Blood Sugar Spikes In The Evening
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Blood sugar spikes are unwelcome any time of day. Spikes after dinner, the largest meal of the day for many people, can make it difficult to do anything but sit on the couch watching TV or fall into bed. Take control of your post-dinner blood sugar by monitoring it closely, adjusting your medications, eating the right foods and getting enough exercise. Discuss your blood sugar control with your doctor before making medication, dietary and lifestyle changes.
Tips To Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes
There are people with diabetes who experience post-prandial spikes. It means their blood sugar level temporarily rises after meals. When the post-prandial sugar levels are too high, it can cause serious health problems. Therefore, it is important to keep your sugar levels in control. Here are some tips that help you to prevent blood sugar spikes:
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Normal Blood Sugar 30 Minutes After Eating
Blood sugar is a very familiar term these days. With a huge amount of individuals suffering from diabetes, trying to maintain a healthy level of sugar in the blood has become one of the daily challenges many of us face. As a matter of fact, checking the normal blood sugar 30;minutes after eating is a key indicator for getting an idea of the state of diabetes and overall health.
In this article, well go over the normal blood sugar, how to check it, what is the normal blood sugar after meals and how to control it.
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Treatment Of The High Pp Blood Glucose Levels
In addition to the several tips mentioned above for sugar spike control, you should not ignore visiting a doctor. The doctor prescribes you suitable diabetes control medicines. These help in controlling your blood sugar levels. If your diabetes is beyond medicinal control, insulin therapy is suggested. In insulin therapy, insulin is injected into your body to replicate the function of natural insulin. This is the extreme treatment for diabetes control.
Sprinkle Cinnamon On Your Food
According to Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN in a interview with Reboot With Joe, cinnamon can help balance blood sugar levels, so sprinkling it on a dish can help with the metabolic process and prevent spikes. Cinnamon tastes great on a little of foods, such as Greek yogurt, chicken, and apples, as well as many other delicious options.
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How Can I Treat High Blood Sugar
Talk to your doctor about how to keep your blood sugar levels within your target range. Your doctor may suggest the following:
- Be more active. Regular exercise can help keep your blood sugar levels on track. Important: dont exercise if ketones are present in your urine. This can make your blood sugar go even higher.
- Take medicine as instructed. If your blood sugar is often high, your doctor may change how much medicine you take or when you take it.
- Follow your diabetes meal plan. Ask your doctor or dietitian for help if youre having trouble sticking to it.
- Check your blood sugar as directed by your doctor. Check more often if youre sick or if youre concerned about high or low blood sugar.
- Talk to your doctor about adjusting how much insulin you take and what types of insulin to use.
Have Collagen With Meals
“If you’re eating a light meal with little to no protein, try drinking a cup of bone broth or mixing a drinkable collagen formula into a cup of tea or coffee post-meal,” says Nutritional Advisor and VP of Product Strategy Corey Friese with Vital Proteins over email with me. “The high levels of glycine will promote the conversion of glucose into energy,” Friese adds, which can stabilize levels.
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Surprising Things That Can Spike Your Blood Sugar
When you first found out you had diabetes, you tested your blood sugar often to understand how food, activity, stress, and illness could affect your blood sugar levels. By now, youve got it figured out for the most part. But thenbam! Something makes your blood sugar zoom up. You try to adjust it with food or activity or insulin, and it dips really low. Youre on a rollercoaster no one with diabetes wants to ride.
Do you know all of these blood sugar triggers?
Knowledge is power! Look out for these surprising triggers that can send your blood sugar soaring:
Be Cautious With Carbohydrates
While it’s important to eat complex carbohydrates for energy and fuel, carbohydrates are more readily digested and can elevate blood sugar levels and potentially lead to a surge, said endocrinologist Joseph Aloi, MD in an interview with Everyday Health. Be mindful of portion sizes and pair with protein for a slower digestion. “Use fruit as your carb choice to balance blood sugar,” says holistic health coach and personal trainer Jen Bruno with J.B. Fitness and Nutrition, to Bustle over email.
