Frequent urination, with an abnormally large amount of urine, is often an early symptom of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as the body tries to rid itself of unused glucose through the urine. “Excess sugar builds up in the blood and kidneys are forced to filter and absorb the excess sugar. If they can’t keep up, that excess sugar will be excreted into the urine,” says Dr Nandi. “This causes fluids to be taken from your tissues, and because of this, frequent urination happens, which can cause dehydration.” And, dehydration can lead to serious medical issues resulting in hospitalisation, he explains.
And, as a side note, because excessive thirst is linked to diabetes, and you’re becoming dehydrated from weeing too much, you’ll be drinking more, and then weeing more, over and over, explains Dr Nandi. A helpful tip for managing fluid intake is to “drink enough to prevent constipation and over-concentration of urine, but avoid drinking just before bedtime, which can lead to night-time urination.”