As someone who has ZERO signs/symptoms of Type 2, one of the hardest things I struggle with is keeping up with water intake since I’m almost never thirsty. Even if I add flavor packets, I’m still never thirsty enough to stay on top drinking enough.
Has anyone else experienced this? What did you do
I’m chronically dehydrated because I just… don’t respond to those “body need”s, and often don’t realize I’m thirsty. It’s related to my ADHD, and there’s a term for it, but I’m blanking on it now. The only thing that’s worked for me thus far is having a cup with a straw! Happy to try any other suggestions in this thread though
It's called interoception. I'm autistic and it's something I struggle with too.
I’m a T1 with ADHD and I’m always dehydrated too. I thought it was the diabetes that caused it. The only way I keep on top of it is an app that reminds me to drink and keeps track of water intake. The app is water llama.
I even paid for the premium version and my stupid adhd brain ignores it 😮💨
Honestly. I was really good with it for about 10 days, then fell off and ignored the alarms. Which sounds really stupid, but it did teach me how much I’m supposed to drink. Which is a shit Load. Ive bought a water bottle and try to carry it with me everywhere. So there’s that.
I’ve tried the straw trick, different water temps and setting alarms but I can’t seem to force myself to drink 😔
Chronic dehydration negatively impacts ADHD symptoms.
Huh, good to know
Do you like spice? Sometimes, when I know I'm not going to hit my goal/need more water but just don't wanna, I make my next meal hot/spicy to force my body to want to drink (hell, sometimes I'll just open a packet of hot sauce or upend the Tapatio in my mouth).
That’s a good idea. I’ll keep it in mind. Thank you!
Do you like limes or lemons?
I love water with fresh lime, and I can easily consume lots of it.
I do like lemon water but have read the acid isn’t the best for teeth so I typically limit how often I drink it.
Well, if it’s deluded it won’t be as bad, right?
Possibly? But I still would like to limit it as I tend to get burnt out if I’m always eating/drinking something daily though.
I find that cucumber water hits that spot for me too, when I get tired of lemon.
That's what I do too sometimes. I squeeze out 3 limes into a gallon jug of water and refrigerate overnight. I recently got a Sodastream too, so I carbonate it a lot. Personally I believe Sodastreams are only usable with a 10lb CO2 tank hanging around to refill their proprietary tanks. It's much cheaper.
This is a constant struggle for me, I recently had some blood work done and the phlebotomist had to stick me 4 times because I was so dehydrated that my veins just wouldn't flow for her thankfully it did on the 4th attempt. Since then I've had to basically force myself to drink water because I just don't get thirsty. One tip I was given by my fitness motivated cousin is to use this stuff you can get online called "Dr. Berg Zero Sugar Hydration Keto Electrolyte Powder" basically it helps your body hydrate better than just drinking straight water and it adds a bit of flavoring. I like the Lemonade and Raspberry Lemon flavors since I can add some fresh lemon slices to compliment it. It's helped me stay on top of my hydration the past few weeks so you might want to consider it!
I’ll look into it. Thank you
Imagine 4 standard water bottles. (each one holds a little over 16 oz.)
Drink 1 when you get up and taking your medication.
Drink 1 when you're going to bed and taking your medication.
That leaves 2 to drink, throughout the rest of the day.
Buy a Thermoflask. (or similar - that's the one I like. In a color I like.) Mine holds 16 oz. I like that size because it's not too large. But other family members prefer larger sizes. They also put stickers on theirs.
I choose to drink water with meals over other things.
If it's always with you, and always cold, you drink it more.
I’m not on any medicine.
I do drink water with every meal but I only eat twice a day.
Also, I’ve tried different temps but still aren’t thirsty to drink enough for the day
I’m almost never thirsty, so drinking water feels like a chore instead of a cue. I’ve definitely noticed my numbers run higher when I’m not great about fluids, even if everything else feels the same. What helped me wasn’t “creating thirst” so much as building habits around it keeping a bottle near me, sipping with meals, that kind of thing. You’re definitely not alone in this, dehydration can be sneaky when your body doesn’t signal it well.
