Can Low Blood Sugar Affect Your Blood Pressure

You Must Stabilize Your Blood Pressure

Without properly balanced cholesterol and blood-sugar levels, your heart valves become restricted with plaque buildup, and that leads to a damaged and unhealthy heart. All this combined begins to affect other parts of your body and internal organs because they are starved of needed oxygen and blood that is pumped to them by your heart. After years of unhealthy eating, unbalanced cholesterol and blood-sugar levels all over the place, your overall heart health begins to deteriorate. In worse cases, not protecting your heart health can lead to major damage resulting in the need for heart surgery or a heart transplant. In the worst case, deteriorated hearth health can lead to death.

And it gets worse with each passing year, not only making it harder to avoid heart disease but actually causing you to GET A HEART ATTACK OR STROKEâno matter how hard you try to avoid it.

How To Avoid Added Sugars And Improve Your Blood Pressure

Avoiding added sugars is the key to limiting sugar intake in your diet. Dietary guidelines from the American Heart Association recommend that for men, 36 grams of added sugar is the daily maximum and for women, 25 grams is the daily maximum. Less is always better though, so aim to consume as little added sugar as possible. Knowing where added sugars are hiding is important for making the best food choices for a low-sugar diet. Follow these tips for cutting down on the amount of added sugar in your diet.

Diabetes And High Blood Pressure Risks

The condition occurs in as many as two-thirds of people with diabetes and places these individuals at twice the risk of heart disease than a person only dealing with high blood pressure.

Theres no doubt that diabetes and high blood pressure are a dangerous duo, said Betul Hatipoglu, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Theyre both very common and are linked by obesity, which is also very common. Nearly half of all people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have high blood pressure at the time of their diagnosis.

You May Like: How Much Sugar Is In Vanilla Ice Cream

I Eat Almost No Carbs And My Blood Sugar Is Still High Charlottes Story

Stop Guessing

Join the Masterclass to Take Immediate Control of Your Diabetes Health

Start feeling better, gain energy, lose weight, and reduce your medication costs quickly

Meet Charlotte Faith.

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 14, Charlotte weighed only 83 pounds.

Even though she ate large amounts of food, she found herself ravenously hungry and began gaining weight rapidly. Only 1.5 years following her diagnosis, Charlotte gained about 70 pounds, weighing over 150 pounds.

Soon after, Charlotte embarked on a journey to lose weight and fully control type 1 diabetes, which involved eliminating heavily processed foods and eating a low-carbohydrate paleo diet.

In combination with moderate exercise, Charlotte began losing weight. As a paleo food blogger, she made sugar-free, low carb treats to satisfy her cravings for carbohydrate-rich food and was able to lose about 32 pounds.

Charlotte limited her carbohydrate intake to no more than 50 grams per day, yet still experienced high blood glucose values after eating a banana or half a sweet potato.

She often complained to herself: I eat almost no carbs and my blood sugar is still high! How is this possible?

In addition, Charlotte developed hypothyroidism and lost her period for 7 years.

Overdose Of Diabetes Medication

A common cause of hypoglycaemia is taking too much insulin for your current needs. Insulin is a medication that helps control your blood glucose levels. It’s commonly used to treat type 1 diabetes and is also recommended for some people with type 2 diabetes.

A fall in blood glucose levels can also occur after taking too much oral hypoglycaemia medication, such as sulphonylurea, which causes a release of insulin. This medication is often used to lower blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

Read Also: What Happens When Blood Sugar Gets Too Low

Is Sugar Spiking Your Blood Pressure

New experimental and epidemiological evidence suggests that sugar may be the real culprit. There was a review published in the journal Open Heart. The researchers singled-out added sweeteners and sugars, and the monosaccharide fructose in particular, as a more severe risk factor than salt for hypertension and heart disease. Fructose and high-fructose corn syrup are common sweeteners in processed foods, especially with fruit juices and sodas.

How do fructose sugars raise blood pressure? They lower fat sensitivity to insulin, which would stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. As a result, abnormally high insulin in the blood could lead to hypertension. Increased levels of methylglyoxal, and reduced ATP , may also result in high blood pressure. Overall, there is a strong link between diabetics and a high risk of high blood pressure. Insulin resistance is prevalent in as much as 80% of people with hypertension.

Fructose is a powerful sugar. If you consume more than 74 grams daily, you can expect a 77% increased risk of severe hypertension160/100 mm Hg . High blood pressure is considered anything above 140/90 mm Hg.

The analysis also suggested that high-fructose processed foods are the problem when it comes to hypertension and heart disease risk. Natural sugars in vegetables and fruits are not considered harmful.

Symptoms Of Low Blood Sugar

How you react to low blood sugar may not be the same as how someone else with low blood sugar reacts. Its important to know your signs. Common symptoms may include:

• Fast heartbeat
• Hunger

If youve had low blood sugar without feeling or noticing symptoms , you may need to check your blood sugar more often to see if its low and treat it. Driving with low blood sugar can be dangerous, so be sure to check your blood sugar before you get behind the wheel.

