Extreme Thirst?

[newyearspromise]

I am thirsty all of the time. I drink water all day long and it doesn't go away. I wake up 3-4 times a night just dying of thirst. This is getting worse and worse it seems.

Is this normal?

[Arky]

IF you are only eating raw (and thus eating water-rich foods which have not had water expelled by heat) then there are two other possibilities which occur to me (if they're incorrect, then let me know, but I have to start from somewhere!):

1) Are you eating a lot of dehydrated food? (e.g. crackers, fruit etc.)

2) Are you eating a large proportion of fruit in your diet? Lots of fructose can lead to thirst, particularly if you are consuming less juicy fruits, such as copious quantities of bananas.

Note that I am not saying that either 1 or 2 is unhealthy, in the broadest sense. I am simply pointing out that they might explain a craving for water.


J.

[TA]

Hi NYP,

I have the same issue so it may be normal...either that or we're both detoxing the same way! :D I've been wondering if the problem is thirst or dry mouth? I found that if I brush my teeth when it gets really bad it will stop for a while. Other than that, I have no idea why it happens but like you, I sure would like it to stop!

I've begun keeping a water bottle on the night table now, it helps some.

Tricia

[Meowzr]

It may be worth it to have your blood sugar checked. :rolleyes:

[Vandy]

I had this problem for a long time, and I find that it has nothing to do with how much sugar I consume (fruit)... have u been eating a lot of salts? Sometimes I find that if I use too much garlic I will get very thirsty. Also, colder weather can dehyrate us when we may not realize it.

[newyearspromise]

You know, I thought for the longest time that it was because I was nursing. Now I am down to one time a day, and it's gotten worse. I know nursing can cause thirst, but it doesn't make sense that I only nurse her once a day now and I am about 3 times as thirsty as when I was doing it 12 times a day.

So I think that rules that out as a reason...

I live in southern GA, about 30 minutes from the FL state line, and it was about 70 degrees today. It was slightly colder this past weekend, but not enough to dehydrate me, I think...

I do eat fruits all morning, but, ok, here is what I ate today (in this order), and this is typical:

Pear
15 or so Cherry Tomatoes
Banana
Large Spinach Salad with Tahini and Lemon Juice Dressing
Handful of raw Cashews
5 Chocolate Balls (about the size of a teaspoon, made from raw cacao, raw coconut, raw honey, and raw macademia nuts)

I would estimate I drank about 130 ounces of water today. That seems excessive to me. I feel water-logged...when I breathe sometimes it's like my breath is watery... But I am still thirsty.

I have been wondering about my blood sugar levels. I know that excessive thirst is a symptom of diabetes, but I have no other symptoms.

I have not been eating a lot of dehydrated food, either...or salt.

Maybe it is detox. Maybe my body needs the water to flush everything out. Maybe this will stop one day.

One last thing--could it be that I am drinking too much water, flushing all salt out, and can't hold onto any of it because I am overhydrated. I have heard of this happening, esentially causing dehydration from overhydration, if that makes sense...

:confused:

[kitchenfairy]

I read a book many years ago titled ' The Body's Many Cries For Water'
His theory was that all diseases can also be caused/worsed , whatever, due to most people are extremely dehydrated. He lost me alittle there but I remember the part about rehydrating your body.

Sorta the opposite of fasting for 5-7 days,you begin by drinking tons of water( way more than 8 glasses per day).
And of course you pee alot. This is because the cells "gates" are closed to save what little bit they've got and the new water is rushing by so to speak. After 1-3 or so days, everyone is at different hydration levels, the cells realize your keeping up the water and so they open their gates and you'll notice that all of a sudden your mouth dries up, you pee less, and your craving even more water. Then you go for another 1-3 days and you'll finally reach your saturation point. He equated it to a runners high. After that you start your 8 glasses per day adjusting for bad habits (which raw foodies no longer do) like 2 cups coffee am and 2 wines pm then you add 4 more glasses to your day. So nursing or too many dried foods could also be affecting your thirst. It was a long time ago that I read this book. Who knows, the author could have been female...I'm not remembering it all regarding actual amounts of water to drink etc.

I do know a few people that tried this and experieced the above.

I noticed you joined this site new for January so along with raw eating, if you've increased water too that you could be in a more prolonged saturation phase. So if your craving water, listening to your body may be good. I'm no doctor and am unaware of potential illnesses that may have thirst as a symptom. I just think the rehydrate the body concept was interesting.
Hope this helps.

[newyearspromise]

KitchenFairy-

You know, it is sort of true what you said...

Ok, like I said before, I drank, no kidding, like 130 ounces of water today. Have only peed probably 4 times...?????????? And twice my pee was DARK??????? :confused:

I am not taking vitamins/supplements...I know those can cause dark pee.

