Signs That Blood Sugar Levels Are High
People with high blood sugar may:
- pee a lot. When blood sugar levels get too high, the kidneys flush out the extra glucose into your urine , which is why people who have high blood sugar levels need to pee more often and in larger amounts.
- drink a lot. Because you’re losing so much fluid from peeing so much, you can get very thirsty.
- lose weight. If there isn’t enough insulin to help the body use glucose, the body starts to break down your muscle and fat for energy and you lose weight.
- feel tired. Because the body can’t use glucose for energy properly, you may feel really tired.
High blood sugar levels don’t always cause these symptoms. Sometimes you can have high blood sugar levels without even knowing it. But if left untreated, they can cause serious health problems. That’s why it’s important to work with your parents and diabetes team to keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range. This can mean checking your blood sugar levels a few times a day, even when you feel fine.
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Baby Carrots Cherry Tomatoes Or Cucumber Slices
Non-starchy vegetables are a great choice for a snack. They are very low in calories, fats, and carbohydrates, while offering plenty of vitamins and minerals.
These vegetables also provide antioxidants and a good dose of fiber to boost heart and gut health. For more protein, add a low-fat cheese slice to this low-calorie snack.
Controlling Blood Sugar Levels
When we talk about diabetes, the one thing we need to be careful about is maintaining a healthy and balanced level of blood sugar in the body. So, the question now arises: Why is controlling blood glucose level so important? When your body has high levels of blood ugar or glucose, the vital organs of the body are adversely affected. This, as time passes by, leads to several and chronic conditions.
How do we now control the high sugar level or how to lower blood sugar? There are several methods of doing the same. We can either go for medications or try to treat the condition naturally. In this article, we shall explore various foods that can lower blood glucose as well as 15 tips that will help to manage the blood sugar level naturally without taking any help of drugs or medicines.
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Is It Different For Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes
Differences in dealing with the dawn phenomenon depend more on the individual than what type of diabetes they have or what their treatment plan is.
A person with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who use insulin may need to adjust the dosage or type of insulin to account for any changes overnight. A person who wears an insulin pump can adjust the pump to deliver extra insulin in the morning.
If blood sugar levels spike too high as a result of the dawn phenomenon, the effects can range from mild to a life-threatening medical emergency.
A person with very high blood sugar levels can develop ketoacidosis, a dangerous buildup of acid in the bloodstream.
They may lose consciousness and experience a diabetic coma. If the person starts to have severe symptoms, someone should call the emergency services.
Some long-term complications of high blood sugar are:
- cardiovascular problems and a higher risk of a heart attack or stroke
- nerve damage, with wide-ranging consequences
- vision loss
- organ damage
People who experience repeated high blood sugar levels due to the dawn phenomenon should see a doctor to prevent these consequences.
Not all scientists agree that this effect is real, but those who do say it happens when blood sugar levels drop too low.
For example, if a person who takes insulin or medication to lower blood sugar levels does not eat a regular bedtime snack, or if they take too much insulin, their blood sugar levels may drop during the night.
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ADA Guidelines on Alcohol & Blood Sugar
The American Diabetes Association does have guidelines regarding alcohol and blood sugar and how alcohol affects blood sugar. Some of their recommendations include:
- The advice when it comes to alcohol and blood sugar is no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.
- If you have diabetes, you shouldnt drink when your blood sugar levels are low or you have an empty stomach.
- People with diabetes shouldnt count the calories in an alcoholic drink as a carbohydrate choice in their meal plan.
- Certain types of alcoholic beverages may be more detrimental for people with diabetes, including heavy craft beers.
The amount of carbs and sugar varies in every alcohol, so its important to pay attention to labels and serving sizes when considering safe alcohol and blood sugar practices.
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Maintain A Healthy Weight
Losing weight helps control blood sugar levels. Being overweight is linked to increased incidents of diabetes and greater occurrences of insulin resistance.
Studies show that reducing weight by even only 7 percent can reduce the chances of developing diabetes by 58 percent.
It is important to note that a person does not need to achieve ideal body weight to benefit from losing 1020 pounds and keeping it off. Doing so will also improve cholesterol, reduce the risk of complications, and improve a persons general sense of well-being.
Eating a healthful diet full of fruits and vegetables and getting enough exercise can help a person lose weight or maintain their currently healthy weight.
Best Ways To Snack Before Bed
The ADA no longer provide specific carbohydrate counts or recommended diets for people with diabetes.
A person should choose a healthful snack before bed.
