Water is a great drink for people with diabetes as it contains no carbs or calories. According to studies, drinking enough water helps manage blood sugar levels.
People with diabetes need more fluids when their blood sugar is high. The kidneys may try to get rid of extra sugar through urine. Drinking water won’t increase blood sugar, so it’s good for diabetics to drink water when their blood sugar is high. This helps remove excess glucose from the blood.
Does Drinking Water Lower Blood Sugar?
Drinking water regularly can help stop pre-diabetes or hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia occurs when sugar levels are too high, which can cause diabetes-like health issues in the future.
In 2011, researchers studied 3,615 people aged 31 to 65 for nine years. At the start, everyone had normal blood sugar. Later, 565 people had high blood sugar, and 202 of them got diabetes.
Researchers found that people with high blood sugar drank less water than those with normal levels. They believe chronic dehydration can lead to high blood sugar.
How Does Drinking Water Lower Blood Sugar?
When blood sugar is too high, your kidneys remove extra sugar in urine. Drink enough water to help your kidneys flush out excessive sugar. Water can help lower your blood sugar by diluting it when you’re dehydrated.
Link Between Dehydration and Diabetes
When sugar goes into your pee, it takes water from other parts of the body. That’s why people with diabetes often feel very thirsty. If your blood sugar is really high, you might get very thirsty and could end up with a dangerous condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA imbalances blood chemistry and can be life-threatening.
How Much Water Should You Drink a Day?
Different groups have different suggestions about how much water people should drink, and the amount can vary based on factors like body size:
- 2 to 2.7 liters a day for women
- 2.5 to 3.7 liters a day for men
Drink more water and water-rich foods to stay hydrated. If you don’t like plain water, try flavored drinks or eat water-rich foods like celery and cucumbers.
However, too much water can wash away essential minerals in your body and cause health problems like seizures. Kidneys can only handle about a liter of water per hour, so it’s best not to drink more than that in most cases.
FAQs
How much water do I need to drink to lower my blood sugar level?
People who drink less than half a liter of water daily are susceptible to high blood sugar. And those who drink over a liter a day have the lowest chance of having high blood sugar.
How can I lower my blood sugar level quickly with water?
Water helps your kidneys filter out excess sugar, which is blood glucose. Drinking more water increases urine production and flushes out sugar from the body.
What drink lowers blood sugar quickly?
Green tea, cow’s milk, and kefir can help control your blood sugar levels. Coffee may also have ingredients that regulate blood sugar, but more studies are needed to confirm this.
Is too much water bad for diabetics?
Drinking water does not make blood sugar go up. It’s good for people with diabetes when their blood sugar is high because it helps remove extra glucose from the blood.
What lowers blood sugar immediately?
Fast-acting insulin is an immediate way to lower blood sugar level. Exercise can also help lower blood sugar fast. Diet and lifestyle changes can manage blood sugar levels overall, but medication or medical help is also needed for immediate relief.
