# Why does milk make me more thirsty? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044 "2009-04-14T06:53:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044/1 "2009-04-14T06:53:22Z")
If I get up for a drink in the middle of the night, I’ll rarely drink milk, since it won’t quench my thirst. Instead, I’ll want to drink more milk, which won’t help matters. Why is this? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044/2 "2009-04-14T06:59:35Z")
I don’t know. I’m the opposite, if I have a big guzzle of milk in the middle of the night I feel very satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044/3 "2009-04-14T07:28:31Z")
Just my opinion - because milk isn’t meant to be a thirst quencher, it’s meant to be _food_ (and food for infants, but that’s besides the point). ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044/4 "2009-04-14T10:26:46Z")
A cup of milk contains 125 mg of salt. I wonder if that has anything to do with it? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044/5 "2009-04-14T10:39:57Z")
Maybe it makes your throat sticky, and what you perceive as thirst is just the need to wash your throat. > [@lawoot](#): > > Just my opinion - because milk isn’t meant to be a thirst quencher, it’s meant to be _food_ (and food for infants, but that’s besides the point). But it also quenches infants’ thirst. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044/6 "2009-04-14T12:46:58Z")
I am the same, milk always makes me more thirsty … My favorite drink is a huge cup of ice cold water, with ice cubes in it, and a dash of lemon or lime juice. I prefer to use either true lemon or true lime [powdered real joice, each packet is equivalent to 1 tsp of juice. It is also great for sprinkling on veggies or fish to add some zing] Of course, a nice lemon aid or lime aid is nice, but I cant drink them when I am out because of all the sugar. mrAru makes the best lemon or lime ade from scratch at home, with splenda as the sweetening agent=) ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044/7 "2009-04-14T14:07:20Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Just my opinion - because milk isn’t meant to be a thirst quencher, it’s meant to be _food_ (and food for infants, but that’s besides the point). Milk isn’t ‘meant’ to be anything. It’s milk. It has consequences, not ‘meaning’ or even a purpose. ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044/8 "2009-04-14T16:21:41Z")
This is a good question. I wonder the same thing. In fact, I find that drinking milk leaves some kind of tenacious sweetness on my teeth, and I have to drink a lot of water and brush my teeth before my mouth feels “normal”, or at the very least, comfortable, again. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-milk-make-me-more-thirsty/493044/9 "2009-04-14T17:04:28Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > If I get up for a drink in the middle of the night, I’ll rarely drink milk, since it won’t quench my thirst. Instead, I’ll want to drink more milk, which won’t help matters. Why is this? Whole milk or skim?