Never feel thirsty

Well, I missed this thread when it was first posted 9 days ago.

I am delighted to read that this is an ASD 'thing'. I am pushing 70 years old and have been forgetting to drink fluids for most of my life. Doctors and nurses have repeatedly told me to increase my fluids, which I try to do, but very soon forget about it again. Sometimes, when I get a headache I remember that I should drink, but if I don't get a drink straight away I'm liable to forget for a while longer.

So, I am now a little bit wiser. Thank you D W.

Ben

I have the same problem. 

www.twentyonesenses.org/.../

I have the same problem. 

www.twentyonesenses.org/.../

Glitter said:

It's definitely an autistic thing, linked to our sense (or lack thereof) of interception. 

I concur with this.

There is some more information on this site  https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/interoception-wellbeing

The page linked above suggests that there are "water bottles linked to apps that prompt you to drink", so that is something you could consider if all else fails.

If you can develop a routine of preparing drinks and/or filling bottles with the amount you know you need to drink it should help. As suggested already place those drinks bottles somewhere that you cannot possibly miss them.

I'm the opposite, I'm oversensitive to thirst. I can't go anywhere without water and get really agitated if I don't have access to it for even a short amount of time. I even wake up in the middle of the night to drink! I think it's autism in both your case and mine, you have hyposensitivity with thirst and I have hypersensitivity.‍

Exactly. I think most people would find it hard not to notice. Quite uncomfortable even.

Many of us didn’t feel thirst. Where I’m concerned, some times I get a headache, and think hmm, maybe I need water. I drink a glass, and the headache disappears. I was dehydrated. My lips also crack. How I deal with it, is to regularly (for me!) make drinks and drink them anyway. And I know if I’ve exercised, I need to drink much more water, so I try and do that too. 

So, just because you didn’t feel thirst, you must be proactive, just keep making drinks. Drink for the sake of drinking at regular intervals. It doesn’t have to be much.

The timer is a good idea,  but you must get up and drink. Depending where you are, you could put out bottles/cups in all the areas where you will be during the day, so it’s always accessible.

I get dry mouth and lips. My lips get crusty and white, sometimes when I notice them I'll have a drink.

I mean autism can cause hyposensativity so I suppose it could cause insensitivity to thirst. Certainly it could cause insensitivity to things associated with thirst like a dry mouth / lips etc.

there was one time i felt extreme thirst though. was in scotland on holiday with parents and probs didnt have a drink before we went out so might have been a while since i last had a drink, and we didnt take drinks with us, and we went on a long walking trail that was listed as 10 miles but probably meant a bit more or maybe 10 mile each way lol and no cafes, we walked a long time with no drinks, was thirsty then, when i got back to the b&n i had to have like 4 cups of juice and it didnt feel enough and my tongue felt cracked and weird and super dry and didnt get moist even when holding the juice in my mouth.

i used to be like that, although its normal to have a drink after a meal so i always had a drink at breakfast, dinner and tea... when i was younger those were the only times id drink. im not sure but for me i think it was because i was always sorta busy... well not busy, entertained, distracted... you go on playstation or whatever and your attention on that can make you ignore and not notice anything else.

ofcourse now i drink alot more, but now its mainly to warm up. cold weather, bad heaters, mediocre insulation, expensive energy, all makes you go to hot drinks even when your not thirsty just to warm yourself up from the inside out.

Glitter said:

I have, at certain points in my life, set alarms to remind me to eat and drink.  It's not so bad right now because I've made it into a part of my daily routine, but if that routine changes I may still forget. 

Yes, I'm the same with drinking- I don't need alarms on a normal day because it's built into my routine but I still need the reminder when things change.

I also find that it's easier to drink enough if I make cups of tea, because the thought of trying to drink cold tea gives me such terrible heebie-jeebies that I always finish them quickly!

Glitter said:

When I was a child I used to get angry when other people said they were thirsty because I didn't know what that feeling was and thought they were making it up.

I got this. I can remember losing my temper and feeling different for not being like my brothers and sisters who did feel thirsty.

I'm hoping I'll be able to get in a routine of drinking eventually but for now it's a constant battle.

When I was a child I used to get angry when other people said they were thirsty because I didn't know what that feeling was and thought they were making it up.

It's definitely an autistic thing, linked to our sense (or lack thereof) of interception. 

I have, at certain points in my life, set alarms to remind me to eat and drink.  It's not so bad right now because I've made it into a part of my daily routine, but if that routine changes I may still forget. 

Thank you Zoe, Shardovan, for your advice. I've taken what you say on board and will try my best to stop this from happening again. It's possible the coldness of water is putting me off as well! Leaving at room temp might help. 

This might sound drastic but could you maybe place bottles of water in front of doors you’ll have to go through later in the day. That way, you can’t pass through without lifting it out of the way, and when it’s in your hand…. A few sips. Then replace it when you exit the room again. It also keeps that water at room temp so it’s not such an assault on the senses, as yucky cold water is.