Your Nose Spray Has Chemicals That Triggers A Spike
Some decongestants may contain oxymetazoline, which has been observed to cause slight spikes in blood glucose levels.
If you’re someone with diabetes, itâs important to understand the potential side effects of your medications and consult with your doctor to find out what medications are right for you.
Can Dehydration Affect Type 2 Diabetes Risk
Although dehydration can lead to serious health issues, not much research has looked at whether chronic dehydration and the associated higher blood sugar may increase the risk of prediabetes and full-blown type 2 diabetes.
There have been a variety of things dehydration has been suggested to contribute to, but not diabetes, Rizza says.
But there may be a connection, says Anna Simos, MPH, a certified diabetes care and education specialist with the Stanford Health Care Diabetes Education and Prevention Program in Palo Alto, California. Indeed, according to a previous study, which monitored healthy adults over nine years, peoples self-reported water intake was inversely associated with a risk of developing high blood sugar. This means that people who reported drinking less than ½ a liter of water per day were more at risk of elevated blood sugar than people who reported more than 1 liter.
Scientists theorize that dehydration can lead to an increase in the hormone vasopressin, which prompts the kidneys to retain water and the liver to produce blood sugar, potentially affecting the bodys ability to regulate insulin over time.
The bottom line: More research is needed to fully understand the relationship between dehydration and diabetes, but hydration likely keeps blood glucose levels a little more stable, Simos says.
RELATED: 7 Scientific Health Benefits of Water
What Increases My Risk For Nondiabetic Hyperglycemia
- A medical condition such as Cushing syndrome or polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Surgery or trauma, such as a burn or injury
- Infections, such as pneumonia or a urinary tract infection
- Certain medicines, such as steroids or diuretics
- Nutrition given through a feeding tube or IV
- A family history of diabetes or gestational diabetes
- Obesity or a lack of physical activity
Don’t Miss: Type 1 Diabetes Snack List
Why Staying Hydrated Is Important For People With Diabetes
Dehydration can be subtle or severe. Not drinking enough water during a regular day can lead to mild dehydration that you may not even notice.
Becoming legitimately dehydrated after a long bout of exercise, an extremely hot day, or during an illness can cause a noticeable spike in your blood sugar.
When you become dehydrated, the amount of water in your bloodstream decreases, which means the glucose in your bloodstream becomes more concentrated.
While there isnt technically more sugar suddenly in your bloodstream, the ratio of sugar and water has changed, making your blood sugar level measure much higher.
Dehydration can lead to mildly higher blood sugar levels or significant spikes in your blood sugar.
Time Of Day Affects Blood Sugar Levels
Time of day can have a surprising impact on glucose levels. It’s because the bodyâs circadian rhythm can affect glucose metabolism.
Blood sugar levels can often be higher in the morning for those with diabetes, likely because of lower insulin levels and the release of hormones.
Itâs essential to work with a doctor or medical professional if you are someone who experiences abnormal blood sugar levels during the night and early morning. It will help you determine what factors may be contributing to these fluctuations.
Don’t Miss: Hyperbaric Chamber For Diabetic Wound Healing
The Importance Of Water In Human Beings
All human beings require a certain amount of water for survival. But why is it so essential? Well, for one, it helps carry nutrients and oxygen to cells in the body and supports brain, heart, kidney, liver, skin, and skin health. Staying hydrated can also help keep you satiated and can lower the risk for obesity in adults.
When you donât drink enough water, you may see impacts on some aspects of cognitive function like vigor, memory, and your ability to pay attention. One study even found evidence suggesting that staying hydrated throughout life can lower your risk of heart failure.
Looking for tips and tricks to help you stay adequately hydrated? Read what our dietitians recommend here.
So What Causes High Blood Sugar Levels In Non
Now that you know the dynamics of food digestion, glucose absorption into blood circulation and the expected insulin response, explaining what causes high blood sugar in non-diabetics becomes logical.
