Keeps hydrated - is it challenging for you too?

I’ve never been good at drinking water but when I do, I find water at room temperature to be the hardest to drink. So I drink either hot liquids (tea, coffee) or cold water. But in winter, at least here in the UK, I’m finding cold water to be too uncomfortable to drink. Anytime I have to draw bloods (I have hypothyroidism), it’s nightmare finding a vein that can actually give enough blood.

I’ll pour myself a cup / glass of water, put it down and completely forget to drink it (or that it even exists lol). When I first started dating my partner (now husband) in 2016, it was pretty normal for me to have several glasses of water / juice lying around in his apartment lol

I will drink a sip or 2 of water and then put down my cup / bottle. My husband, and now even my toddler, are the ones telling me to “actually drink the water, not pretend to drink it” 🤣

I’m pretty much dehydrated all the time at this point. My eczema’s been getting worse, my skin’s always dry but recently my skin’s been itchy from head to toe, more frequent pressure headaches and my tinnitus is pretty frequent atm. Granted I don’t get a full nights sleep with toddler who wakes up at least once a night, needing help to go back to sleep.

Tho interestingly when I wash dishes, that’s when I’m most aware of how thirsty I am. I’ll put a cup (with a straw) of water on the windowsill so I can drink as I get thirsty. Even still I only drink small sips at a time.

I’ve seen that it’s possible for autistic individuals to not have the interoception (likely misspelt that) and/or signals which would alert me when I’m thirsty.

What’s your experience with drinking water and what do you do to help you to drink enough fluids (or at least as much water as you can)? I’m keen to hear the strategies you’ve found to be helpful. Or even to hear that I’m not the only one struggling to consistently drink enough fluids on a daily basis.