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Choose The Right Insulin
The right insulin program can make or break your ability to control after-meal spikes. In general, insulins and other medicines that work quickly and for a short time will work better than those that work slowly over a prolonged period.
For instance, rapid-acting insulin analogs , which start working 1015 minutes after injection and peak in about an hour, will cover the after-meal blood glucose rises much better than Regular insulin, which takes 30 minutes to begin working and 23 hours to peak.
Newer ultra-rapid insulins, such as Fiasp , works even faster, with an onset and peak occurring 810 minutes earlier than traditional rapid-acting insulins.
The way insulin is administered can dramatically affect its speed of action. Afrezza is an inhaled insulin formulation that can be used at mealtimes. Because the dry powder is absorbed through the lungs , its onset and peak are much earlier than injected insulin .
Research has also shown that injected insulin can work much faster when the injection site is warmed. This can be accomplished by rubbing the site, immersing in warm water or exercising the muscle near the site. Warming the site causes the blood vessels near the skin to dilate, which allows the insulin to absorb more quickly. By the way, smoking causes the blood vessels to constrict, so quitting smoking might improve your post-meal blood sugar .
How Can I Treat Low Blood Sugar
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.
Carry supplies for treating low blood sugar with you. If you feel shaky, sweaty, or very hungry or have other symptoms, check your blood sugar. Even if you dont have symptoms but think you may have low blood sugar, check it. If your blood sugar is lower than 70 mg/dL, do one of the following immediately:
- Take four glucose tablets.
- Drink four ounces of fruit juice.
- Drink four ounces of regular soda, not diet soda.
- Eat four pieces of hard candy.
Wait for 15 minutes and then check your blood sugar again. Do one of the above treatments again until your blood sugar is 70 mg/dL or above and eat a snack if your next meal is an hour or more away. If you have problems with low blood sugar, ask your doctor if your treatment plan needs to be changed.
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High Blood Sugar After Meals And What To Do About It
I will admit to having a bit of a diabetes crush on Gary Scheiner, MS, CDE, Type 1, and founder of Integrated Diabetes Services, LLC.;And you know what? Im not the only one.;
I recently saw Gary give a talk called Strike the Spike at the American Association of Diabetes Educators 2013 conference to a room packed with diabetes educators. The point was to help CDEs understand why managing/avoiding post-meal blood glucose spikes is important and to learn new techniques for how to do so.;
I was there because I am constantly struggling with post-meal spikes. I appear to digest food quickly and absorb insulin slowly thats why Im on Symlin, which helps slow down the emptying of my stomach so Ive got some chance of having my insulin start working by the time my food makes it to my blood. But I wanted to hear what other tips Gary might have, and what the responses might be.;
Gary started with a seemingly simple question: why should anyone care about post-prandial spikes? At first this question made me furrow my brow I cant imagine that anyone;wouldnt care about post-meal blood glucose spikes but I guess that in some cases, health care providers stress the A1c average more than they do the swings in between. Anyway, the audience slowly warmed up, and reasons started pouring in, mostly having to do with complications. Gary nodded along, affirming each one.;
I mean, think about it. As he pointed out, having high blood sugar:;
So whats a diabetic to do?
The Bottom Line: Take A Whole
No single food, supplement, or workout session is going to be the magic bullet. To maintain a healthy blood sugar level , start eating a minimally processed diet that contains fiber, protein, healthy fats, and high-quality carbohydrates; get regular exercise; make sure you’re hydrated and well-rested; play around with meal composition; and experiment with research-backed superfoods and supplements.
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.
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Whats A Spike And Why Do They Happen
After-meal, or postprandial, spikes are temporary high blood glucose levels that occur soon after eating. It is normal for the level of glucose in the blood to rise a small amount after eating, even in people who do not have diabetes. However, if the rise is too high, it can affect your quality of life today and contribute to serious health problems down the road.
