Are you more thirsty during the menopause?

Well I woke this morning after what felt like I had just fallen asleep. I must have had about 3 hours sleep in total last night. but today is a new day, so eager to see what it throws at me.....

Last night was long, i'm getting very interrupted sleep at the moment, i'm finding i'm waking up very thirsty overnight, almost drinking a full bottle of water a night ( i've had my glucose checked and its within normal range) Please ladies if you are drinking more at night and weeing more, please see your GP to check for signs of Diabetes.

There is an actual reason behind this, and its all down to our beloved hormones, yes oestrogen and progesterone the lovely hormones that give us so much joy at the moment.... Play a role in role in fluid regulation. So when we get the hot flushes and night sweats this can lead to increased thirst.

Keeping hydrated is so important especially during the perimenopause and menopause as our bodies change. Dehydration sounds like such a drastic word yet so many women fall in to its trap without realising. It can creep up on you, so if you are already feeling thirsty the chances are that you are already dehydrated and your body is trying to tell you.

Dehydration has certain symptoms to look out for:-

• Thirst

• Moodiness

• dry mouth

• Dark urine

• Headache

• Muscle Cramps

• Confusion

• Tiredness

• Inability to think clearly

Looking at these symptoms its easy to group them up and say, "I feel like this anyway because of the menopause", as some of the symptoms are so similar, but maybe it could be that we all just need to drink more! Could it be that simple? Well maybe it can, let's all give it a go, increase our fluid intake and see what results we get.

Remember though....Water is best, keep alcohol and caffein to a minimum as these have a diuretic effect (make us want to wee more so could dehydrate us) Make sure that your wee is light straw coloured as this is nice and healthy. You can also get water from foods such as fruit and vegetables, so look at your diet and see what subtle changes can be made.