When it comes to self-improvement, “drink more water” is right up there with “just think happy thoughts!” In theory, it sounds simple and easy enough, but in reality, the expectations often outweigh the results.
Drinking more water has been my New Year’s resolution for the past…eight years now? Every year, my love of all things dehydrating (read: caffeine and booze) trumps the urge to reach for my handy canteen.
Whether you’re an avid coffee drinker or a religious HydroFlask carrier, there are several reasons why you might be feeling chronically thirsty. In fact, drinking too much water might even be to blame.
When All The Water Still Isn’t Enough
Suggest dove headfirst into this watery dilemma back in May 2022, and we found that the ideal amount of water to drink is your body weight in pounds in ounces of water. Rorie Weisberg, author of the Food You Love: That Loves You Back, explains that a 170-pound person should drink roughly 170 ounces of water a day.
That’s a tall order that many of us struggle to maintain on a day-to-day basis. However, if you are refilling your water bottle constantly and still feeling dry, this could be a sign of underlying health issues. Chronic excessive thirst can indicate diabetes, heart, liver, or kidney failure, sickle cell anemia, or even sepsis.
Additionally, certain medications, like antipsychotics and diuretics, can increase thirst. Chronic dehydration could also be linked to prolonged vomiting or diarrhea, both of which should be discussed with a medical professional.
Too Much Of Anything Can Be Bad
It’s important to rule out these serious conditions before adding yet another bottle of water to your daily intake. Because ironically enough, too much water could be a bad thing, too. You can blame electrolytes for that oxymoronic rule of nature.
Electrolytes are minerals in our body that maintain hydration levels and blood pressure and repair damaged tissue. These include potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, and chloride. Most water will contain trace amounts of these vital minerals. But drink too much, and you risk flushing them out of your system entirely.
Symptoms of dehydration and electrolyte deficiency go hand-in-hand. Both can cause overheating, fatigue, muscle cramps, headaches, irritability, dizziness, and so on. So, it’s unsurprising that most of us would reach for our canteens to offset these symptoms.
But if we’re not eating a balanced diet of electrolyte-rich fruits and vegetables, then all that water cleans our system of these valuable nutrients. The more you drink, the thirstier you become, and the cycle continues.
A Soluble Solution To This Watery Snag
Unfortunately, there’s no better hydrator than water. Sports drinks and caffeine-free teas can certainly aid in hydration. But at the end of the day, you’re only mimicking what our bodies need on a cellular level: plain ol’ water.
Luckily, there are some things you can do to fortify your water (and diet) to combat chronic thirstiness. Electrolyte powders and mineral drops can add critical minerals to your canteen, boosting your electrolyte levels and, in turn, how hydrated you feel.
Some modern water filters can actually over-strip water of vital minerals that help our body function at our best.
Trace Mineral ConcenTrace Drops features a full-spectrum formula that includes magnesium, chloride, sodium, potassium, sulfate, lithium, and boron.
Thousands of five-star reviews back up these powerful drops’ potency, with several citing increased energy, reduced body aches, even aiding in reducing brain fog.
Another potential hydration boost is an electrolyte powder like this one from the BodyHealth Store. PerfectAmino Electrolyte Powder dissolves completely in water, leaving behind only great flavors like watermelon, berry, and orange.
Adding these minerals to your water improves your body’s ability to actually absorb the water you’re drinking. So, you spend less time in the bathroom and more time feeling energized, refreshed, and, most importantly, noticeably not thirsty.