organs and cells. In the lung, for example, the concentration of water is as high as 70 per cent, the same as in the heart. The kidney, meanwhile, is 83 per cent water.
�I'm dehydrating!
These are the unmistakable symptoms of dehydration:
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Hallucinations
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Drop in blood pressure
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High temperature
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Cramps
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Loss of skin elasticity
To prevent thirst
Drink water: the most effective way, without a doubt, is by drinking water frequently even when you are not thirsty. Water is much better than lemonade, soft drinks in general, beer or any other alcoholic drink. Tap water is even better than either still or sparkling water which has a greater concentration of ions and produces less dilution of blood plasma.
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Eat vegetables: another way to prevent thirst is by eating. Especially foodstuffs rich in water: vegetables like tomato, carrot and curly endive. And if they are raw so much the better, since they lose part of their liquid when cooked.
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