What is the medical term for excessive thirst?

The medical term for excessive thirst is polydipsia. This condition is often a symptom of various medical issues, such as diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipidus, where the body has an increased need for fluid intake due to high blood sugar levels or an inability to properly concentrate urine. Polydipsia can also occur in the context of dehydration or certain medication side effects.

In contrast, polyuria refers to the condition of producing an abnormally large volume of urine, which can be related to polydipsia but describes a different symptom. Polypnea, on the other hand, pertains to rapid or deep breathing, while polysomnography is a type of sleep study used to diagnose sleep disorders. These terms are related to different aspects of medical knowledge and do not accurately describe the feeling of excessive thirst.