You may not have any symptoms when your blood sugar is low . If you dont have symptoms, it will be harder to treat your low blood sugar early. This increases your risk of having severe lows and can be dangerous. This is more likely to happen if you:

• Have had diabetes for more than 5-10 years.
• Frequently have low blood sugar.
• Take certain medicines, such as beta blockers for high blood pressure.

If you meet one or more of the above and you have hypoglycemia unawareness, you may need to check your blood sugar more often to see if its low. This is very important to do before driving or being physically active.

You May Like: What Is The Healthiest Sugar Substitute

What Other Medications Can Accidentally Cause Low Blood Pressure

There are a variety of other medications that can unintentionally cause your blood pressure to drop, including cardiovascular drugs, diuretics, and beta blockers that are used to treat high blood pressure. Drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction can also result in low blood pressure, as can certain antidepressants, as well as medications prescribed for Parkinsons disease.

Sugar Increases The Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease

A diet high in added sugars increases your risk of dying from heart disease. A large study of added sugar and heart disease was conducted. People who consumed 25% or more of their daily calories as sugar, were 2 times as likely to die from heart disease than people who consumed less than 10%. The odds of people dying from heart disease rose together with the amount of sugar consumed in the diet.

The researchers also took a look at people who consumed high amounts of sugar but also received the proper number of nutrients in their diet. They concluded people who ate more sugar regardless of the other factors, still had higher cardiovascular mortality .

Read Also: How To Stop My Sugar Addiction

Checking For Low Blood Sugar Levels

The warning signs of hypoglycemia are the body’s natural response to low blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels fall too low, the body releases the hormone adrenaline, which helps get stored glucose into the bloodstream quickly. This can make someone:

• pale
• start shaking
• have an increased heart rate

If the hypoglycemia isn’t treated, more serious symptoms may happen, such as drowsiness, confusion, seizures, and loss of consciousness.

The only way to know for sure if you’re having a low blood sugar level is to test. Blood sugar levels can be tested with a . This computerized device measures and displays the amount of glucose in a blood sample. But if you can’t quickly check your blood sugar level, it’s important to treat yourself for hypoglycemia immediately to prevent symptoms from getting worse.

Sometimes a person with diabetes may have symptoms of low blood sugar levels, but blood sugar levels are not actually low. This is a called a false reaction. The hormone adrenaline is not just released when blood sugar drops too low it’s also released when blood sugar levels fall quickly when they’re too high. If you’re having a false reaction, you might actually have blood sugar levels in a healthy range but feel as if you have low blood sugar. Testing blood sugar levels before treating yourself for hypoglycemia can help you figure out if you’re having a false reaction.

page 3

What Are The Symptoms Of Hypoglycemia

Symptoms of hypoglycemia can start quickly, with people experiencing them in different ways. The signs of hypoglycemia are unpleasant. But they provide good warnings that you should take action before blood sugar drops more. The signs include:

• Shaking or trembling.

• Tingling or numbness in the face or mouth.

During a severe hypoglycemic event, a person may:

• Be unable to eat or drink.
• Have a seizure or convulsions .
• Lose consciousness.
• Slip into a coma or die .

Also Check: Is There Sugar In Pedialyte

Make Good Choices At Restaurants

Limiting sugar in your diet doesnt mean you always need to avoid restaurants you just have to be prepared with strategies for avoiding the main sugar sources in restaurants. When ordering anything, ask if its possible to serve with the sauce or dressing on the side and use sparingly.

Many sauces even if theyre homemade are filled with added sugar. For example, just a couple of tablespoons of barbeque sauce may contain 10 or even 15 grams of sugar! Additionally, go easy on condiments like ketchup, which usually contains several grams of sugar per tablespoon.

Tips To Prevent Blood Sugar From Dropping At Night

Sulay Shah, M.D. contributes to topics such as Diabetes.

Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar or low blood glucose, occurs when blood glucose levels drop below normalwhich is typically below a level of 70 milligrams per deciliter . With levels more commonly dipping at nighttime, otherwise referred to as nighttime hypoglycemia, this condition affects mostly patients with diabetes.

Also Check: Can Sugar Make Your Joints Hurt

People With Diabetes And High Blood Pressure Are More At Risk Of Having A Heart Attack Or Stroke So It’s Important To Know How To Look After Your Blood Pressure

If you have diabetes, you need your blood pressure checked by a healthcare professional at least once a year. This check is part of your annual review.

If your blood pressure is high , youll need treatment to bring it down. This is because it puts a strain on your blood vessels and can damage them. This can make it harder for blood to flow around the body and reach all the vital areas it needs to, like your heart. And youre more at risk of having a heart attack or stroke. It also puts you more at risk of developing all types of diabetes complications, like serious problems with your feet, your eyes and your kidneys.

Theres lots to help manage your blood pressure because your lifestyle has a direct impact. But lots of people also need to take medication to treat high blood pressure and reduce the risk complications.

Its really important to know that you might have high blood pressure and feel fine, because there arent usually any symptoms. But even if you feel healthy, high blood pressure is damaging your blood vessels and you need to get treatment. Thats why you should never miss a blood pressure check its a free test and takes two minutes.

