Dehydration means your body doesn't have enough water to carry out normal tasks, and thirst is the main symptom. It can happen for a lot of reasons, such as exercise, diarrhea, vomiting, and too much sweating. Besides wanting water, other signs can include: Dark-colored urine.

Can you be thirsty and not dehydrated?

Thirst or dehydration

Experiencing feelings of thirst is completely normal and should be addressed; however, it is not necessarily a good indicator of dehydration. Other common warning signs your body uses to alert you to drink more water are dry mouth, feeling weak, fatigue, irritability, and headaches.

Does thirst mean you are dehydrated?

Thirst isn't a helpful indicator of hydration. In fact, when you're thirsty, you could already be dehydrated, having lost as much as 1 to 2 percent of your body's water content. And with that kind of water loss, you may start to experience cognitive impairments — like stress, agitation and forgetfulness, to name a few.