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Drinking water and blood sugars

redrickshaw

Active Member
Messages
31
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Just wondered if drinking water in the two hours after a meal whilst waiting to test your blood sugar makes any difference? newly diagnosed Pre diabetic.
 
I would think none, however I am open to change my mind
 
There is no insulin response to water. I will sometimes have a creamed coffee between readings and have had no surprises with that drink.
 
Apparently - Ive just read on diabetics daily - any fluid as long as it doesnt contain carbs can lower bs in some people. I took my bs earlier and it was 5.2 and 40mins later i took it again before a meal and it was 4.3mmols. May be coincidence but I will check again.
 
I would think none, however I am open to change my mind
I guess depends on individual, but personally, regards fasting test, which myself and others seem to have higher results morning, I can happily confirm, that drinking four glasses of water, a quick 10min on the treadmill or 10 min walk, wait 15 mins, each and every time never fails my levels are i.e. 82mg/dl 86mg/dl 84mg/dl 90mg/dl more or less same each and every time.

When I don't drink water around 100mg/dl.

Water may make difference for some and not others, who knows, but for sure, it gives consistent normal normal results after four small glasses of water.

magic perhaps?
 
I guess depends on individual, but personally, regards fasting test, which myself and others seem to have higher results morning, I can happily confirm, that drinking four glasses of water, a quick 10min on the treadmill or 10 min walk, wait 15 mins, each and every time never fails my levels are i.e. 82mg/dl 86mg/dl 84mg/dl 90mg/dl more or less same each and every time.

When I don't drink water around 100mg/dl.

Water may make difference for some and not others, who knows, but for sure, it gives consistent normal normal results after four small glasses of water.

magic perhaps?
I shall certainly try this, thanks! However I am thinking it might work for people who are slightly de-hydrated, but not if their hydration levels are already perfect. (In the same way as taking a vitamin supplement can be good for you if you are lacking a vitamin, but if you already have plenty of a vitamin adding more won't help.) Have you tried these strategies to lower post prandial bg? For that, I find the 10 minute walk sometimes works, but sometimes not, so maybe when it works it's just coincidence.
 
Just wondered if drinking water in the two hours after a meal whilst waiting to test your blood sugar makes any difference? newly diagnosed Pre diabetic.
I too have always wondered about this. If as a result of badly under estimating my carbs intake or missing my novorapid before a meal I find my BG sky high, I take a corrective dose of insulin to bring it down. I have found over the years that drinking copious amounts of water certainly helps to restore my BG level to normal level much sooner than if I had not drunk extra water. Your body tells you to drink more water anyway by making you feel parched and thirsty.
 
I too have always wondered about this. If as a result of badly under estimating my carbs intake or missing my novorapid before a meal I find my BG sky high, I take a corrective dose of insulin to bring it down. I have found over the years that drinking copious amounts of water certainly helps to restore my BG level to normal level much sooner than if I had not drunk extra water. Your body tells you to drink more water anyway by making you feel parched and thirsty.

I would image that it's not specifically the drinking of water that lowers your Bg. It's when you pee it out the body gets rid of sugar stored. The same applies to bowel movements it affects insulin sensitivity? I could be wrong
 
I’m late here I know!! I found, quite by accident, that for me too little water equals skyrocketing and I mean orbital BG numbers. I have seen US 180 as a peak. That particular one dropped by 20 points per hour once I started drinking a big glass of water every half hour, until it came down 70 points— in about 3 hours. My theory is, maybe your blood is thicker when you’re dehydrated, so the sugar is more concentrated. Actually I think I read that at some diabetes site, so, somebody else’s writings...
 
I’m late here I know!! I found, quite by accident, that for me too little water equals skyrocketing and I mean orbital BG numbers. I have seen US 180 as a peak. That particular one dropped by 20 points per hour once I started drinking a big glass of water every half hour, until it came down 70 points— in about 3 hours. My theory is, maybe your blood is thicker when you’re dehydrated, so the sugar is more concentrated. Actually I think I read that at some diabetes site, so, somebody else’s writings...

Maybe it is simply making you wee a lot and thereby flushing glucose away, but can this be doing the kidneys and bladder any harm? Maybe. I don't know. By the way, the general rule about drinking is to sip gradually throughout the day rather than glug it all down almost at once - because it puts a lot of strain on the kidneys. Unless I were genuinely very, very high in glucose it isn't something I would be happy to try.
 
@Bluetit1802 Well, I didn’t have to go for the longest time, even drinking all that. That’s what gave me the clue I’d been dehydrated.
I know many people struggle to get their “8 glasses per day”, but if that’s all I drank, my lungs would dry up and stop breathing, especially in our dry dry winters. I’ve drunk more water than many for a long time. I take three meds (for other things) that dry me out, and my profession is flute player, so you breathe out lots of moisture every time you use your air, so have to keep hydrated. That is a very interesting point you make about the kidneys- I’ve never had blood work come back with strange results, at any rate. I will learn more about it- thanks!
 
Glad you asked that because I was also wondering how much drinking generally impacts on sugar levels.
 
@zauberflote

Remember that your bg will peak and then drop naturally after a meal. This would happen whether you drank or not.

I genuinely don’t know how you would be able to measure your bg consistently enough to draw any conclusions.
How would you gauge your precise level of hydration/dehydration before and after your experiment? Weather, activity levels and salt intake over the last couple of days would have to be completely consistent.
And our meters aren’t accurate enough to track minor variations.

Plus, there is the way that drinking with or soon after eating dilutes digestive juices (which slows digestion). And the fact that going from dehydrated to flush with hydration is actually going to dilute the blood a little.

 
Yes, hard to monitor, isn't it? There are so many factors to be taken into consideration. I'm new to this site and it's good to be able to hear, for first time really, from people with similar concerns. Seems we're all groping in the dark a bit, which is perversely a bit reassuring....!
 
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