Why You Should Keep An Eye On It
When your blood sugar is high, you can get symptoms like a foggy-headed feeling that makes it hard to focus or think clearly. Your energy may also take a dive, and you may feel nervous or moody.
If your levels go too low, you could even pass out. In the long run, if your blood sugar stays up, you could be at risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, or other problems.
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What Causes Low Blood Sugar
Low blood sugar has many causes, including missing a meal, taking too much insulin, taking other diabetes medicines, exercising more than normal, and drinking alcohol. Blood sugar below 70 mg/dL is considered low.
Signs of low blood sugar are different for everyone. Common symptoms include:
- Shaking.
- Dizziness.
- Hunger.
Know what your individual symptoms are so you can catch low blood sugar early and treat it. If you think you may have low blood sugar, check it even if you dont have symptoms.;Low blood sugar can be dangerous and should be treated as soon as possible.
How Much Does Blood Sugar Increase After Eating
At this time the blood sugar level can reach 7.8 mmol/L in a healthy individual.
After the half-hour mark, the blood glucose level starts to fall as the sugar is absorbed from the blood into the cells of the body.
Its important to check your normal blood sugar level 1 hour after eating. For example, if you find that your blood sugar is 160 mg/dL after the meal, this equates to 8.9 mmol/L which means your blood sugar is high. Its an indication that you may need to seek medical treatment to control your blood sugar level.
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How To Tell If Its Safe To Exercise
Before you begin your workout, start by measuring your blood sugar, Dr. Hatipoglu says.
When you initiate exercise, your body releases stress hormones, which can briefly raise your blood sugar.
If you have diabetes and your body doesnt manage blood sugar well, it can increase too much during the first half hour of exercise before it begins to lower.
If you start exercising with very high blood sugar, it might be dangerous, she says. You might need to wait for it to go down a bit before starting your workout.
She offers four tips for ensuring that your glucose levels are safe for exercise:
The American Diabetes Association recommends about 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of rigorous exercise weekly.
Offset Carbs With Fat And Protein
When carbs are consumed as part of a meal that includes protein and fat, they affect blood sugar more slowly. For this reason, planning ahead for healthy, balanced meals is fundamental to good diabetes management, says Jenny Champion, RD, a diabetes educator, personal trainer, and editor of Posh Paleo Magazine.
To make sure your meals are well-balanced, the ADA suggests this method of filling your plate:
- Half your plate: non-starchy vegetables, such as spinach, carrots, tomatoes, or greens
- A quarter of your plate: grains and starchy foods, such as whole grain noodles, rice, or potatoes
- A quarter of your plate: lean protein, such as beef, fish, chicken, or tofu
- Add an 8-ounce glass of low-fat milk and a piece of fruit or half a cup of fruit salad on the side.
Remember that even if you eat the right foods, eating too much can cause your blood sugar to rise. Keeping track of what youre eating and how much youre eating and then how it affects blood sugar is the best way to stay on top of your diabetes, Champion says.
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Take The Blood Sugar Test
The most common blood sugar test includes fasting blood sugar test and postprandial blood sugar test. A fasting blood sugar test requires fasting overnight for around 8-10 hours. This gives a vital clue about how your body is maintaining blood sugar levels. Post Prandial test or PP test measures blood sugar levels after 2 hours of eating. Usually, your blood sugar levels increase and reach the peak of 1 after eating. PP test diagnoses you for prediabetes, type-1, or type-2 diabetes.
Know Your Postprandial Sugar Level During Pregnancy
Gestational diabetes or diabetes during pregnancy is getting common. It is important to start your treatment for gestational diabetes as soon as possible. It helps in avoiding pregnancy complications and keeps your baby healthy. Your doctor will ask you to get your diabetes range after meal check. The normal sugar range after food for the expecting women is 120 mg/dL or less. The higher values indicate gestational diabetes. The treatment for gestational diabetes includes a meal plan, physical activities, medications, and insulin therapy .
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