Are you always thirsty? Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that affects millions of people. One of the hallmark symptoms of Type 2 diabetes is polydipsia, feeling excessively thirsty.

Understanding the relationship between diabetes and polydipsia can help you to recognise it as a possible symptom of Type 2 diabetes. And, once you have a diagnosis, it will help you with effective management of your condition. This article explores excessive thirst in Type 2 diabetes, its impact on the body, and the importance of early intervention.

Diabetes and Polydipsia: Why You’re So Thirsty

Polydipsia means that you drink plenty of water, but still feel thirsty. It’s a classic symptom of Type 2 and Type 1 diabetes. But why do you feel so thirsty all the time?

When you have high levels of glucose in the bloodstream, insulin is supposed to tell your body to use it or store it. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas can’t produce the insulin you need for this to happen. In Type 2 diabetes, your body may not be producing enough insulin, and it’s very likely that your cells are losing their sensitivity to insulin too. Either way, the normal way in which blood sugar levels are regulated is disrupted.

With way too much sugar in your bloodstream, your kidneys try to get rid of it before it can harm your body. That means you are urinating more often than you normally do. This increased urination leads to dehydration, and when you’re dehydrated, your body activates the thirst mechanism to tell you that you need to replenish lost fluids.

Other Causes of Polydipsia: Reasons Why You Might be So Thirsty

If you’re dehydrated, you feel thirsty. After you have taken some fluids in, your thirst goes away. But thirst that doesn’t go away could be a symptom of diabetes. If you’re pregnant, you are likely to feel the need to urinate more frequently and you’ll probably feel thirsty more often. Usually, that's nothing to worry about. But if you are constantly thirsty, it’s possible that you have gestational diabetes. Be sure to consult a doctor.

Other reasons for excessive thirst include: a reaction to medications, diabetes insipidus (a rare condition that isn’t the same as the “sugar diabetes” we’re familiar with), sickle cell anaemia, excessive bleeding and certain mental health conditions.

Thirsty All the Time? See a Doctor

If you are constantly thirsty, there’s only one thing you can be sure of: something isn’t right and you need to get to the bottom of it. A doctor can help you to work out why you’re feeling this way, and if you do have diabetes or some other health condition, you can get the treatment you need.

You should see this as being urgent. Polydipsia, uncomfortable on its own, is only a symptom. It’s very important for you to find out what’s disrupting your health and stop it from causing whatever other types of damage it may be doing.

Other Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms

The link between Type 2 diabetes and thirst is fairly well-known. Before we look at other symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, there’s an important thing you need to know.

Because Type 2 diabetes usually develops quite slowly, you may not even notice that something isn’t right. To you, everything seems normal, even though it isn’t. So, even if feeling very thirsty, or finding that the need to urinate disrupts your sleep, are your only symptoms, you should get it checked out.

Need convincing? It’s estimated that around 45 percent of people living with diabetes don’t have a diagnosis. For some of them, it’s simply a matter of not noticing there is anything wrong. Early treatment and good management stop diabetes from doing as much harm as it otherwise can, so getting screened could be important to your long-term well-being.

While being aware that you may not have noticed any symptoms of excessive thirst, you may have noticed some of the other warning signs of Type 2 diabetes. These include blurred vision, tingling in the hands and feet, feeling dizzy, nauseous, or confused at times, finding that your skin is very dry, and feeling tired out all the time.

Type 2 Diabetes: The Good News

Did you get a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis?  It certainly won’t feel like good news, but there is a silver lining. Knowing your enemy means that you can meet it head on. It’s a long-term process of managing your diabetes with the help of your medical team and listening to your body. Do that well, and you can still live a healthy, long and productive life. With your blood sugar levels stabilised, you may feel better, more energetic, and healthier than you have for years.

Of course, there will be those who take a dim view of your prospects, and when you’re trying to do simple things like getting life insurance, you might find it more difficult to get approval than you thought it would be. Blueberry Life is different. Our team consists of insurance specialists and medical doctors who know you still have a good chance of living your best life - even though you’ve got Type 2 diabetes.

Why should you pay high premiums if you’re taking care of your health? We can’t think of a reason why you should. We offer specialised insurance for people living with chronic conditions. Start your application today and watch us spring into action. All you need is 5 minutes to tell us about yourself.

‍

Reviewed by Dr. Kingshuk Pal