Thirst is a late signal for many people. A hydration rhythm is a few anchors in the day, not a giant bottle you try to finish in a panic at dusk. We like a glass on waking, a glass with each meal, and a glass in the middle of the afternoon.
Water is the base. Tea, milk, and broth count. Sugary drinks can be a sometimes pleasure, but they are a poor way to meet the whole day's thirst because they crowd out meals and leave you thirsty again. A ginger citrus cooler is still water, orange slices, ginger coins, and mint in a jug. It looks like a treat and behaves like water.
Salt and food matter too. A very plain day of only water and no meals can leave you light-headed. Eat your meals, salt your food to taste unless a clinician has asked you to do otherwise, and let drinks accompany food rather than replace it.
If you train, drink before you start, sip during longer sessions, and have water with the meal that follows. You do not need a complicated formula. Pale yellow urine and a mouth that does not feel dry are everyday clues. Dark urine, a pounding head, or dizziness are reasons to drink and, if they continue, to seek care.
Keep a jug where you work. People drink what they can see. A mint leaf infusion in the evening can replace a third cup of coffee if sleep is fragile. Warm drinks count. The goal is a day that does not end in a headache you could have prevented with a glass at three.
Kidney disease, heart failure, and some medicines change fluid advice. Those situations need a personal plan from your own clinician. The rhythm on this page is for generally healthy days.