Does anyone know what might cause one to feel constantly dehydrated and how to fix it?
For the past week or two I have felt dehydrated constantly. I don't know if it's just winter air or something ... but I have been putting on skin cream and lip balm because my skin feels so dry, and drinking water constantly, and my mouth still feels dry constantly and I'm almost always thirsty. Most mornings I wake up and my first thought is that I'm really thirsty, which can't be good ...
It's not my blood sugar, because it's been pretty good over the past two weeks (average is 7.8 mmol/L or 140 mg/dl).
The only thing I have changed is that I have been sort of stressed, and I also started taking a proton pump inhibitor. I don't know if that can cause dehydration. I also take an antihistamine every day which I know can cause dehydration, but I've taken that for years.
I think I am somewhat prone to dehydration, because of some comments multiple doctors have made over the years. Maybe I am just not drinking enough water ...
Winter is definitely drier. The only time my skin is dry enough for skin cream is in the winter (has to do with moisture in air - many people use humidifiers in the winter). I think it may be one of those slow to come on age related things too - skin gets drier as you get older.
Not drinking enough would def. be something to look into. What do you drink, if not water? I bring a contigo 32 oz water bottle with me everywhere and I drink 2-3 of them a day. I always am drinking decaf coffee in between as well, just because I like it. But start with the obvious and drink water.
Jen, I suspect it is definitely winter. Indoor heat, robs the air of humidity and drys everything out. Hence static in the air, wood cracking etc. Be sure you are using cream (the expensive stuff) not lotion which will typically dry the skin more. I knwo someone said they had good luck with a lotion so my advice may not be universal, but it is what the dermatologist suggested.
While i am certainly not someone who ever should be commenting on areas like skin. the dermatologist did direct me to Cerave (but not the lotion) at:
Others likely have better ideas. Remember I am a male and I will pay attention to my skin when I see blood, up until then, I think ahh spring is coming. However my wife has different opinions so I tend to get this one sooner than I might otherwise.
I'm sure that you've already thought of it, but tracking your water (tea, etc.) consumption for a few days will probably give you a handle as to whether you are in an optimal range for that or not.
Also your salt consumption? Any significant changes in diet?
Or spending time in a much drier environment than you usually do?
It's hard to imagine that it's really any of these last ones, but useful to evaluate as possible contributors.
I do drink a lot of liquid throughout the day, just not water. I drink coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, and water or almond milk in the evening. Plus a few glasses of water in between there lately. I just wasn't sure if coffee and tea counted as "water" in terms of drinking enough.
I would say that I have at least 8-10 8-ounce glasses of liquid a day. But 2-3 of those are coffee, and 2-4 are tea, and the rest would be water or the odd glass of almond milk. Lately I've been drinking more than usual just because I've been thirsty more.
No changes in salt ... I don't like salt so the only place I get it is if I eat processed foods, which I'm trying to avoid.
Overall my skin is actually much better than it has been during past winters. Up until two years ago (when I moved) I had horrible eczema on my hands every winter that would cause my skin to itch incredibly and bleed, etc. This winter it's been dry but hasn't actually developed any eczema. It's just being thirsty drives me nuts. This morning I woke up thirsty and SURE that my blood sugar was high (I'd eaten an 18g snack last night to prevent going low due to insulin on board), and found that I was actually 4.0 (72 mg/dl). I wouldn't say I'm as thirsty as I was before I was diagnosed, but I am walking around constantly feeling thirsty like I have high blood sugar, when I don't.
I hope it's not age. I'm only 32 ...! Come to think of it, though, it usually rains a LOT here in the winter and has hardly rained at all this year. So maybe the air in general is drier than I'm used to.
Jen try crystal light Lemonade or Peach tea. It will speed up your water in take, with two great flavors. The best thing you can do is drink water of course and crystal light is non caffeinated, artificially sweetened, and both those flavors taste good. i drink about a pitcher a day.
I too feel more dehydrated than I used to. I know part of it is winter. I always carry a water bottle with me and drink whenever I feel thirsty.
Other ways to combat this are to add acid to you water, like lemon. This increases salivation and may decrease your dry mouth and thirst sensations. If you can find sugar-free lemon candies, that can help too. Also, try a citrus gum. Chewing gum in general also increases salivation, but adding the citrus will help more.
Hope these ideas help. Not really sure what it could be due to other than winter.
Coffee and tea are "mild" diuretics, so if you are feeling thirsty I would try substituting water for some of the tea/coffee.
You might also want to try using some hydrocortisone cream on your "dry" skin. Skin that is very dry or prone to eczema can frequently be caused by excess oils being put out by your body.
I don't know what could be causing it but I have that problem a lot too and this is what helps me: drink tons of water, drink only 1-2 cups tea with caffeine, use a vics vaporizer at night, moisturize my skin every time I bathe or wash my hands within 2 minutes after. Wear motorcycle goggles, moisture eye drops, tranquil eyes at night. Try to stay out of overheated, poorly ventilated environments, have real plants in your home. I have had that feeling on and off my whole life and it always gets worse in winter- when I was a child if I went for a walk in the cold air the skin on my face would get red and painful and I had to put vaseline on it to stop the pain. I have been on ppi for a long time and I wonder if that could play a role? It has been very cold here and my skin is quite dry currently for me, even with doing all of this. Did you say you have sjogren's?
Another thing that helps is taking fish oils and more fat/oil in my diet. In your early 30's your estrogen production is already starting to drop- from 30-35 your fertility level drops dramatically. That can affect your skin and hydration also. Oddly enough even though I feel dried out now, I still have a constant nasal drip/congestion from my sinuses/back of my throat.
I've been really thirsty, really dry ...though peeing a lot...for the past week or so? I'm not sure what's up with that. I've taken omeprazole/prilosec for mooooooonths which is a type of ppi and I love it and it gives me no side effects that I am aware of? I'm thinking it's just the winter but I'm not sure either. My blood sugar is pretty good, hasn't been much above 140 at all since I sorted out my lantus pen issue I had a few days ago. I've debated callin' the doctor but at the same time I think it's just winter?
Ugh. I have that nasal stuff too, from allergies, even when taking an antihistamine every day. I actually think being dried out makes it worse, makes it thicker and more noticeable.
I don't have Sjogren's as far as I know. So far Type 1 is my only autoimmune disease.
Thanks for the information about fish oil. My endocrinologist just recommended them for cholesterol, so I will definitely check them out, as well as the other tips!
I did forget to take my PPI for about 1.5 days and noticed that I wasn't as constantly thirsty, so I really think that may play a role, too.
Yeah, mine isn't bad enough to call a doctor, either. In fact, I just had an endocrinologist appointment last week and completely forgot to even mention it. I It's more annoying than anything. I'm hoping it's just winter. I'm not sure if the PPI I'm on will turn into a long-term thing. Right now I'm just trying it for a month to see if it helps my throat. I think it may be helping a bit, but it's hard to tell ...
You're welcome ! I hate the nasal stuff, mine is really bad lately and I agree it is much worse when I'm slightly dehydrated too. Guaifenesin helps mine a lot, but I get side effects from it such as fatigue/falling asleep etc.
