7 reasons why you always feel very thirsty.
We all feel thirsty at one time or another, but usually a glass of cool water is enough to quench our thirst. But what happens if, even after drinking a glass of water or having a water bottle readily available at your desk, your thirst still doesn't subside?
1. Dehydration
Surprisingly, the number one reason we feel thirsty is because we're not drinking enough water. Sometimes it's just a habit of drinking too little; other times, we don't realize how the environment affects our body's water needs.
Is the weather hot or humid? Do you live in a high-altitude area? Did you exercise today? All of these factors increase your body's water needs, so adjustments will be necessary.
When you feel thirsty, your body has usually already lost 1 to 2% of its water, 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 a high-salt meal, that could be the reason you feel thirsty. The water-to-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 remains debated whether drinking more actually helps regulate increased salt levels in the body, as a 2017 study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation tracked 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 to make you thirsty, try lowering it to the recommended 2,300 mg per day as outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That might help more than just continuing to drink water like a fish.
3. Diabetes
One of the most common medical conditions that can cause persistent thirst is type 2 diabetes. Basically, it works like this: The kidneys work hard to process or eliminate excess sugar in the body, and when they can't, the sugar is excreted in the urine, which draws water from your body. Frequent urination leads to even more dehydration, which in turn makes you even thirstier, and the cycle continues.
Therefore, if you feel thirsty and notice you are urinating more often than usual, see a doctor to have your blood sugar checked.
4. Dry mouth
It's possible you're not actually thirsty but rather experiencing dry mouth, a condition that occurs when salivary glands can't produce enough saliva to keep the mouth moist. This is a common side effect of several 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 alleviate the symptoms, you can suck on a hard lemon candy, as it can help stimulate saliva production.
5. Anemia
Anemia is a condition that causes fatigue and hair loss, but it can also cause excessive thirst. Mild cases may have few or no symptoms, but as the disease worsens, thirst may begin to increase.
If you know you are prone to anemia, you should inform your doctor about this symptom to see if it is related.
6. Old age
"As people age, their thirst mechanisms and responses become less strong. This simply means that older people tend to drink less water, and they become dehydrated much faster than younger people."
If that sounds like your situation, try setting reminders to drink water or investing in a high-tech water bottle that lights up when it's time to drink.
7. Diabetes insipidus
Completely different from type 1 and type 2 diabetes, diabetes insipidus is not related to blood sugar levels, but rather to a deficiency of an antidiuretic hormone. Patients with this rare condition cannot control the amount of water excreted in their urine, causing them to urinate much more frequently than normal, leading to dehydration and requiring them to drink a lot of water.
If you think this is the case for you, your doctor may want to do blood and urine tests, or even try a water-free test to see how much urine you produce when you're not drinking anything. From there, your doctor can help you manage the condition with appropriate medication and alleviate symptoms.