So, here it goes:
If you have a fully functioning beta cells in your pancreas that produce, store, and release insulin in response to blood sugar rises when you eat, then a quick response is expected to regulate blood sugar. This quick response prevents unnecessary blood glucose fluctuations.
And this process of blood sugar correction works so efficiently that within an hour and half of eating, your blood sugar levels should return to the fasting blood sugar levels of below 100mg/dl .
In fact, at 2 hours after-meal, both the first phase and second phase insulin release from the beta cells should have your blood sugar levels down to 80mg/dl .
However, if your First phase insulin response and more importantly, your Second phase insulin release is defective or sluggish for whatever reason, then you will have high blood sugar level even if you are non-diabetic. This is actually referred to as Impaired Glucose Tolerance.
Persistent impaired glucose tolerance is actually pre-diabetes.
Impaired glucose tolerance precedes Type 2 diabetes. If your blood sugar level remains high despite your first and second phase insulin release best efforts, such that it hits 200mg/dl 2 hours after eating, then by definition, you are now diabetic.
Read Also: What To Know About Diabetes
How Dehydration Can Spike Your Blood Sugar
This content was created as a part of a paid partnership with Ultima Replenisher, an active partner of Beyond Type 1 at the time of publication.
Water accounts for 50 to 60 percent of your body weightand nearly 75 percent for newborn babies! For the average adult, 100 pounds of your body weight is water.
Clearly a critical part of your bodys ability to function, staying on top of your daily hydrationespecially during exerciseis an important part of diabetes management.
But nearly 75 percent of Americans are dehydrated on a regular basis.
Here, well discuss dehydration and its impact on your blood sugar as a person with diabetes.
Staying Hydrated With Diabetes: A Balancing Act
Use these tips to avoid dehydration and keep your blood sugar level down, even in hot weather.
Dehydration can strike anyone when the sun is out and the temperature is high. But when you have diabetes, you’re even more prone to dehydration. That makes finding ways to lower blood sugar and stay hydrated critical for those with diabetes, especially during the warmer summer months.
Dehydration and diabetes often go hand in hand. Diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, creating extra sugar in your blood, and your kidneys work overtime to filter and absorb the excess sugar. If your kidneys are overworked, the Mayo Clinic says, your body expels the excess sugar in your urine, which in turn drags fluids from your tissues.
This makes you urinate more often, and that could leave you dehydrated. Drinking more fluids quenches your thirst, but it also makes you urinate even more, which could leave you even more dehydrated.
So how can you help prevent the problem of dehydration and diabetes and make sure your fluids remain at a healthy level? A few simple strategies can ensure that you stay hydrated, even when the weather is warm.
Staying Hydrated in Hot Weather
If you’re still learning to manage your diabetes or if you’re helping a loved one manage theirs, know that it’s important to take extra steps to keep hydrated when it’s hot out. Here are some tips:
What Is the Normal Range for Blood Sugar?
Ways to Lower Blood Sugar
Read Also: How I Reversed My Diabetes
Association Between Water And Hyperglycemia
Research studies indicate a direct relationship between the hormone vasopressin, which controls water in the body, as well as diabetes. Regardless of the identified influence of water consumption on vasopressin secretion, no study has examined a possible link between water consumption and the risk of high blood glucose.
People who participated in the study were offered health evaluations every 3 years, such as a self-administered questionnaire in which they were asked how much water, wine, sweet drinks, or beer-cider they can drink per day. Measurements of blood glucose levels were done at the studys onset as well as 9 years later. The subsequent step could be a study of individuals who say they dont consume a lot of water, ½ of whom gave their consent to enhance their consumption over a particular period. That would assist in confirming that more water intake helps ward off high blood glucose.
Not having an adequate amount of water could be similar to what researchers can observe in people who take a lot of cholesterol-containing food products. High cholesterol and fat in meals can make individuals more prone to type 2 diabetes. It also adds to the development of other conditions such as atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, most common in individuals with such conditions.
