How High Should My Blood Sugar Be After Eating

Fasting Blood Glucose Level Test Preparation

What should you do if your doctor orders a fasting blood sugar test? The preparation is the same as when you take a fasting test for cholesterol. First, be sure to find out if you need to schedule an appointment for your test . Ask your doctor what time is best to take it.

Then:

• Schedule your test if necessary
• Ask your doctor if you need to change any of the medications you take on the morning of the test
• If you normally drink coffee or have caffeine, ask your doctor if that is okay. It may not be, since it affects blood sugar levels
• Fast for at least 8 hours before your test. Usually, an overnight fast is most convenient
• You can drink water

Time Your Bolus Insulin Properly

For people who take rapid-acting insulin at mealtimes, the timing of the bolus can have a huge impact on after-meal blood glucose levels. Boluses given too late to match the entry of glucose from dietary carbohydrates into the bloodstream can produce significant blood glucose spikes soon after eating. A properly timed bolus, on the other hand, can result in excellent after-meal control.

Unless you have gastroparesis , it is best to give bolus insulin doses before eating. How long before? It depends mainly on what you are eating and on your pre-meal blood glucose level.

Figuring out the pre-meal blood glucose part is fairly straightforward: the higher your blood glucose, the earlier the bolus should be given. If your pre-meal blood glucose is well above your target, it is best to give the bolus and then wait at least 30 minutes before eating. Near your target blood glucose? Wait 15 minutes. Below target? Either take the bolus and eat right away, or take the bolus after eating to manage high blood glucose.;

Does earlier bolusing make a difference? Absolutely. Research has shown that simply giving mealtime boluses before eating rather than after eating can reduce the post-meal spike by about 45 mg/dl.

Why Does Blood Sugar Go Up At Night

There are many factors that can cause your blood sugar to increase at night. For example: what food you ate during the day, how much and when you exercised, whether you ate snacks before bed, the timing of your insulin doses, and your stress level. You can experience different patterns of high blood sugar at night. You may start with high glucose when you go to bed, start the night in range but go high several hours later, or spend most of the night in range until the hours just before you wake up. By identifying your bodys patterns, you can figure out what is causing your high blood sugar and how to address it.

Common causes of a glucose increase at night include:

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How To Control Blood Sugar Level:

Maintaining blood sugar is very important in order to live a healthy and disease-free life. For diabetes patients, the doctrine of the three Ds is the best possible method to keep blood glucose under check. These three Ds are Dose, Diet and Discipline.

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How Food Affects Blood Sugar

When you eat food, your body breaks it down into essential parts:

• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Vitamins and minerals

All parts are necessary in a healthy diet, but the three types of carbohydrates are particularly important when it comes to your blood glucose level. While the general rule is that the more carbohydrates you eat, the higher your blood sugar level, not all three types of carbohydrates convert to blood sugar at the same rate.;

The foods that fit into each carb category include:

• Starches, or complex carbohydrates: Starchy vegetables, dried beans, and grains
• Sugars: Fruits, baked goods, beverages, and processed food items like cereals or granola bars
• Fiber: Whole wheat products, chickpeas, lentils, berries, pears, and brussels sprouts

The glycemic index helps you find out which foods can increase or help decrease blood sugar levels. Based on a scale ranging from 0 to 100, high-indexed foods are rapidly digested, absorbed, and metabolized, resulting in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels, while low-indexed foods produce smaller fluctuations in your blood glucose.;

The American Diabetes Association advises adding lean sources of protein and heart-healthy fats to help reduce the overall glycemic impact of a meal or snack.

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What Is The Normal Blood Sugar Level

Blood sugar level means the amount of glucose dissolved in the blood at any given time. It is an important indicator which shows the bodys overall metabolic condition. The normal range of blood sugar is from 3.5 mmol/L to 6.1 mmol/L during fasting and less than 7 mmol/L after having a meal.

If your blood sugar is higher than the normal range, it could be a sign of Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes is the name of the condition where the body cannot properly process and absorb the glucose taken during eating, causing it to remain in the bloodstream. This can lead to many serious complications like nerve damage and loss of vision.

Do Not Become Discouraged

Remember type 2 diabetes is a journey and a learning process. It is not a destination or a death sentence. For some individuals diabetes has been reversed, for others it stops in its tracks.;

Every blood glucose reading is just another piece of data that you can use as helpful information in solving the puzzle of your condition. Remember, you arent in this alone! ;There are all kinds of resources and support available for you, this site being one of them.