Try making a game out of it, afford yourself stupid little prizes for different ounce levels consumed, 18oz gets you $2 for personal spending, or screen time, ect. Then create "levels" for yourself 2 weeks of meeting tier one water goals makes you a silver level, 1 month gold with a bonus "prize"
eu nao sinto quase nada de sede sou tipo 2 tomo medicamento pela manha e noite e mais um para o figado, a doutora disse para tomar no minimo 2 litros de agua por dia mas nao estou nem perto disso se eu tomar 3 copo de agua cheio e muito, as vezes tomo h2o ou bato agua com limao e vou tomando durante o dia, ate quando vou fazer caminhada ou corrida nao sinto muita sede
Well in the lesser of two evils, id be using water flavors. I know some have bad sweeteners or dyes, but youd still be getting your water in :) or dilute juices like apple or grape. Again, it would be the lesser of two evils!
I was so thirsty when my sugar was uncontrolled but since under control I no longer remember to drink water, same boat as you
Even when my A1C was the highest (9.8%) I never had signs/symptoms of diabetes. I got my A1C down to 6.4% (next A1C isn’t until the end of this month) and still no sign of diabetes. I’m still a bit skeptical of my diagnosis based on a few other things as well.
I've found it's more a habit I need than a response to my needs.
Things that help - getting a bigger water bottle at work, trying to drink at least one before and after lunch. Or chugging a full glass before watching TV. Whatever works in your routine.
It definitely helps with my blood sugar and I think it makes my meds more effective (farxiga) and decreases risks of side effects.
I don’t really feel thirsty even if I don’t drink water for 24 hours because I’m worried about kidney stones,I keep a 1liter bottle with me.I try to finish one liter by 4 pm and another before bedtime.
Unless I'm dying of thirst I won't drink water. So that's my problem with water intake. So I'm just trying to do it whenever I see my water bottle
I hate water.
HATE it.
The way I got into it was a bought a Takeya 64 OZ water bottle with a straw spout, and it's made the difference. Not sure why, but it has.
Have you tried drinking something other than water? Diet soda is 99% water, coffee is 99% water. Tea would work too.
Are you eating a lot of fresh veggies as they also contain a decent amount of water.
I have a hard time drinking water too. I find if it tastes better it's easier to drink.
Drink cold water out of a metal cup.
instead of lemon peel, try orange peel.
I invented a tea that has no caffeine, boil dried grapefruit peels and cinnamon sticks, it's spicy, sweet, bitter, and citrusy. However, cinnamon does have trace amounts of sugar, but I'm not sure how much.
I recently bought echo flask it has app that tracks usage and you can also input other water intake. It has helped me to increase water intake as I ensure using the three times a day normally before each meal. It evens seems to help me with spikes but might just be me (T1d) 😀. It is definitely expensive way to ensure water intake but maybe similar ways also and cheaper but working for me at moment
I use a time marked water bottle and reminders on my smart watch.
Don't only drink when you're thirsty. Just drink regularly. I don't know why people strike with this. It's no different to eating when you aren't hungry.
Well it's probably because you've never looked into it, and made some fundamental assumptions that are wrong.
For lots of people the brain missreads the "thirsty" signal as a "hungry" signal and they think they need to eat rather than drink.
On top of this some people have neurological conditions, which means their brain chemistry isn't neurotypical, so they just don't get the signals.
People often think "well why don't they use an app?" or "why don't they set an alarm".....the issue being that both of those strategy's are effective for neurotypicals not neurodivergent people.
As someone also non neurotypical I don't see the issue. You know your body needs water. You make yourself drink. Sorted. Logic beats gut reactions every day of the week. I can't remember the last time I drank out of random thirst.
I don’t eat when I’m not hungry since I stopped that horrible habit when I started my Type 2 journey.
I have a hard time “forcing” myself to drink since I’m never thirsty…I don’t know how else to word it to make you understand my struggle.
I mean you bring the glass to your lips and you swallow the liquid. I don't see how that would be a struggle when it's a basic function for human survival?
Also, as you get further along your Type 2 journey you might find yourself with low blood sugar and absolutely no appetite. Forcing yourself to eat stuff is horrible but doable.
I understand it seems simple from your perspective, but for me, it isn't as simple as 'just swallowing’ or I wouldn’t be active in this thread right now….🙄
Also, please be thankful you don’t understand how a “basic function” can be a struggle…
That's the neurotypicals thinking I was talking about.
You have no capacity to model the mind of another, or accept that other types of minds exist.
I guess you're a bit like a child, everything is simple and black and white when you lack understanding.
Neurotypical solutions for neurodivergents don't work.
I love that you assume people are all neurotypical. It's just cold logic. Need water. Drink water. Thirst and emotions and feelings shouldn't really play a factor.