Before you read this, can we check that you’ve drunk enough water?
Water is a prerequisite for healthy living and is vital for our bodies to function normally. Without it, the effects are profound – regardless of your age.
For most, the simple rule of two litres or six to eight glasses of water a day is sufficient¹, but it’s important to tune into your body’s signals. Thirsty? Tired? Fuzzy head? The effects of dehydration on brain, heart health, and kidney function can differ depending on the severity of dehydration, but common symptoms can include a headache, fatigue, dizziness, and, surprising to most, high blood sugar levels².
Simply put, when you become dehydrated, the amount of water in your bloodstream decreases which makes the existing glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream more concentrated. And whilst the sugar in your bloodstream hasn’t technically increased, the ratio of sugar and water has changed, resulting in a higher blood sugar level.
Think of it like this: maple syrup is made using sap collected from trees. Sap contains 95 percent water and 5 percent sugar. When boiling the sap, the sugar becomes more concentrated because of the water lost through evaporation, resulting in a thick, sugar-rich syrup. Therefore, less water equates to more concentrated sugar.
And as with everything health-related, it’s always easier when you’re in the know…
Wearable technology – with a penchant for collecting health and fitness data – continues to observe a rise-on-rise year-on-year³, so much so that now there is a monitoring tool specific to blood sugar levels.
Best known for combining health research with the smartest of software, Hello Inside has developed a program that captures and visualises data specific to your blood sugar levels. Available in the UK and the rest of Europe, Hello Inside’s Hello Sugar Program combines a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) with the Hello Inside App to give users unlimited access to their blood sugar levels on a real-time basis. The CGM used is a small, waterproof skin sensor (the size of a £2 coin) that sits on your arm to constantly monitor your glucose levels, capturing everything from personal reactions to food, movement and sleep, to identifying trends and learning what your body needs to feel its best. All data is then transferred to the Hello Inside App on your smartphone using near-field communication (NFC).
Capturing this real-time information through a digital interface not only offers peace of mind and a transformational stride forward in reducing the need for finger prick testing, but inspiration in the form of expert coaching, interactive courses and personal recommendations (based on AI), each of which provisions better understanding around how the body responds to sugar.
In a Q&A with Hello Inside’s Head of Nutrition Marie-Luise Huber, Marie explained that the objective of the program isn’t to eliminate sugar from an individual’s diet, but rather to find “balance and a ‘sweet spot’ [whilst] being mindful of what’s going into [the] body. Everyone should be able to indulge in a piece of cake or chocolate without having a guilty conscience – for us, it’s about smart combinations and small adjustments to an individual’s habits.”
By focusing on themes around food and movement, Hello Inside supports a user by deciphering nutritional facts and more importantly, where sugar is hiding, to essentially strengthen knowledge and build understanding around how the body reacts to too much or too little sugar. “From the order in which you eat your food [to] seeing how different types and intensities of exercise impact blood sugar, it’s super cool to see how one small change [...] can have such a big impact on blood sugar.”
“What this program does is [encourage a user to] look inside to make change – for the better! And, as a result, experience optimal blood glucose levels and improved overall wellbeing.”
In addition to capturing information around your daily routine, there is a simple hack that can dramatically reduce and regulate your blood sugar levels – drinking more water.
Any drink with little to no sugar would be an indicative choice to rehydrate, and more importantly, remain hydrated. For many, ordinary tap or filtered water is sufficient, but the quest for optimal hydration, and in the case of lower blood sugar levels, doesn’t need to compromise on quality, enjoyment or flavour. Let’s drop in some inspiration.
Each waterdrop® Microdrink contains the finest fruit and plant extracts to transform any water into a refreshing drink. Unlike typical bottled drinks, each cube is enriched with valuable vitamins and contains absolutely no sugar. From blackcurrant and elderflower, to lime, passion fruit and peach, the Microdrink collection consists of over 10 flavours – each as convenient as they are considerate of the environment.
From a practical standpoint, water comes out tops, but other options, such as sports and energy drinks, also have hydrating potential⁴. Typically bottled with spoonfuls of sugar, waterdrop® has reinvented the formula of energy drinks and those specific to sports and rapid hydration.
Characterised by zero sugar, natural caffeine, and the potential to fix your focus anywhere, Microenergy aims to optimise your normal water intake with an added benefit of reaching a desired energy level. Similar to that of Microdrink, each of the collection’s three flavours – NERO, ORO & SHIRO – contain fruit and plant extracts, valuable vitamins, and the same convenient and considered packaging.
Microlyte: small in size, bold in performance. Containing electrolytes, vitamins and zinc, each Microlyte once again contains no sugar and zero caffeine, and is available in three flavours – blueberry, grapefruit and melon. Microlyte is no exception to any rules; it’s as functional as it is flavoursome, ready to recharge, replenish, and support you in performing at your best.
Furthermore to not drinking enough water, there are a number of other lifestyle factors that can trigger a spike in your blood sugar level. These can include:
- stress
- an illness, such as a cold
- a lack of exercise
- inadequate sleep
- excess carbohydrate intake
For waterdrop®, hydration is a simple thing: you drink water, and you continue doing so. A habit that yes, supports an individual’s journey to better hydration, but in the context of blood sugar, can be transformational. Water works hard for your body – it protects, transports, and energises, maximising many important bodily functions.
But when using digital tools such as the waterdrop® Hydration App or the Hello Sugar Program, as Marie-Luise Huber concludes, insight on a real-time basis “really shows how personal health actually is – and that there is no one size fits all.” Apps such as these visualise the implications of our habits, whilst provisioning a shift in thinking towards making positive changes today, with the intent of a healthier tomorrow.
Sources:
¹ www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/the-eatwell-guide/
² https://www.diabetes.co.uk/dehydration-and-diabetes.html
⁴ www.bbc.com/future/article/20210802-is-water-always-the-best-choice-on-a-hot-day
