Excessive thirst
It's normal to sometimes feel thirsty, but it's not normal to constantly feel thirsty even when you're drinking a lot. See a GP to find out what's causing your excessive thirst.
Most of the time if you're feeling thirsty it's because you need to drink more fluids.
This can happen if you:
- sweat a lot after doing exercise
- are unwell with sickness and diarrhoea
- do not drink enough fluids
- drink too much alcohol or caffeine
- eat salty or spicy food
- have a high temperature
- are pregnant
Important
Drink more fluids and avoid alcohol or caffeine to see if it helps. If you do not, you may be at risk of becoming dehydrated.
See a GP if you have excessive thirst and:
- drinking more fluids for several days has not helped
- you frequently need to pee
- you're pregnant
The GP will check if your excessive thirst is being caused by something – for example, diabetes, anaemia or medicines you're taking.
The treatment you have will depend on what's causing your excessive thirst.
You may think you're thirsty when you actually have a dry mouth.
If it's a dry mouth, you may have:
- a burning sensation or soreness in your mouth
- changes in your sense of taste
- difficulty speaking, eating or swallowing