Knowing your blood sugar levels is extremely important. Download our blood sugar charts to help eliminate any confusion. They contain both mg/dl and mmol/l, along with appropriate A1C levels.

Its a great resource to have on hand, plus there are some tips on how to deal with high readings.

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Should You Skip A Meal If Your Blood Glucose Is High

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High blood glucose levels can damage the small arteries and nerves in your eyes, kidneys, heart, brain and feet over time. If you have diabetes, high blood sugar is defined as higher than 130 mg/dL when fasting and above 180 mg/dL two hours after eating, unless your doctor has specified a different target for you. Managing your blood glucose levels closely is the key to healthy living with diabetes.

Tip

If your blood glucose levels are high, don’t skip a meal; rather, try to understand the causes behind your high reading and do some damage control by eating healthy and exercising.

Fasting Plasma Glucose Test

A fasting plasma glucose test is taken after at least eight hours of fasting and is therefore usually taken in the morning.

The NICE guidelines regard a fasting plasma glucose result of 5.5 to 6.9 mmol/l as putting someone at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly when accompanied by other risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

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How Do You Maintain Your Vaginas Health

We have compiled a list of things that you can do to manage your vaginal health:

• Replace junk and sugar-fat laden diet with foods rich in antioxidants and immune boosters. Vegetables such as celery, garlic and fruits such as berries, oranges and avocados are good for your vaginal health.

• Eat fruits and vegetables because they have natural sugars in them. Natural sugars are great in modest proportions and packed with high amounts of fiber.;;

• Get out of your gym wear and swim wear immediately after you have completed your session. Excessive sweating, moisture and warm environments provide the best breeding conditions for both bacteria and yeasts.

• Avoid using soaps, shampoos and washes down there. Not only do they rip your vagina out of its pH balance but also makes it dry.

• Unprotected sex or multiple sex partners can also make you prone to vaginal candida infections and BV, due to the pH of semen being alkilined, meaning it has a pH of 7 and can disrupt your vaginas pH.;

• Adding probiotics to your daily diet can help you increase the good bacteria and immunity.

• Avoid douching at all costs. Douching can wipe out both good and bad bacteria from your vagina. It increases the risks of recurring BV and recurring vaginal yeast infections too.

• Wearing tight pants, or underwear made of silk or satin also exacerbates the infections. Wear cotton underwear instead, they are light, breathable and airy. Let your vagina breathe!

Can Too Much Sugar Cause Other Vaginal Infections

Yes, eating too much sugar can increase the chances of you contracting sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea. Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STD among women of reproductive age. Gonorrhea on the other hand, affects both men and women. It can affect your genitals, rectum and throat too.;

Just how one thing leads to another if these STIs go untreated for a long period of time, they can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease or PID. It is an infection in womans reproductive organs often characterized by pain in abdomen, pain while having sex and fever etc.

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High Blood Sugar Treatment

• Medication change: High blood sugars may be a sign that the person with diabetes needs to take medication, to change medications, or to change the way it is given .
• Other illness: Other illnesses need to be diagnosed and treated if an illness is causing high blood sugar levels. Infection or illness may need to be treated in the hospital, where health professionals can adjust the plan of care.
• Other Medications: A number of medications are available to help control blood sugar levels for people with type 2 diabetes. Insulin is also prescribed for people with diabetes .

Blood Sugar Levels After Eating Sweets And Other High Carb Foods

Diabetes is a condition in which levels of glucose in the blood are too high. In many cases, the condition requires treatment with medications and regular monitoring, both by a healthcare provider and at home. Although high blood sugar is associated with the condition, spikes in blood sugar levels after eating certain types of foods can still occur. Understanding what types of foods is more likely to cause this and what to do if high blood sugar levels occur after eating will make it easier to understand how additional sugar affects the condition.

All people experience increases in blood sugar after eating large meals or certain types of food, whether or not they have diabetes. Even people with regularly normal blood sugar levels can experience a rise in blood glucose levels after eating, with them gradually returning to normal over time . In fact, this phenomenon is so predictable, that variants of the process are used for diagnostics purposes and monitoring efforts as well.

In people who have diabetes, the blood sugar levels high value of 120-140 mg / dL is replaced with 180 mg/dL at just one hour after eating. On the whole, people with diabetes will experience elevated levels of blood sugar after eating that take a longer time to return to normal. While a person without the condition may have perfectly balanced blood glucose two hours post meal, someone with diabetes will take twice that long to get closer to their baseline.

