Never Thirsty

It's definitely a common problem for autistic people. It is routinely discussed on here. Ben has linked to a couple of the recent discussions but there are many more. It's worth searching on here for terms such as thirsty, drinking, dehydration, etc. Each discussion will have some helpful tips on how to stay hydrated.

It is related to interoception sense and not picking up on the signals that the body produces, to let us know when we are thirsty. I believe any issues you have with being poor interoception can be exacerbated when you are anxious.

It is possible to buy water bottles which are linked to an app which monitors the amount consumed and prompts you to drink. That is recommended as a strategy in this NAS article:

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/interoception-wellbeing

Some other useful resources on the topic:

https://www.kelly-mahler.com/free-resources/

https://sensooli.com/how-interoception-affects-hydration/

https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/autism-adhd-interoception-profiles

It's a pity medical professionals don't show a greater awareness and understanding of these issues, rather than just saying they have no idea or even worse blaming the patient.

I forget to drink. I believe it's a common problem for those of us who have ASD. Reminders in the phone can only help but even if you're not thirsty try sipping some of your drink otherwise you could become dehydrated and that's no fun. Keeping a bottle of water in front of you is a good idea, a constant reminder.

This is what I do and though I still forget and don't feel thirsty I do at least sip my drink and that has at least stopped me from become dehydrated on a regular basis. Constant dehydration damaged my kidneys which is a risk as is frequent UTI's so try to drink when you can, even if it's only a little bit.

But you definitely aren't alone in suffering with this problem.

Yours, Oddity.

Emmy said:

I'm guessing it is just an autism problem but I don't know why it went from infrequently feeling thirsty to never feeling thirsty.

Autism involves essentially being in a consistent state of fight or flight ~ were normally hunger and thirst remain latent until the fight or flight reflex becomes itself latent, and stress hormones are no longer required to boost the functioning of the metabolism to a higher capacity than would otherwise be the case. Whilst the fight or flight reflex is engaged, sense of pain and other sensibilities that would otherwise get in the way are rendered latent also.

Hence the following topic of poor 'interior perception' otherwise known as 'interoception' is addressed:

The Impacts of Poor Interoception

The signals our bodies send us are critical to our survival. That means when someone experiences interoception problems, serious issues can arise as a result. These include issues with maintaining homeostasis, self-regulation, emotional regulation, hydration, nutrition, thermoregulation, pain, and injuries, differentiating between self and other, empathy, perspective, and other health and relationship issues. Autism and ADHD already impact all of these areas of our lives, but the interoceptive difficulties make these issues worse.

https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/autism-adhd-interoception-profiles

Emmy said:

Is it possible it's triggered by anxiety? I'm chronically anxious I thought that might be a cause of this.

It is very much triggered by anxiety, and the more stress hormones one produces, the more one is likely to have increasing trouble with poor interoception, particularly as the essential bacteria colonies that inhabit the fluid systems of the body and govern the genes and endocrine glands functionings are depopulated by stress hormones, so physiological detoxing and biodome repopulation are a basic requirement for quite a number of people on the autism spectrum.

Of course, this could equally be a problem for non-autistic folks, I guess not everything is down to ASD.

Ben

And here's another thread on the topic which I also contributed to...

https://community.autism.org.uk/f/mental-health-and-wellbeing/33838/how-do-you-stay-hydrated/323154#323154

Ben

Emmy,

I too forget to drink. You might be reassured to know that we are not alone, there was a thread eight months ago with about a dozen posts....

https://community.autism.org.uk/f/health-and-wellbeing/30343/never-feel-thirsty

Ben

Emmy said:

I'm guessing it is just an autism problem

Not one I have seen in literature, but reading up on the issue it seems that in your case it is likely to be genetic - a "bug" that is stopping the receptors in your brain from getting the signals from the body that it is in need of hydration, made worse by high levels of adrenaline from your anxiety..

There seems to be no cure so management of the issue is probably key unless you can control your anxiety (unlikely).

I would suggest laying out a 2 litre bottle of water at the start of every day when you start your work or whatever routine you have - your goal is to drink it by the end of day at the minimum - set a reminder in your phone to go off with a 1 min repeat interval and only switch it off when you have poured and drunk a full glass. Do this every 2 hours and you will have enough.

Suppliment this with a routine drink (tea, coffee, coke or whatever you enjoy) at set points in your schedule.

It may be annoying to have to do but you are smart enough to realise that you have to do this every day or face the health consequences.

That would be my problem solving approach to the issue.

I don't feel thirsty most of the time. I get dehydration symptoms eventually (headache, dizziness, swimmy vision) which reinforce it if it gets quite hard. 

This leads to me getting a lot of UTIs, which sucks.

This has been a problem my entire life so I've developed a few ways of managing it.

I always have a water bottle with me. It has to be out in front of me not in a bag. If it's in my bag I don't use it. 

I try to fit drinking into my routine. Get dressed = make mint tea and drink it. Eat food = drink a glass of water (eating is a different issue as I often forget that too but I'm getting better at scheduling it). Get in from an appointment or shopping = drink water. Taking a moment to read rather than write = takes a mouthful of water. 

At pretty much none of these moments do I want to drink or feel thirsty, but I know I have to or I tend to end up ill. 

In terms of the anxiety triggering the lack of thirst, this is definitely something that I have heard of happening in terms of food so I see no reason it couldn't also happen for thirst. For me personally I find anxiety makes me drink excessive amounts of water instead of too little, but it could easily be the other way round. 

Hope any of that helps. or none of it but you just felt slightly less alone.