--- title: Here's Why Sugar Makes You So Thirsty description: When sugar reaches your blood, water moves out of your cells and into blood to restore balance. That's why you feel thirsty after dessert. canonical: https://time.com/4927870/sugar-makes-you-thirsty/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-09-05T18:32:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:33:01.007Z article:section: Health og:title: Here's Why Sugar Makes You So Thirsty og:description: Just don't hydrate with a sugary drink og:url: https://time.com/4927870/sugar-makes-you-thirsty/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14f92536fc97780a/6988dc71bc6cfc24173e2f1b/sugar-thirst-reasons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3569 og:image:height: 2008 og:image:alt: Sprinkled doughnut with bite og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's Why Sugar Makes You So Thirsty twitter:description: Just don't hydrate with a sugary drink twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14f92536fc97780a/6988dc71bc6cfc24173e2f1b/sugar-thirst-reasons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's Why Sugar Makes You So Thirsty > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=469b88fe-3f30-469f-a4c2-d73735d75d1f&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Weekdays | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Written by TIME's health desk | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Health conscious and health connected. A broad health-conscious audience with a credible institutional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### TIME Health Matters: key statements * Health Matters is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Health Matters is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=469b88fe-3f30-469f-a4c2-d73735d75d1f&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/subscribe?i=469b88fe-3f30-469f-a4c2-d73735d75d1f&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's health newsletter? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health newsletter, written by TIME's health journalists. It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=469b88fe-3f30-469f-a4c2-d73735d75d1f&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Healthy Ways to Detox Your Body [Watch (HLS stream): Healthy Ways to Detox Your Body](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PrtRZEIk.m3u8) (3:03)  _Published 2017-08-22. Detoxing doesn’t require you to make extreme diet choices, since our bodies are made to flush out toxins on their own. Watch the video to learn how to detox your body the natural way._ by [Anthea Levi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Anthea Levi / Health.com Contributor Sep 5, 2017 6:32 PM UTC by [Anthea Levi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Anthea Levi / Health.com Contributor Sep 5, 2017 6:32 PM UTC You just polished off a bowl of mint chocolate chip, and suddenly you’re craving a drink. Sound familiar? Post-dessert thirst is a common reaction—but why is it that sweet treats make us feel so parched? Dr. Caroline Apovian, a professor in the endocrinology, diabetes and nutrition department at the Boston University School of Medicine, says that the reason has to do with a spike in your blood sugar levels. “When you put sugar in your system, it first goes to your [stomach](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20568290,00.html), and then into your bloodstream,” she says. Once the sugar particles reach your blood, water moves out of your cells and into your blood, to restore balance in your blood. As your cells lose water, they send signals to the brain indicating that they need more H2O. The result? You feel the urge to sip on something. “This \[chain of events\] happens pretty quickly,” sat Apovian. “Since glucose is absorbed by the [gut](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20909794,00.html) and into the bloodstream fairly fast, you might feel thirsty within 5 or 10 minutes.” (Any thirst you feel immediately after noshing is likely induced by the act of eating itself, she points out, and not a change in your blood sugar.) The best way to quench sugar-induced thirst is with a glass of H2O, says Apovian, even though you may be craving something sweeter, like juice, lemonade or hot cocoa. Having a [sugary beverage](http://www.health.com/food/sugary-drinks-bad-soda#fruit-juice-sugar-cranberry) on top of dessert won’t do you any good, she explains: “You’re not only confusing your [energy](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20784660,00.html) balance system by putting more sugar into your body, but also getting a load of empty calories.” The takeaway tip: Next time you treat yourself, you may want to chase your brownie or oatmeal cookies with a glass of water to help keep your body in balance. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4927870/sugar-makes-you-thirsty/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4927870/sugar-makes-you-thirsty/"},"headline":"Here's Why Sugar Makes You So Thirsty","datePublished":"2017-09-05T18:32:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-08T09:33:01.007Z","description":"But don't hydrate with a sugary drink","url":"https://time.com/4927870/sugar-makes-you-thirsty/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Food & Drink","Sugar","dessert"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14f92536fc97780a/6988dc71bc6cfc24173e2f1b/sugar-thirst-reasons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Anthea Levi / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14f92536fc97780a/6988dc71bc6cfc24173e2f1b/sugar-thirst-reasons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sprinkled doughnut with bite","caption":"Sprinkled doughnut with bite","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4927870/sugar-makes-you-thirsty/","name":"Here's Why Sugar Makes You So Thirsty"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Healthy Ways to Detox Your Body","description":"Detoxing doesn’t require you to make extreme diet choices, since our bodies are made to flush out toxins on their own. Watch the video to learn how to detox your body the natural way.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PrtRZEIk/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-08-22T19:48:59.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PrtRZEIk.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4927870/sugar-makes-you-thirsty/","duration":"PT3M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4927870/sugar-makes-you-thirsty/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```