You Skipped Out On Breakfast
Skipping breakfast may work for some, and the idea that it’s outright bad for your health is a myth! But it can affect different people differently. It has also been linked to elevated glucose levels in healthy individuals.
It happens because increased meal frequency can improve glycemic response throughout the day, especially for individuals with diabetes.
Another study on people with type 2 diabetes demonstrated that not eating breakfast led to increased glycemic variability and may negatively impact the bodyâs circadian rhythm.
Recommended Reading: Low Blood Sugar Heart Rate
Who Should Limit Their Water Intake
Its possible to take in too much water, explains Harvard research.
Certain health conditions can mean that too much water is actually taxing on your body. These conditions and medications mean you should talk to your doctor about the right amount of daily water for your body:
- Medications that cause water retention
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Sweetened Or Unsweetened Fruit Juices
Although 100 percent fruit juice is fine in moderation, and is a source of nutrients like vitamin C, all fruit juices can add a high amount of carbohydrates to your diet and are pure sugar. This combination can wreak havoc on your blood sugar and increase your risk for weight gain.
If you have a fruit juice craving that wont fade, be sure you pick up a juice thats 100 percent pure and contains no added sugars.
Also, limit your portion size to 4 ounces , which will reduce your sugar intake to only 3.6 teaspoons .
You might consider adding a splash or two of your favorite juice to sparkling water instead.
- increased weight gain
- high blood sugar levels
Upon further analysis, the study participants who had overweight or obesity, which are risk factors for metabolic syndrome, had likely been swapping no-calorie soda for the full-sugar versions.
They likely took this step to cut their calorie intake. This was an association, but it wasnt considered cause and effect.
A 2016 study seemed to show that those drinking diet sodas had increased blood sugar levels and waist circumference.
However, this study did not control for meals or physical activity or other variables before each round of testing was done.
Further, the authors stated that individuals with higher insulin levels at the beginning of the study may have already had metabolic issues not related to their intake of sugar-free sodas.
For most people living with diabetes, sugar-free sodas are safe in moderation.
You May Like: What To Do For High Glucose Levels
How Can I Help Prevent Hyperglycemia
- Exercise can help lower your blood sugar when it is high. It also can keep your blood sugar levels steady over time. Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Work with your healthcare provider to create an exercise plan. Children should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Ask your healthcare provider how much you should weigh. A healthy weight can help you lower your blood sugar levels. Ask your provider to help you create a weight loss plan if you are overweight. Together you can set manageable weight loss goals.
- Follow your meal plan. A dietitian will help you make a meal plan to help lower your blood sugar level. You may need to decrease the amount of carbohydrates that you eat.
- Do not smoke. Nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes and cigars can cause lung damage. They can also make your blood sugar levels harder to control. Ask your healthcare provider for information if you currently smoke and need help to quit. E-cigarettes or smokeless tobacco still contain nicotine. Talk to your healthcare provider before you use these products.
- Limit or do not drink alcohol. Alcohol can increase your blood sugar level. A drink of alcohol is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of liquor. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe for you to drink alcohol. Also ask how much is safe for you to drink each day.
Does Drinking Water Lower Blood Sugar
The quick answer is yes, drinking water may help lower blood sugar.
Water not only prevents dehydration, but also helps flush out excess sugar through your urine.
One analysis of data from 3,961 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey had their urine analyzed for any potential cross-sectional association between hydration and metabolic dysfunction. The participants with urine specific gravity greater than 1.013 had less favorable metabolic markers. Data analysis also showed that increasing quartiles of urine specific gravity was associated with higher fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and elevated insulin< sup> 1< /sup> .
Another observational study showed that water intake was inversely and independently associated with high blood sugar levels< sup> 2< /sup> .