Instead, the ADAs Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes 2019 suggest that a person follows an individualized meal plan tailored to their current eating patterns, preferences, and weight goals.
Some general tips that may be beneficial for everyone:
- Eat mindfully by focusing on enjoying the food.
- Avoiding snacking in front of the television or while reading, driving, or otherwise distracted.
- Plan meals, snacks, and treats ahead of time.
- Choose healthful snacks, rather than ones that contain empty calories and low-quality carbohydrates.
- Learn about and pay attention to portion sizes.
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Take Your Insulin As Prescribed
High blood sugar occurs when your body has too little insulin, or your body cant use insulin properly. Administering insulin can bring your blood sugar levels down.
Talk to your doctor about how much rapid-acting insulin you should administer when your blood sugar is high.
You may want to check your blood sugar about 1530 minutes after taking insulin to make sure your blood sugar is going down and that its not dropping too low.
What Is Blood Sugar
Blood sugar, also called blood glucose, is sugar thats carried to the cells through the bloodstream. Blood sugar generally refers to the concentration of sugar in your blood at a specific time.
We get sugar from the foods we eat, which is normal, and its the bodys job to regulate blood sugar levels, so they dont go too high or low. When a person has balanced blood sugar, its called homeostasis.
Throughout the day, its not uncommon for blood sugar levels to go up and down based on when you eat and how your body releases a hormone called insulin. If youve just eaten, your blood sugar levels will go up, and then theyll settle back down. If you have diabetes, however, your blood sugar levels may have to be specially managed.
If your blood sugar is always high, you have hyperglycemia, which can happen in people who dont have a good handle on their diabetes. If your blood sugar is below normal, its called hypoglycemia, and this can happen in diabetics if they accidentally use too much of their medication.
So, what role does alcohol play in all of this and how does alcohol affect blood sugar?
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The Causes Of High Blood Sugar
In general, higher than normal blood glucose levels can be caused by:
- not taking your diabetes medicine when you’re supposed to or not taking the right amounts
- eating more food than your meal plan allows
- not getting enough exercise
- having an illness, like the flu
- taking other kinds of medicines that affect how your diabetes medicines work
Keeping blood sugar levels close to normal can be hard sometimes, and nobody’s perfect. Grown-ups can help you stay in balance if you have diabetes. Sometimes blood sugar levels can be high because you’re growing and your doctor needs to make some changes in your diabetes treatment plan.
Natural Hormone Cycles Increase Blood Sugar Levels
Many hormones are released in a natural daily cycle, or circadian rhythm. This rhythm is responsible for the changes in our body that occur roughly every 24 hours such as our sleep-wake patterns, changes in hunger and body temperature, and when we feel most energised and alert. The early morning rise in blood glucose is part of this normal daily rhythm.
Glucose is used by cells in the body as the main source of energy. By increasing the supply of glucose first thing in the morning, your body becomes prepared for the day ahead.
The morning rise in glucose is caused by increased levels of other hormones in the morning, including cortisol and glucagon. One of the main roles of both cortisol and glucagon is to signal the liver to start turning its stores of glycogen into glucose. This glucose is released into the blood increasing your blood glucose levels.
In most people, this rise in glucose is counteracted by the production of another hormone, insulin, that keeps blood glucose levels in a normal range. This early morning rise then, doesnt cause any problems.
For people with diabetes however, it can be hard to manage this early surge in blood glucose levels. This is because their body cannot produce enough insulin or the body has become resistant to insulin, so blood sugar levels remain high.
Expert tips for identifying normal glucose rhythms
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Never Skip Eating Breakfast
Cameron Whitman/Stocksy
Weve all heard that breakfast is the days most important meal. This is especially true for those who have diabetes. I think eating breakfast is important, especially with potential risk for hypoglycemia and avoiding potential highs related to fasting for too long a period of time, Crandall Snyder says.
A high-protein breakfast has an edge over breakfasts that are high in carbohydrates, according to research from The University of Missouri-Columbia. In the research, women ages 18 to 55 consumed meals with similar calories, fat, and fiber contents but differing amounts of protein. Researchers monitored the amount of glucose and insulin in the participants blood for four hours after they ate breakfast. The best breakfasts contained 39 g of protein and led to lower post-meal glucose spikes than the meals with less protein, the researchers found.
Besides, eating breakfast may help overweight people with type 2 diabetes shed extra pounds. Of the participants in the National Weight Control Registry who maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for at least one year, 78 percent said they eat breakfast daily.