If A Person Is Unconscious

If a person loses consciousness because of severe hypoglycaemia, they need to be put into the recovery position and given an injection of the hormone glucagon . The injection will raise their blood glucose level.

The injection should be carried out by a friend or family member who knows what they’re doing, or by a trained healthcare professional.

You should dial 999 to request an ambulance if:

• a glucagon injection kit isn’t available
• there’s nobody available who’s trained to give the injection
• the injection is ineffective after 10 minutes

Never try to put food or drink into the mouth of someone who’s unconscious as they could choke.

If you’re able to give a glucagon injection and the person regains consciousness, they should eat some longer-acting carbohydrate food, such as a few biscuits, a cereal bar or a sandwich.

You should continue to monitor the person for signs of recurring symptoms in case they need to be treated again.

Recommended Reading: How Much Sugar In Chobani Greek Yogurt

What Are The Signs Of Hypoglycemia

An individual may frequently wake up in the middle of the night as a result of nighttime hypoglycemia. In other instances, though, people may know if they experienced hypoglycemia during their sleep if they notice the following symptoms:

• Waking up with a headache
• Waking up in a sweat
• Getting unusual feelings of tiredness throughout the day
• Experiencing anxiety or heart palpitations
• Feeling confused, dizzy or weak

Exercise Food And Alcohol

For people with type 1 diabetes, maintaining the correct blood glucose level involves balancing how much insulin you inject, the amount of food you eat, and how much energy you burn during exercise.

Hypoglycaemia may occur if you’ve taken your dose of insulin as usual, but your carbohydrate intake is lower than normal or has been used up more quickly. This may happen if you delay or miss a meal or snack, don’t eat enough carbohydrate, or exercise more than usual.

People with diabetes who’ve drunk too much alcohol, or drank alcohol on an empty stomach, can also get hypoglycaemia.

However, it’s not always possible to identify why a particular episode of hypoglycaemia has occurred, and sometimes it happens for no obvious reason.

Also Check: Does Low Blood Sugar Make You Nauseous

Not Everyone May Be Able To Achieve Remission But People Who Are Younger Male Have Had Type 2 Diabetes For Less Than Six Years And Lose More Weight Are More Likely To Be Successful

Until recently, type 2 diabetes has mainly been managed by controlling risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels usually by prescribing drugs. But this approach doesnt address the underlying causes of type 2 diabetes such as problems with the hormone insulin no longer effectively controlling blood sugar.

While taking drugs can help to manage blood sugar levels, it wont help unpick the biological causes behind type 2 diabetes. A growing body of research shows that losing weight, either through surgery or dieting, can help address some of the underlying causes of type 2 diabetes. It does this by helping the body control blood sugar levels. This is significant as controlling blood sugar by improving how insulin is made and works is key to bringing type 2 diabetes into remission.

Our review found that meal-replacement diets helped around one in three people successfully achieve remission, while low carbohydrate diets were able to help around one in five people achieve remission. People who lost weight using both of these diets were able to stay in remission for up to two years if they maintained their weight loss. Low calorie and Mediterranean diets were also able to help people achieve remission but at much lower rates. Only around 5% of people on low-calorie diets stayed in remission after one year, while only 15% of people on a Mediterranean diet stayed in remission after a year.

How Long Is Medication Needed For

In most cases, medication is needed for life. However, in some people whose blood pressure has been well controlled for a period of time, medication may be able to be stopped. In particular, in people who have made significant changes to their lifestyle . Your doctor will be able to advise you if you can reduce any of your medication.

Also Check: What Do You Do For High Blood Sugar

How To Treat A Low Blood Sugar Level Yourself

Follow these steps if your blood sugar level is less than 4mmol/L or you have hypo symptoms:

You do not usually need to get medical help once you’re feeling better if you only have a few hypos.

But tell your diabetes team if you keep having hypos or if you stop having symptoms when your blood sugar level is low.

Higher Fasting Glucose On Ketogenic Diets: Reason To Worry

The vast majority of people who adopt a low carb or ketogenic diet experience stunning improvements in blood glucose control and insulin levels. Carbohydrate restriction is so effective for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, in fact, that researchers have said it should be the default treatment for these issues, and those who follow it are typically able to reduce or eliminate many medications, including insulin. However, individual variability being what it is, a small percentage of patients see a rise in fasting blood glucose after some length of time on a very low carb diet. Considering that elevated fasting glucose is part of the diagnostic criteria for both type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, is this seemingly paradoxical rise a reason for concern?

As is true for so much of functional medicine, its all about context. A fasting blood glucose thats higher than one would typically expect in someone adhering long-term to a very low carb diet doesnt automatically indicate anything nefarious. There are many reasons why FBG might be elevated, and many ways to assess metabolic health and glucoregulation beyond just this one measurement.

Dawn Phenomenon

Fasting Glucose Limited and Misleading!

HOMA-IR

Fasting glucose and A1c are both measurements solely of blood glucose. However,

Heres how HOMA-IR is calculated:

Read Also: Where To Buy Sugar Free Chocolate