Hi everyone, Just joined not too long ago. I’m in my early 30’s and 7 months as a Type 1. In the last 3 months I’ve been experiencing constant dizziness that I cannot explain. My doctor says it could be due to not drinking enough water, that I’m possibly dehydrated. I’ve since been trying to drink as much water as possible throughout the day, but still get dizzy. Has anyone ever had this problem? Maybe I’m not drinking enough water? My BG numbers are good, I’m still pretty new at this but doing good based on what my doctor tells me. I greatly appreciate any feedback.
Thanks Everyone.
Are your Bgs running low? Might make you feel off balance. Do you take any heart or blood pressure medicine? Low blood pressure will make you feel dizzy, too.
What are your average BGs? What are the BGs when you feel dizzy?
Welcome, Jerry! Nice name:)
I’ve gotten a light headed feeling when BG is low. Agree with Kathyann that it could be low blood pressure. Do you feel faint or dizzy when you stand up quickly? Blood pressure readings can be off at the doctor’s because anxiety can make BP higher.
Did your doctor check your ears?
@ kathyann, @S Woodward, No, I don’t take any BP med’s and the BG’s are normal, that was my first guess.
@ Gerri <–nice 
- Maybe, I didnt think of low blood pressure, I’ll have to keep my eye on that, I’ve lost a lot of weight since my diagnosis and been working out quite often.
Ears? interesting, why the Ears?
By the way everyone thanks for the quick responses and great feedback. I’m going to be happy here :).
Ear problems can cause dizziness & balance problems. Inner ear controls balance.
Does it feel like vertigo where the room is spinning around?
It does at times. mainly if I’m looking around, yes. Its funny because happens a lot where I’m pretty good at walking while dizzy. Definitely something I don’t care to master though ;). Great suggestion. I’ll definitely look into this.
Thanks,
If you are facing dehydration, it can be determined from your urine analysis. I don’t remember what secretion to look for but that is the best way to know.
dizziness could be because your body is adjusting to normal BS [i.e. 80-120 range] from your previous high BS. I am not sure what your A1c was when they first started treating your for D. Since you said that your BS look good i am assuming that they are now in the health range.
because ur BS were previously un regulated and now the normal range of BS appears as a Hypo to ur body. So ur constant dehydration could be be result of this. i would suggest drinking lot of electrolytes. Honestly even if you don’t drink i feel ur body will eventually adjust in a course of 6 months,
Thanks Chris that makes sense.
Vertigo can be caused by a number of things. The room really spins & can make you feel queasy. Sometimes it just goes away on its own without finding the reason. Mastering walking while dizzy is a skill. Don’t do this in front of the police:)
Don’t hesitate to call your doc if it continues.
One thing you have to make sure is that your numbers are whats right for you. Not the number that people or books say. I have a nurse that would say 90 is perfect shoot for that number. But I feel like crap when my blood is 90. Because my body isnt used to being that number. But also have your dr run all the test to rule out anything. And if he keeps saying the same thing go to a different dr just to make sure. I have been type 1 diabetic for 20 plus years. I had one dr say Im going to put you on kidney medicine. I said why you said they were fine. He said well just because. I said no your not. Send me to a specialist. The specialist said I didnt need anything like that. Always listen to your body. If you think something is wrong you are right there is. And Jerry you have a long ride. Just understand all the bumps and curves and learn from each one of them. Im still learning.
Dawn
when i was first diagnosed i had the same problem. i first noticed it driving when i would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was next to me changing lanes. then it got to the point where any head movement would set it off and i could no longer walk.
anyway, although it’s not common, it’s not unheard of. it does have to do with how your body readjusts with different blood sugars. unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about it, but it does go away on it’s own. my doc put me on diuretics which helped a little, but if you can still walk and drive, i wouldn’t go that far. i did do many exercises given to me by an ear/nose/throat doc to help my inner ear readjust- you might want to see one if your symptoms are very bothersome.
good luck!!!
powerade zero, in case u don’t know, has no sugar
Wow, Great info everyone thanks so much.
Do you get dizzy when you roll over in bed? I have had problems with veritigo for years. I actually have two problems. One is the constant dizziness or when rolling over or moving your head in certain ways. It’ s caused by calcium pieces floating in the fluid of your inner ear. There are exercises (head movements) that can be done to get these pieces lodged so they don’t cause the dizziness. I think this is very common and is an easy fix but a therapist will usually do these exercises. Don’t know if Diabetics are more prone to this.
The other is caused by too much salt. It actually causes SEVERE nausea and I can be vomiting for hours from dizziness. I was told I have to keep my salt intake way low. I find when I go on vacation this will hit. It makes sense, I’m eating out more.
I went in to the hospital for a bunch of tests to find this out. Good luck!
orthostatic hypotension. Actually, i had it due to dehydration, and NOT ENOUGH SALT ?? My chloride and sodium were on the low range of normal. At endo’s suggestion, I added a little salt to my diet, and have been fine since. The low salt added to the dehydration, not giving enough blood volume. It went on for months, and PCP didn’t pick up[ on the cause, in my case.
Orthostatic hypotension is another problem I have - forgot about this one!! It’s the sudden drop in blood pressure when you stand and results in a “head rush” when it drops too fast. Dehydration can be a cause and Diabetes. I’m on some meds that add to an already low blood pressure. It’s separate from my low salt issue. I just live with it. I’m just basically dizzzy all the time from one thing or another. The salt one is the one I hate because it results in horrible vomiting, sometimes for hours.
Is this “postural hypotension”? i.e. you feel faint or black out when you stand up, or especially when you go from say a crouching position to a standing position?
This is low blood pressure but a kind of situational low blood pressure, and can happen especially with dehydration. Also, if you are taking lisinopril/HCTZ or other bp medication, it can not only lower your blood pressure overall but also cause dehydration if you don’t up your water intake. Are you on bp medication like lisinopril/HCTZ? I’m not sure if in general ACE inhibitors cause the same issues because I think it’s the HCTZ in lisinopril/HCTZ that causes the dehydration.
ACE inhibitors also lower blood pressure overall. Any ACE or ARB inhibitors?
Exactly. I have been trying to drink more water so we’ll see if it helps. And yes I am taking lisinopril which I knew adds to the problem but didn’t know it would cause dehydration! Thanks! Don’t know the difference between postural and orthostatic.