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Thirsty at night
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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Thirst at night can arise due to a number of different factors. Many people suffer from this symptom often. Naturally, this is not always normal. After all, the factors that influence the appearance of excessive thirst can be extremely negative.
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Reasons for thirst at night
Most people do not take seriously the constant drying of the oral cavity. This is extremely unacceptable, because many know that the problem may be hidden in the presence of a serious disease.
The most harmless symptoms include overeating at night. It is difficult to say that this is normal. However, it does not pose any excessive danger. It is enough to simply stop eating large amounts of food 3 hours before bedtime and thirst will not overtake you at night. Do not abuse alcohol, coffee and tea. It is worth giving preference to kefir, which can be consumed 30 minutes before bedtime.
Some medications can cause constant thirst. Especially those that have a diuretic effect. Intense thirst at night in this case is a side effect.
Radiation therapy performed in the neck and head area often disturbs the salivary glands, causing excessive drying. Mouth breathing caused by nasal congestion also provokes the desire to drink. With a low water level in the body, this phenomenon becomes quite normal. Schoengren's syndrome can affect fluid intake at night. This disease spreads to many parts of the body. It can disrupt the sebaceous glands.
If the constant desire to drink at night is replaced by increased dryness in the mouth and the consumption of liquid in the amount of 5-10 liters per day - this is a real problem. Such symptoms indicate an increased level of sugar in the blood. In this case, the problem will have to be eliminated in a comprehensive manner.
Thirst at night as a symptom of disease
Thirst at night can be a sign of a serious illness. Therefore, it is worth considering the main ailments, which include this symptom.
- Primary aldosteronism. This disease most often affects women. The disease is associated with the development of a benign tumor in the adrenal glands. It is here that the hormone aldosterone is produced. Normally, it actively affects the kidneys, regulating the supplied and excreted fluid. The main symptom of the disease is not only increased thirst, but also high blood pressure, accompanied by headaches.
- Secondary aldosteronism. This disease is similar to those described above. However, in this case it occurs against the background of tumors and vascular pathologies. The main symptom of the disease is thirst at night, high temperature, pain during urination.
- Diabetes insipidus. The concentration of salts in the plasma is regulated by a special antidiuretic hormone. If there is an insufficient amount of it, a disease occurs that causes a violation of the synthesis, accumulation and release of vasopressin. The cause of the disease has not been established. The main symptoms are urination and thirst.
- Diabetes mellitus. The disease is characterized by an increase in the amount of glucose in the blood. At the same time, the immune properties of the body and metabolism are disrupted. A person experiences a constant desire to drink, and a lot of liquid is consumed.
- Hyperparathyroidism. This is an endocrine disorder that manifests itself as increased thirst at night and polyuria. It is characterized by an imbalance in the amount of calcium in the blood.
- Dehydration. Occurs exclusively in infectious diseases. Characterized by a lack of fluid in the body. This is accompanied by a constant desire to drink water. In addition, there is a decrease in salivation and dry tongue.
- Cholera algid. The disease is characterized by persistent dehydration of the body. A person loses all nutritional components due to prolonged vomiting and diarrhea. The problem arises against the background of intestinal diseases.
- Urolithiasis. Stones and other objects of various sizes form in the kidneys. This process causes difficulty in the flow of urine. Due to improper functioning of the kidneys, a person is plagued by thirst at night and constant painful urination.
- Cardiovascular diseases. This condition is caused by the body's inability to completely pump blood and oxygen. For the victim, this is a serious disease. It can develop against the background of existing heart defects, hypertension, and ischemic disease.
Strong thirst at night
Increased thirst at night can cause a serious illness. Thus, the average person drinks up to 2 liters of liquid per day. During the hot season, this figure can increase. There is nothing wrong with a person being tormented by thirst after eating salty food. This is a completely normal phenomenon. After all, salt retains liquid in the body.
There are some not very pleasant reasons why this symptom may appear. Thus, increased thirst indicates the presence of intoxication. This often occurs after a fun evening, with the consumption of a large amount of alcohol. If nothing was drunk the night before, and the desire to drink at night does not go away, it is worth thinking about the presence of a virus in the body and undergoing an examination. Harmful substances can poison the body, especially often this happens with the development of tumors.
Often, thirst at night is associated with diabetes. This condition is characterized by a constant desire to drink, at any time of the day, and in large quantities. The problem can also hide in the kidneys. It is quite possible that the urinary tract is damaged. This can be cystitis, polycystic disease, pyelonephritis. All this indicates that only a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis.
Diagnosis of thirst at night
This concept is somewhat vague. Because the problem can be hidden in many diseases. Therefore, first of all, you should undergo a subjective examination. Usually, it includes such anamnesis. The doctor asks the person about the symptoms that bother him, about the medications he takes, his lifestyle, the presence of diseases. This can help with the diagnosis to some extent. Then the volume of urine excreted is measured.
There are additional studies. They include a general blood and urine test. It is necessary to determine the concentration of creatine, calcium, potassium and sodium in the urine. A detailed anamnesis is widely used. It is clearly impossible to do without examining a person. Usually, additional studies help to make a diagnosis. They are prescribed depending on the organ that is bothering you. They examine the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. This is done by means of ultrasound. In general, a general anamnesis, blood and urine tests are initially collected. Based on the data obtained, the person is sent to a specialized doctor. There, additional diagnostic measures are carried out.
How to quench your thirst at night?
Perhaps, many people are interested in this question. It is simply impossible to try to get drunk with ordinary clean water. Therefore, it is recommended to give preference to other drinks. Kvass and green tea perfectly quench thirst at night. Kvass should be natural and fresh. The absence of sugar in it is welcome. As for green tea, it has a significant diuretic effect. It will not only remove excess moisture from the body, but also perfectly quench thirst.
You can give preference to mineral water, water with lemon and regular compote. These drinks perfectly refresh the mucous membrane of the mouth. It is enough to drink a glass of any of these drinks for the thirst to recede. A good alternative is juices and fruit drinks. The main thing is that they are natural and do not contain sugar.
It is not recommended to drink milk, soda and coffee. These drinks not only retain excess moisture in the body, but also "force" you to constantly drink liquid, due to their composition. Therefore, it is worth choosing the right drinks that will not wake you up several times a night.