In Sidi Bel Abbès, summer pulls no punches. From late May, the temperature climbs, the chergui (the hot easterly wind) blows, and thirst becomes an hourly companion. For most people, it is enough to fill a glass with cool water. But when you are receiving haemodialysis, this ordinary act turns into a delicate equation: drinking too much exposes you to interdialytic weight gain, while drinking too little weakens your blood pressure and circulation. The heat disturbs an already fragile balance.
You probably know this already: your medical team has set you a precise fluid allowance, calculated from your residual urine output, your dry weight and your tolerance to sessions. Summer does not change the rule, but it makes following it far more demanding. Sweating cannot be replaced freely with drinks, as it can in a person with working kidneys. Every sip counts.
This article brings together seven practical tips, tried by patients at the centre and approved by our team, to help you get through the hot season without giving in to thirst. None is miraculous on its own, but combined, they make a real difference to your comfort between two sessions.
Why thirst is harder in summer when you are on dialysis
In a person whose kidneys work normally, summer sweating is replaced naturally: you drink, the kidneys adjust, balance is maintained. With haemodialysis, this automatic mechanism no longer exists. The water you drink builds up between two sessions, and it is the machine that will have to remove it during the next session through ultrafiltration.
But in summer, your body loses water through the skin, sometimes in large amounts. This invisible loss creates a genuine thirst, physiologically legitimate. The trap: if you drink to make up for it like everyone else, your interdialytic weight gain rises quickly. The result — harder sessions, more aggressive ultrafiltration, sometimes drops in blood pressure, cramps, and greater fatigue the next day.
The challenge of summer, then, is not to "resist" thirst, but to ease it in another way, without exceeding the amount prescribed by your nephrologist.
Tip 1: The lemon ice cube that lasts
The ice cube is the number-one ally of the dialysis patient in summer. Sucked slowly, it releases a tiny volume of water — a few millilitres — while giving a prolonged sensation of freshness in the mouth. To make it even more effective, flavour it.
In the morning, prepare an ice-cube tray at home with water and a few drops of lemon juice, or crushed fresh mint leaves. The cold + the acidity of the lemon + the freshness of the mint stimulate the receptors in the mouth and pleasantly fool the brain. A single ice cube can keep you going for twenty to thirty minutes, where a glass of water would have been swallowed in ten seconds.
Tip 2: Mouth rinse without swallowing
Here is a simple action that many patients adopt and never give up. Prepare a small glass of nicely chilled water, add two drops of mint extract or a little lemon juice. Take a mouthful, hold it for ten to fifteen seconds, swish it around like a mouthwash — then spit it out.
The result is surprising: the feeling of thirst fades for a quarter of an hour, sometimes longer, without any liquid having been swallowed. You can repeat the action as many times as you need during the day. It is particularly useful in the early afternoon, when the heat is at its peak.
Tip 3: Choosing your drinks wisely
Not all drinks are equal when it comes to thirst. Very sugary fizzy drinks — Hamoud, Selecto, commercial lemonades — are summer's worst allies: their fast sugar revives thirst a few minutes after quenching it, and their volume quickly eats into your fluid allowance. The same goes for commercial fruit juices.
Favour cool water, in small amounts spread out throughout the day, rather than a large glass all at once. A warm, lightly brewed tea is surprisingly refreshing — whereas iced tea makes you thirsty an hour later. Unsweetened lemon water, served chilled, is also a good option. The general idea: less sugar, moderate temperatures, small amounts often.
Tip 4: Eating saltier is a very bad idea
Salt and thirst are inseparable. The more salt you eat, the more your body demands water to rebalance. In summer, when the heat is already raising thirst on its own, adding salt is like pouring oil on the fire.
Beware of foods that are quietly salty: olives, cheeses, cured meats (charcuterie), tinned foods, crisps, commercial soups, harissa, smen (preserved fermented butter). Taste before you add salt. Prefer fresh herbs, lemon, and mild spices (cumin, coriander, paprika) to add flavour. Your traditional dishes can still be tasty with much less salt — it is a habit that takes two to three weeks to form.
Tip 5: Setting up your surroundings
We do not always think of this, but half the fight against thirst is won outside your body. Anything that cools the skin reduces the feeling of thirst, without your having to swallow anything.
A few useful reflexes in Sidi Bel Abbès, where afternoons can be scorching:
- Loose-fitting clothes in light-coloured cotton, which let air circulate
- Lukewarm showers — not ice-cold, which is a shock — two to three times a day
- A water mister kept near you, sprayed on the face and forearms
- A fan or air conditioning during the hottest hours (typically 1pm–5pm)
- Shutters closed on the sunny side from the morning, opened in the cool of the evening
These actions lower your body temperature, reduce sweating, and therefore real thirst.
Tip 6: Measuring the invisible
Thirst is a subjective sensation. Weight, on the other hand, does not lie. Weigh yourself every morning, on an empty stomach, after going to the toilet, always on the same scales and in the same clothing. Note the number down in a small notebook or on your phone.
This daily weighing gives you an honest reading of your interdialytic weight gain. If you see the number climbing faster than usual, you know you need to adjust — without waiting until the next session to notice. Also keep an eye on your blood pressure at home if you have a monitor. These two measurements, combined, give your nephrologist valuable information to adapt your prescription as the season goes on.
As with managing Ramadan on dialysis, summer calls for more active vigilance on your part — that is what helps avoid nasty surprises.
Tip 7: The fruit trap in summer
In Sidi Bel Abbès, summer goes hand in hand with watermelon, melon, grapes and figs — wonderful fruits that we love to share with the family. The problem for you is twofold: they contain a great deal of water (watermelon is more than 90% water) and a lot of potassium.
This does not mean these fruits are forbidden to you. It means they count towards your fluid allowance and must be kept to limited portions. A thin slice of watermelon is worth several mouthfuls of water. Discuss with your dietitian or your nephrologist the portions suited to your situation, rather than banning them altogether.
When to alert your team
Some signs must not wait until the next session. Contact the clinic or your nephrologist if you notice:
- Swelling (oedema) of the ankles or eyelids that is more marked than usual
- Unusual breathlessness, particularly when lying down at night
- Weight gain greater than your usual prescribed allowance
- Dizziness or faintness when you stand up (a possible sign of falling blood pressure)
- An intense, constant thirst that none of the tips above relieves
These signals may indicate an imbalance — either too much accumulated water, or not enough. In both cases, your team is there to make adjustments.
ESSAADA Clinic and summer in Sidi Bel Abbès
Our haemodialysis centre, located in Sidi Bel Abbès and approved by CNAS and CASNOS, welcomes its patients across 37 beds from Saturday to Thursday, in three daily time slots (morning, day, evening). A nephrologist is present on site during every session — this is the chance, during summer, to report the slightest change in your comfort, your thirst, or your blood pressure. The team regularly adapts prescriptions as the seasons change. If you feel that the heat is disturbing your balance, ask for a nephrology consultation to adjust your fluid allowance and dry weight to the season.
Summer is easier to get through together. You will find answers to other common questions in our FAQ, and never hesitate to call the clinic if in doubt — it is always a good decision.
This article is for information only. It does not replace the personalised advice of your nephrologist, who adapts your fluid restriction and prescriptions to your clinical situation.