Difficulties in recognizing thirst and hunger

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oak
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16 Apr 2009, 3:03 am

One of the most bothering problems I experience is that I often do not know when and how much to drink. Either I do not experience thirst or I misinterpret that feeling. Thus I have established specific times of day that help me to reach the ideal daily quantity (1.5l, excluding food’s moisture content). When temperatures climb, I know I should also increase that quantity, but I am not sure about the right quantities and I try to avoid changes in my daily routine.
Sometimes I forget to drink or I do not have the opportunity. I fear that is a factor which contributes to occasional feelings of confusion and headache.

Is the feeling of thirst really unequivocal? Or is it more about evaluating whether the amount of saliva in one's mouth is sufficient?

(I do have similar problems with hunger and repletion as well.)


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JeffJ
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16 Apr 2009, 3:39 am

I always bring a bottle of water with me if I do not have access to a fountain. I will drink regardless of if I am thirsty or not and if you feel thirsty, it is already past the time your body reallly needed a drink.



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16 Apr 2009, 3:49 am

yes i dont know if im hungry or not, sometimes i get alittle stomach pain which I usually punch to get rid of lol, gotta do something with that pain ahaha but usually nothing at all, I drink a lot(not alcohol lol, mostly gingerale instead hehe) and don't realize when to stop I'll just drink, drink, drink, and be so angry for going to the bathroom a hundred times a day.


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nara44
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16 Apr 2009, 4:01 am

i don't feel thirst and been told many times i need fluids and need it bad
sometime when i feel better i become very thirsty and drink by the gallons
my long gone girlfriend told me it is a common sign of people who had to endure abusive childhood and hard life and consequently blocked themselves to signs of pain and hunger in order to survive the unbearable circumstances



pensieve
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16 Apr 2009, 4:03 am

I have the same time for meals everyday, and after each one I drink water. If I go for a walk I'll drink more. Sometimes I forget to drink more when I go walking and get so thirsty, so I end up buying a bottle of water.

When I was younger I would not get food myself. I needed my mum to get it for me. I would probably only drink juice, milk or soft drink too. Such an unhealthy child.



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16 Apr 2009, 4:05 am

I always feel thirsty, but have trouble telling if I'm hungry or not. After about 15 hours (on average) without eating I realise I am, infact, hungry.


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sfumato
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16 Apr 2009, 5:28 am

I have problems with this too. Sometimes I just forget about eating and drinking. When I get headache or stomach I remember it.
On other days I am eating to much and don´t knew when to stop. I have just noticed that it is time to make me a lunch and drink some water... :)



happypuff
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16 Apr 2009, 5:46 am

Not unusual :)

I forget to eat. Or I conclude that since I havent eaten for x amount of hours, therefore I must be hungry, so then I buy/make a big meal and it turns out I was in fact feeling sick instead and cant eat it :P



complicitytheory
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16 Apr 2009, 6:17 am

I've read in more than one place that americans (that's who the article was referring to) confuse being thirsty for being hungry, and thus become dehydrated. I never feel thirsty or hungry... I just get tired and fall over... at which point I think of doing something about it. But I don't confuse hungry with thirsty...

I've found, however, that drinking my 60oz of water a day... not cold... is a great thing. I wish I could keep it up for more than a few weeks until I forget.


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Unknown_Quantity
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16 Apr 2009, 6:59 am

I thought it was just me!

As with all my symptoms, this is something that has improved the older I get, but I have always had a problem interpretting hunger and thirst. As a teenager I could go for days without eating and I'd wonder why my stomach would hurt. I'd just ignore it.

I grew up very skinny. 6' 2" and weighing less than 50 kilos. Now I weigh almost twice that and have weighed more than 100kg before (though I'm guessing five years of anti-depressants had something to do with that).

I now do feel hunger and thirst, though I'd guess with less severity than other people.


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ToughDiamond
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16 Apr 2009, 9:48 am

I drink (decaffeinated) tea and coffee all the time except when I'm sleeping, too busy, or can't get to a kettle. It's a habit, almost an addiction, and very little to do with genuine thirst. I also avoid salty foods. So it's unusual for me to get thirsty, and if I do, I hardly get the time to notice before the next cup of tea or coffee. I get annoyed if I can't get to a kettle - thirst might enter into the equation but I don't really notice it because of my habitual drive to drink regardless.

With food, I either avoid it or I pig out on anything tasty that's around (more for the flavours and sensations than hunger pangs), depending on my mood. Much of the time I can't be bothered to eat, and habitually prefer small meals. I don't notice hunger very often, and often when I'm offered food I accept it for social reasons, thinking I'd rather not eat, though once I begin to eat, I often realise that I like it and must have been quite hungry. I explained that to somebody once and they said I must be really preoccupied - that's true, my mind focusses on whatever I'm interested in, and I guess I've learned to habitually fight hunger pangs until they don't really affect me.

The only time I do feel hungry is if I forget to eat before I go to bed, and then I have a dilemma, wnodering whether it's worth getting up and eating. I find it hard to sleep if I'm hungry though, so I make an effort to remember to eat before bed. I've heard that most people have trouble sleeping if they eat before bed, and that's always surprised me. I don't like breakfast either, and usually don't eat until lunchtime. I've heard that's not good for you and that it can mess up your concentration and make you feel weak and dizzy, but it doesn't bother me, and if I do eat early then I just feel bloated.

I'm amazed at how many people are overweight and have enormous "spare tyres" - I feel much better just eating small amounts, and I hardly drink any alcohol, so I'm fairly thin, and when I want to stuff myself with cakes, chocolate and chips, I can do so without worrying about gaining weight, because I never feel like doing it on a daily basis, so my weight always stays the same. I feel quite lucky, my weird patterns of consumption have saved me from health problems that a lot of people find impossible to solve. I don't go down with malnutrition because most of my meals are raw salad sandwiches, and I'm in the habit of being careful about the nutritional and health properties of my staple diet. No vitamin and mineral supplements either. Can't be bothered, don't trust them.



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16 Apr 2009, 9:50 am

I either don't drink much liquids and get dehydrated, or drink lots of sugary drinks for the taste. I'm not good at maintaining homeostasis :D


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