Is feeling thirsty all the time a symptom of illness?

We often feel thirsty after exercising, eating salty foods or in hot weather, but this condition does not last long and easily disappears after the body absorbs enough water.

However, if you often feel thirsty even after just drinking water, it could be a warning sign of a health problem. What causes you to be thirsty all the time?

Diabetes

Thirst and frequent urination can be warning signs of diabetes.

Diabetics often feel thirsty and drink a lot of water. Drinking water also helps remove excess sugar from the blood in the form of urine. However, this can increase the frequency of urination if the patient drinks too much.

In addition, when you have diabetes, the glucose in your blood increases, forcing your kidneys to work overtime to try to absorb it. Because your kidneys are overworked, they gradually become weaker and less efficient. This causes excess urine and the patient cannot control the urge to urinate.

Anemia

Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. This condition can be congenital or due to many different causes such as iron deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency, trauma, bleeding, etc.

Mild anemia does not cause excessive thirst. However, in severe anemia, the patient will feel very thirsty with symptoms such as dizziness, exhaustion, lightheadedness, rapid pulse, pale face or profuse sweating.

Hypercalcemia

This is a condition in which the calcium level in the blood is higher than normal, which can be due to an overactive parathyroid gland or a sign of another medical condition such as tuberculosis or even cancer.

Hypercalcemia causes symptoms of extreme thirst, the feeling of not being able to drink enough, accompanied by symptoms such as frequent urination, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, bone pain, muscle weakness, confusion, fatigue, depression, heart rhythm disturbances...

Thyroid problems

The thyroid gland is the organ responsible for pumping out thyroid hormones, which help regulate appetite, maintain energy and temperature, and other important body functions.

The thyroid gland produces too much or too little hormone, causing a variety of problems such as irregular menstrual periods, anxiety, feeling hot, and dry mouth. All of which lead to increased thirst.

Diabetes insipidus

Thirst is also a characteristic sign of diabetes insipidus. There are many types of diabetes insipidus such as central diabetes insipidus, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and gestational diabetes insipidus.

Diabetes insipidus is caused by the failure of the hypothalamus-pituitary gland to secrete antidiuretic hormone, resulting in failure to concentrate urine in the kidneys. This results in a secondary increase in serum osmolality, which stimulates thirst and polydipsia.

Dehydration

Dehydration means that your body doesn't have enough water to carry out its daily activities, and thirst is a sign. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including exercise, diarrhea, vomiting, and excessive sweating.

Dry mouth

Dry mouth is often mistaken for excessive thirst. It is an abnormal dryness of the mucous membranes in the mouth caused by reduced flow or changes in the composition of saliva. The glands do not produce enough saliva, leading to other unpleasant symptoms such as bad breath, difficulty chewing, and thick, stringy saliva.

Common causes of dry mouth include smoking or stress, anxiety or simply aging.

Use diuretic foods

Diuretic foods make you urinate more often, leading to frequent thirst. Diuretic foods include asparagus, radishes, celery, lemon, sugar, ginger, parsley, etc.

Psychological problems

Frequent thirst can also be a symptom of psychological problems such as stress, anxiety, or depression. These psychological conditions can affect your mind and emotions, making you feel the need to drink more water. In this case, see a neurologist for appropriate advice and treatment.

If the condition of excessive thirst does not decrease for a long time, you should go to a medical facility to find out the cause of the disease, from which there will be appropriate treatment for each specific case.