A study conducted on healthy Japanese men and women showed increased health benefits, such as protecting kidney function, diluting blood waste materials, and lowering blood pressure however, drinking an additional 37 ounces of water a day did not prove effective in lowering slightly elevated fasting blood glucose levels< sup> 3< /sup> .
Still, drinking water prevents dehydration and promotes healthy metabolism in non-diabetics.
One long-term study on more than 4,000 Swedish people showed that an increase in vasopressin in the blood was linked to an increase in insulin resistance< sup> 4< /sup> and increased odds in developing type 2 diabetes.
Read Also: Freestyle Freedom Lite Blood Glucose Meter
What Causes Brittle Diabetes
Brittle diabetes occurs when diabetes is especially difficult to manage-. Diabetes can be hard to manage for many reasons:
- Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the intestine.
- Drug or alcohol use.
- Islet cell transplantation: A healthcare provider takes healthy insulin-producing cells from a deceased persons pancreas and infuses them into the liver.
- Pancreas transplant: A surgeon implants a donated pancreas.
Your healthcare provider will try to address any underlying causes of brittle diabetes. For example, therapy to lessen psychological issues and stress can help manage diabetes.
How Much Water Do You Need Every Day
Before chugging all of the water, learn how much water you might need to drink each day.
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies< sup> 5< /sup> recommends the following daily average intake of water:
- 2.7 liters a day of total water for women ages 19-70+
- 3.0 liters a day of total water for pregnant women ages 14-50
- 3.8 liters a day of total water for lactating women ages 14-50
- 3.7 liters a day of total water for men ages 19-70+
Active people will likely require additional water or fluids to meet their training needs. The recommendations above include average daily amounts of total liquid intake under normal conditions that donât account for extreme heat and humidity so you may need to make adjustments based on the conditions that day.
While itâs important to drink enough water, itâs possible to drink too much water in a day. Excessive water consumption could cause water intoxication, a rare condition that can occur when the amount of water intake exceeds excretion in the kidney. This could lead to a more serious condition called hyponatremia, which happens when the level of sodium in the blood is too low and the body holds onto too much water. Hyponatremia needs to be treated by a doctor.
Use the guidelines above to estimate the amount of water you drink each day, adjusting for your activity level and the conditions.
You May Like: Glucose Monitors Covered By Medicare
The Lack Of Physical Activity
Lack of physical activity can increase your blood sugar, as skeletal muscles are a main part of the body that uses glucose for energy or stores extra glucose for later use. With low levels of physical activity, the muscles become inactive and do not remove glucose efficiently from the blood.
Regular exercise can help lower blood sugar levels by increasing the need for muscles to remove glucose from the blood to use for energy.
Almost Every Process In Your Body Relies On Water
Water actually does far more for our bodies than we realize. Water aids your digestion, lubricates joints, helps flush waste products and performs a host of other important tasks in your body. Not being properly hydrated will significantly reduce your physical capacity and brain function.
According to Harvard University, adequate water intake is vital for a variety of daily functions within our body:
- carries nutrients and oxygen to cells throughout your body
- flushes bacteria from your bladder
- aids in the digestion of meals
- prevents constipation
- protects your organs and tissues from a variety of potential damage
- regulates your body temperature
- maintains your bodys electrolyte/sodium levels
Water has been pinpointed in many studies as an important part of losing weight, but researchers still arent clear how its accelerating your weight-loss efforts.
Theories behind water consumption and weight-loss include:
- Drinking more water means youre likely drinking less soda and other sugar-laden beverages
- Drinking more water might boost your metabolism and cause you to burn more calories
- Drinking more water might help reduce cravings for not-so-healthy foods
- Drinking more water in place of diet soda may reduce insulin resistance
Regardless, it is clear in study after study that those who drink more water tend to lose more weight, in contrast, to study participants drinking less water.
Drinking enough water impacts so many aspects of our daily health. But how much water is enough?
Don’t Miss: What Does It Mean When My Glucose Is High