Drinking Enough but Still Feeling Dry
Hello,
Has it ever happened that you woke up after six hours of sleep, drank a glass of water, and your mouth was still dry?
Your throat, your eyes, your joints - all of them feel dry.
This doesn't mean something is wrong with you.
It means the right question is not "how much did you drink," but: what does the body do with what comes in?
So what does modern science say about this?
A large study published in the journal PLOS ONE in 2020 analyzed health data from 15,000 adults between the ages of 51 and 70.
The finding was surprising: 69.4% of them were in a state of chronic dehydration - not because they weren't drinking enough, but because the body wasn't retaining or processing fluids properly.
These people were 1.93 times more likely to suffer from obesity, and 2.56 times more likely to develop insulin resistance.
The conclusion: water alone is not enough.
And what does Chinese medicine say about this?
In Chinese medicine there is a concept called Jin-Ye - a collective term for all the body's fluids.
Jin is the thin, light fluid - the one that moistens the surfaces: the skin, the mouth, the muscles.
Ye is the thick, deep fluid - the one that nourishes the joints, bone marrow, and brain.
When these fluids flow freely - the body feels flexible and vital.
When they become stuck - accumulation begins.
Chinese medicine explains that the water we drink travels a journey through three organs:
The Spleen receives the clean fluids and sends them upward to the Lungs.
The Lungs distribute them like an inner rain to all parts of the body.
The Kidneys control the gateways - what is retained, what is released.
When one of these organs is weak - the fluids stop moving.
They don't leave - they get stuck.
And this is exactly what Chinese medicine calls excess moisture - Dampness
The expressions people recognise: a feeling of heaviness in the body, excess mucus in the morning, fatigue that doesn't pass even after sleep, and "foggy" thinking after meals.
From a study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology in 2025: 67.6% of rheumatoid arthritis patients showed a pattern of excess Dampness according to Chinese medicine.
This is not a coincidence.
The Chinese question is not "how much did you drink" - but: "have your fluids reached the right places?"
A story from the clinic:
I remember a patient who came to the clinic a few years ago - a winter morning in Amsterdam.
She was a schoolteacher, drank six to eight glasses of water a day, ate healthily.
"I'm doing everything right," she said, "but I'm constantly dry."
I checked the pulse, looked at the tongue - a white, greasy coating, a slippery pulse.
I told her: "You're drinking enough - the problem is that your body isn't distributing the fluids properly."
She looked at me for a moment.
And then: "That's exactly what it feels like."
So I suggested she shift to a drying and resolving diet: stopping cold foods (salads, dairy products, smoothies) and moving to warm, cooked textures, combined with aromatic spices that help the Spleen break down Dampness, such as: cardamom, ginger, and dried orange peel - which is considered a medicinal herb in Chinese medicine.
Tip of the week - just notice
Don't change a thing.
Just ask yourself tomorrow morning:
How does my body feel? Heavy? Light? Stiff?
And notice whether there is a connection between what you ate yesterday and how you feel this morning.
This is the beginning of a conversation with your body.
How do you actually do this?
Drink slowly, not all at once - small sips throughout the day help the Spleen process fluids better than a large glass in one sitting.
Try warm water - Chinese medicine prefers warm or room-temperature fluids over cold water from the fridge, which burdens the Spleen.
Check your tongue in the morning - a thick white coating on the tongue is a classic sign of excess Dampness.
Small daily movement - a ten-minute walk after a meal helps fluids from "getting stuck."
Be careful with excess fatty and sweet food - these are the main causes of Spleen weakness and Dampness accumulation over time.
But don't forget - water is an element of crucial importance for your health - always make sure to drink enough water.
A closing from the heart
Water is not just a liquid.
It is the way your body communicates with itself - carrying vitality, nourishment, cleansing.
Perhaps your body is not asking for more water.
Perhaps it is asking for help - so the water already there can find its way.
Wishing you a week in which things flow at least as freely as water...
With love, Zohar