I had forgotten those details until you wrote your post.

I am going to look on the net for that book...maybe that is what is going on.

Thanks!!

As you said, and as I have been thinking, I need to "obey your (my) thirst" and just keep on drinking I think...

[choleblack]

I've been very thirsty reciently too. I just figured it was part of detoxing. It's a little annoying at night though. I wake up with my mouth *so* dry.

Chole

[Gosia]

I wonder, is it too much dehydrated food, or other dense food, indeed. Before raw, I used to carry a bottle of water with me always. Now, I eat lots and lots of juicy fruit, and hardly ever have any water at all! Fruit are the best source of best water, in my opinion, naturally. Nothing works better for me than watermelon, mandarines etc, when thirsty.

Gosia.

[JMD]

Hello,

This is just MY experience, but when I was eating healthy but some proteins like fish-- I drank water 24/7. Now that I am vegan and high raw I hardly drink water. IMO, when the body gets the nutrients it needs there is less thirst. I was told by 2 naturopaths that I was flooding my body with water and was passing many nutrients. I find now with high fruits I am much more satisfied with 1/2 a gallon a day. I was drinking almost 2 gallons per day!!! and always tired. I am no expert but maybe your body is needing some mineral or nutrient??

JMD

[jaurequi]

newyearspromise, you did not mention how long this has been going on. If it has been a week or so, I'd say that's okay, and you should just keep drinking pure water throughout the day. Are you drinking tap water? Perhaps get some good-quality bottled water.

If it is a prolonged issue, I would begin to consider it may be something more; but don't worry or panic, it will probably pass. I've gone through this extreme thirst as well and it lasted about 1 1/2 weeks. I felt just like you did. I had no idea how I could want -- or how my body could hold -- so much water, or why I was so thirsty. I just think my body was dehydrated but I did not *think* I was, nor could I pinpoint any behavior that may have caused it...it's just one of those things, I suppose.

You are indeed correct that too much water can be dangerous (some athletes do this -- it's similar to "runners' binge"). The way to deal with it is to NOT drink large amounts of water all at once or in a short period of time; but, instead, drink steadily throughout the day. This can be difficult if you are an endurance athlete, but it is best if you have this problem. Guzzling is NOT good. One sign of this is a little flood of liquid in the eyes -- again, athletes will notice this sometimes, and that is what it means. I still get this sometimes...I have to be mindful.

Best,

[ephmeralgrl]

Try adding a little agave (or honey, but agave dissolves better) to you water. The sugar facillitates better water absorbtion by your cells. Also do you use sea salt? The minerals found in it will help to balance out your system. The problem could be mineral/electrolyte imbalances. I agree to monitor the situation if its been short term, if it persists then look at the possible reasons. IF you need to see a physician, one you feel would be understnding of your lifestyle.
Keep us posted~

[Trisha]

Reading these posts has made me thirsty!! :)

[kitchenfairy]

I just talked to a friend that's very into all this type of stuff and he said that
you must add something to the water so the body will recognize it. Also said that instead of occasional big glasses of water to instead sip steadily throughout the day. Similar to jaurequi and ephmeralgrl stated.

Cheers!

[Arky]

Inadequate (healthy)-fat intake may also be a factor in continual thirst - check you are consuming adequate fats. I would also point out that if one is nursing, then the body allocates a heck of a lot of fats to the breast milk (rapidly-growing babies are building cells at a dramatic speed and cell membranes need fat!), so this should be accounted for when judging one's EFA requirements.


J.

[Mary Poppins]

I was going to ask the exact same question, but I "searched" first and found this!!! Thank goodnesss!!!
For the past three days I have been insanely thirsty. Dry mouth, thirst, etc.
I don't really even want to "eat" anything. I just want to drink all my meals. So I've been having green smoothies, fruit smoothies, and water.
I will try sipping water all through the day as well...

[newyearspromise]

Yesterday it was a little better, but today I am back to insane thirst again...so much that this afternoon after drinking 2 glasses of water my whole mouth and throat felt dried up.

I will try adding sugar to my water (agave)....

This has been going on since I had my baby, but has intensified since I went raw, which was a little over 2 weeks ago.

[Arky]

You know, I've been mulling this over, the past day or so, and it suddenly occurred to me - are you eating lots of flaxseed?

Flaxseed can absorb many times it's own weight/bulk in water. You don't need to soak flaxseed before you consume it, but if you don't soak it, you do need to consume about 3 times as much liquid as the flaxseed or it will make you thirsty as hell, drawing upon any fluid in your digestive system (which may sometimes leave you quite constipated, too, despite the laxative qualities of the flaxseed itself).

Lastly, it is well known that excessive fat intake can lead to symptoms of thirst, as the body uses quite a bit of fluid while emulsifying fats.


J.