References:

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Stick To Your Medication And Insulin Regimen

Skipping a dose of medication or insulin can be harmful to your body and increase your blood sugar levels.

Its important to stick to your treatment plan and follow your doctors instructions for taking your medication.

Summary

Healthful lifestyle habits can help people manage their blood sugar levels over the long term, such as eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, staying hydrated, and getting good sleep.

What Is The A1c Test

The A1C test; is a simple blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 2 or 3 months. The test is done at a lab or your doctors office in addition tonot instead ofregular blood sugar testing you do yourself.

A1C testing is part of the ABCs of diabetesimportant steps you can take to prevent or delay health complications down the road:

• A: Get a regular A1C test.
• B: Try to keep your blood pressure;below 140/90 mm Hg .
• C: Manage your cholesterol;levels.
• s: Stop smoking;or dont start.

The A1C goal for most adults with diabetes is between 7% and 8%, but your goal may be different depending on your age, other health conditions, medicines youre taking, and other factors. Work with your doctor to establish a personal A1C goal for you.

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Learn More About Blood Glucose Management>>

The reason blood glucose tends to spike after eating in many people with diabetes is a simple matter of timing. In a person who doesnt have diabetes, eating foods containing carbohydrate causes two important reactions in the pancreas: the immediate release of insulin into the bloodstream, and the release of a hormone called amylin. The insulin starts working almost immediately and finishes its job in a matter of minutes. The amylin keeps food from reaching the small intestine too quickly . As a result, the moment blood glucose starts to rise, insulin is there to sweep the incoming glucose into the bodys cells. In most cases, the after-meal blood glucose rise is barely noticeable.

However, in people with diabetes, the situation is like that of a batter with very slow reflexes facing a pitcher who throws 98-mph fastballs: The timing is all fouled up. Rapid-acting insulin that is injected at mealtimes takes approximately 15 minutes to start working, 6090 minutes to peak, or reach maximum effectiveness, and four hours or more to finish working. Meanwhile, amylin is either produced in insufficient amounts or not at all, so the movement of food from the stomach to the intestines is not slowed the way it should be. As a result, food digests even faster than usual. This combination of slower insulin and faster food can cause the blood glucose level to rise quite high soon after eating. Once the mealtime insulin finally kicks in, the high is followed by a sharp drop.

Blood Sugar Levels During Pregnancy

The NIDDK states that gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that occurs during pregnancy if you were not diabetic before getting pregnant. Healthy blood sugar during pregnancy can help lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes later. It can also lower the risk of your baby being born prematurely, at a high birth weight, and having respiratory problems.

Blood sugar and insulin levels during the first trimester of pregnancy tend to be lower than usual, but they rise during the late second and early third trimesters. You can be diagnosed with an oral glucose tolerance test .;

These are the steps for the 2-step strategy.

• Drink a solution with 50 grams of glucose about the amount in 1 16-oz. bottle of a soft drink
• Get your blood drawn after 1 hour. IF the value is high, retest
• Fast overnight
• Drink a solution with 100 grams of glucose about the amount in 12 peanut butter cups
• Get your blood drawn immediately and after 1, 2, and 3 hours

Or, your doctor might use the 1-step strategy with a 2-hour OGTT:

• Fast overnight
• Drink a solution with 75 grams of glucose
• Get your blood drawn immediately and after 1 and 2 hours

These are some values to know from NIDKK related to gestational diabetes and healthy blood sugar in pregnancy.

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Know Your Blood Sugar

Blood sugar is the amount of sugar in your blood at a given time. It’s important to check your blood sugar level, because it will:

• determine if you have a high or low blood sugar level at a given time
• show you how your lifestyle and medication affect your blood sugar levels
• help you and your diabetes health-care team make lifestyle and medication changes to improve your blood sugar levels

When To Go To The Er

High blood sugar can be very concerning because your body can start burning fat for energy instead of blood glucose.

This can cause conditions such as DKA and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome . These conditions are medical emergencies and can be fatal if left untreated.

DKA is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes. Its rare in people with type 2 diabetes, but can occur.

Symptoms that can indicate you should go to the emergency room include:

• ketones in your urine, as diagnosed using a urine dipstick test
• confusion
• stomach pain
• vomiting

High blood sugar levels can cause a fluid imbalance in the body and can cause the blood to become acidic in a manner that doesnt support life.

Medical treatments for these conditions include administering intravenous insulin on a continuous basis and IV fluids to correct dehydration.

Summary

High blood sugar can become a medical emergency. Go to the ER if you suspect DKA or HHS.

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