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Living with diabetes

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Charliewatch

Charliewatch

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
l am experiencing a really dry mouth when l am in bed at night so l have a quick sip of water my question is--- do l just accept it as part of the condition or is there something l can do about it or is it worth visit to the GP your views would be appreciated,
 
Are you testing your BG levels? What sort of numbers are you seeing?
 
Hi Charlie
This may sound like a very basic question but how much water are you drinking ?. It could just be a simple case of dehydration and nothing to do with the D 🙂
 
It could be one of many things and it is a possible side effect of metformin. Generally, people don't drink enough water thinking tea and coffee will suffice but they act as mild diuretics. Alcohol is another one. Also as a diabetic, if your BG levels get high, your body will try to get rid of it by getting you to urinate with the result that you get a little dehydrated. There are so many possibilities, your GP couldn't say without having additional info. Try to monitor what you drink and your BG levels so when you see him next, you have something for him to work with.
 
Is it possible you are sleeping with your mouth open during the night? I know I have a tendency to do this and it makes my mouth dry.
 
yorksman said:
Generally, people don't drink enough water thinking tea and coffee will suffice but they act as mild diuretics. Alcohol is another one. .
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very true ...they have the complete opposite effect !
 
I get this if I sleep with my mouth open as well, or if I drink too much alcohol or I take particular pain-killers such as tramadol or codeine based ones. Sometimes I get a metallic taste as well.

What I do if I haven't got a drink of water and can't be asked to get one is imagine I'm chewing a slice of lemon and the old salivary glands soon wake up :D
 
yorksman said:
Generally, people don't drink enough water thinking tea and coffee will suffice but they act as mild diuretics. Alcohol is another one.
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I'm afraid that whilst coffee and tea are mild diuretics, you still get more liquid from them than you lose because of the diuretic effect. So it is not true to say that you aren't getting enough water by drinking them alone.

But, it is a good idea to have a glass or two of plain water simply because it is the best form of hydration that you can have (probably).

Andy 🙂
 
Andy HB said:
I'm afraid that whilst coffee and tea are mild diuretics, you still get more liquid from them than you lose because of the diuretic effect.
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That rather depends on how much coffee or tea one drinks, how frequently and the strength.

"The available literature suggests that acute ingestion of caffeine in large doses (at least 250-300 mg, equivalent to the amount found in 2-3 cups of coffee or 5-8 cups of tea) results in a short-term stimulation of urine output in individuals who have been deprived of caffeine for a period of days or weeks." ( Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review. )

hence my use of the adjective, 'mild'. Your body does adjust to it after time but it will attempt to get rid of it to begin with.
 
yorksman said:
That rather depends on how much coffee or tea one drinks, how frequently and the strength.

"The available literature suggests that acute ingestion of caffeine in large doses (at least 250-300 mg, equivalent to the amount found in 2-3 cups of coffee or 5-8 cups of tea) results in a short-term stimulation of urine output in individuals who have been deprived of caffeine for a period of days or weeks." ( Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review. )

hence my use of the adjective, 'mild'. Your body does adjust to it after time but it will attempt to get rid of it to begin with.
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See, I've been having 5-6 mugs of tea a day for as long as I can remember, not sure how I'd feel if I was deprived of it for a 'period of days'! 😱

There was a thing not so long ago in the news about how a lot of these coffee shops, like starbucks and Costa, sell coffee that far exceeds safe doses of caffeine. I've never really been a coffee person, just the occasional cup.
 
Northerner said:
There was a thing not so long ago in the news about how a lot of these coffee shops, like starbucks and Costa, sell coffee that far exceeds safe doses of caffeine. I've never really been a coffee person, just the occasional cup.
Click to expand...

Red Bull is like drinking double espressos. Here's what too much caffeine does to a marathon runner.
 
I used to be a coffee addict and could get through two or three Venti (24 ounce) double shot coffees a day. I had horrendous withdrawal symptoms when I gave them up. Coffee now is a rare treat for me, maybe one a month or so, no more than that. But, when I do have one nowadays, I don't notice any extra visits required.
 
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