While the foods you eat are one of the most powerful factors that influence your blood sugar levels, there are plenty of others as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a poor night’s sleep, the time of day, or even taking certain medications may cause your levels to spike. But drinking enough water and staying hydrated are two sneaky factors that may impact your blood sugar readings.
Meet the experts: Victoria Finn, M.D., an endocrinologist with Medical Offices of Manhattan; Sapna Peruvemba, M.S., R.D.N., a dietitian and Ph.D. student in Nutritional Science at Loma Linda University; Jamie Baham, M.S., R.D.N., L.D., a cancer prevention registered dietitian at Ladybug Nutrition.
“Dehydration, even mild, can concentrate glucose in the bloodstream,” Victoria Finn, M.D., an endocrinologist with Medical Offices of Manhattan, previously told Prevention. How does it do this? “When you’re dehydrated, the water content in your blood drops, which means the sugar that’s already there becomes more concentrated,” explained Sapna Peruvemba, M.S., R.D.N., a dietitian and Ph.D. student in Nutritional Science at Loma Linda University. She added that roughly 92% of blood plasma is water, so even if your water intake is only down slightly, your blood glucose levels can rise.
While staying hydrated may not lower blood sugar, it may help stave off a high reading. Jamie Baham, M.S., R.D.N., L.D., a cancer prevention registered dietitian at Ladybug Nutrition, likened this effect to the difference between water and syrup. The blood of someone who is well-hydrated will be thinner and more watery, while the blood of someone who isn’t drinking enough water will be thicker and contain a higher concentration of sugar. Even mild dehydration may cause significant swings. According to the University of Maryland Medical System, mild dehydration may cause an increase in blood sugar of 50 to 110 mg/dL in people with diabetes. Considering that the difference between normal blood sugar levels and blood sugar levels in those with diabetes is just 25 mg/dL, this is notable.
These swings can also be large enough to yield falsely high blood sugar readings, said Dr. Finn. False highs may lead to incorrect treatment, which can be dangerous for diabetics. So if your blood sugar levels seem unusually high and you can’t remember the last time you had any water, try drinking some before checking again.
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