7 Reasons Why You Always Feel Very Thirsty

1. Dehydration

Surprisingly, the number one reason we feel thirsty is because we don’t drink enough water. Sometimes it’s just habit; other times we don’t realize how our environment affects our water needs.

Is it hot or humid? Do you live at high altitude? Did you exercise today? All of these increase your body's need for water, so you'll need to adjust accordingly.

By the time you feel thirsty, your body is typically 1 to 2% dehydrated, so plan ahead and bring more water than you think you'll need - it's always better to have extra water on hand.

2. Eating too much salt

If you have a habit of snacking on salty foods or starting your day with salty foods, this could be the reason why you feel thirsty. The water/salt ratio is very important in the body. If you eat too much, your body will naturally want to dilute it, and that causes thirst.

However, it's debatable whether drinking more actually helps regulate increased salt intake, as a 2017 study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation followed 10 astronauts and found that they excreted excess sodium in their urine regardless of how much they drank.

In other words, if your salt intake is high and likely making you thirsty, try lowering your salt intake to 2,300 mg a day, as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That may help more than continuing to drink water like a fish.

3. Diabetes

One of the most common conditions that can cause persistent thirst is type 2 diabetes. Basically, it works like this: Your kidneys have to work to process or eliminate excess sugar in your body, and when they can’t, the sugar is excreted in your urine, which takes water from your body with it. The more you urinate, the more dehydrated you become, which makes you even more thirsty, and the cycle continues.

So if you feel thirsty and notice you're urinating more than usual, see your doctor to get your blood sugar checked.

4. Dry mouth

It's possible that you're not actually thirsty, but have dry mouth, a condition that occurs when your salivary glands can't produce enough saliva to keep your mouth moist. This is a common side effect of certain medications, including antidepressants, dramamine, and blood pressure medications. It can also be caused by radiation and chemotherapy, tobacco use, nerve damage, and drugs like marijuana and methamphetamine.

To relieve symptoms, you can suck on hard lemon candies, as they can help stimulate saliva production.

5. Anemia

Anemia is a condition that causes fatigue and hair loss, but it can also cause increased thirst. Mild cases may have few or no symptoms, but as the disease progresses, thirst may begin to increase.

If you know you are prone to anemia, it is a good idea to mention this symptom to your doctor to see if they are related.

6. Old age

“As we age, our thirst mechanism and thirst response become less powerful. This simply means that older people tend to drink less water, and older people are more likely to become dehydrated much more quickly than younger people.

If that sounds like you, try setting a reminder to drink water or investing in a high-tech water bottle that lights up when it's time to drink.

7. Diabetes insipidus

A completely different disease from type 1 and type 2 diabetes, diabetes insipidus is not related to blood sugar levels, but is caused by a lack of an antidiuretic hormone. Patients with this rare condition cannot control the amount of water lost through urine, causing them to urinate much more than normal people, leading to dehydration, forcing them to drink a lot of water.

If you think this is the case, your doctor may want to do blood and urine tests, or even try a water deprivation test to see how much urine you produce when you don't drink anything. From there, your doctor can help you manage your condition with appropriate medication and relieve your symptoms.