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Delayed Effects Of Fatty Foods
Blood sugar levels typically peak within an hour or so after eating. However, a high-fat dinner containing fried foods, pizza, or cheesy casseroles might delay this normal jump in blood sugar until the morning. Why? Large amounts of dietary fat can make it harder for insulin to do its job, explains Scheiner. Plus, fat slows down digestion and absorption, which could cause blood sugar to peak later than usual.
Possible solutions: Opt for fish, skinless poultry, beans, and vegetables sautéed in olive oil over foods high in saturated fat like fried foods and those covered in cheese. Filling up half your plate with vegetables can also help cut portion sizes of other foodsand your fat intake from those foods.
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Eat Foods Rich In Chromium And Magnesium
High blood sugar levels and diabetes have also been linked to micronutrient deficiencies. Examples include deficiencies in the minerals chromium and magnesium.
Chromium participates in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats. It also helps regulate blood sugar levels. Lack of chromium can predispose you to carbohydrate intolerance. Magnesium benefits blood sugar levels, while magnesium deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of developing diabetes.
While the mechanisms behind this are not fully understood, securing sources of these foods is not going to be bad for your health and may help regulate your morning sugar levels.
Foods rich in chromium and magnesium:
- meats
How Can High Blood Sugar Levels In The Morning Be Controlled
Once you and your doctor determine how your blood sugar levels are behaving at night, he or she can advise you about the changes you need to make to better control them. Options that your doctor may discuss depend on the cause of the morning high blood sugars.
For dawn phenomenon:
- Changing the timing or type of your diabetes medications
- Eating a lighter breakfast
- Increasing your morning dose of diabetes medication
- If you take insulin, switching to an insulin pump and programming it to release additional insulin in the morning
For Somogyi effect:
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Other Tips For Reducing Sugar When You Wake Up
If you know that the phenomenon of Dawn, or dawn affects you, try:
- Have dinner earlier in the evening.
- Do something active after dinner, like going for a walk.
- Check with your healthcare provider about the medicine you are taking.
- Eat breakfast. It helps bring your blood sugar level back to normal, signaling to your body that its time to get your anti-insulin hormones under control.
- Eat a snack with some carbohydrates and protein before bed.
Youll also want to avoid all sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, fruit punch, fruit drinks, and sweet tea. A single serving can raise your blood sugar level and, in some cases, provide hundreds of additional calories.
If you notice an unusual spike in your blood sugar in the morning, its a good idea to take an additional measurement at night, ideally around 2 or 3 a.m. M. Based on your blood sugar results, your doctor may recommend what to do depending on whether abnormally high or low values are found.
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How Do Glucose Levels Change Overnight
A persons blood sugar levels change during the night, mainly, because of two processes:
A person can identify how their glucose levels change during the night by taking various readings.
- The dawn phenomenon. Between roughly 3:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., blood sugar levels surge as part of the process of waking up. This causes high blood sugar levels in the morning.
- The Somogyi effect. Glucose levels drop significantly between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. The body responds by releasing hormones that raise blood sugar levels again. It can release too much of these hormones, leading to high blood sugar levels in the morning.
Eating a bedtime snack can prevent blood glucose levels from dropping very low during the night and lessen the Somogyi effect.
A person can determine how their glucose levels change throughout the night by taking readings at various points, such as just before bed, between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., and again when waking up.
Understanding how the body is processing blood sugar is the first step toward picking more healthful snacks in the evening and before bed.
According to the American Diabetes Association , being overweight or having obesity increases the risk of diabetes-related complications. A variety of bedtime snacks can fit into a balanced, healthful diet.
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Causes Of High Blood Sugar At Night
There are many causes of high blood sugar at night, including:
- A dinner or bedtime snack high in carbohydrates: Eating starchy or high-sugar foods late in the day can lead to high blood sugar at night, as well as high blood sugar in the morning.
- Illness or injury: Trauma can trigger a hypermetabolic response , leading to high blood sugar.
- Too little exercise: Exercise helps the body more effectively use insulin, so lack of exercise could contribute to high blood sugar.
- Too little insulin or diabetes medicine: When the body does not produce insulin or does not use insulin effectively and you dont properly take your injectable insulin or diabetes medicine, glucose can accumulate in the bloodstream.
- Menstruation: Estradiol and progesterone are two hormones linked to a decreased production of insulin, which affects glucose metabolism and can potentially lead to high blood sugar.
- Pregnancy: Hormone levels fluctuate during pregnancy. Diabetes that occurs during pregnancy is known as gestational diabetes.
- Stress: Stress, as measured by levels of a hormone called cortisol, is linked to decreased insulin production. When your body doesn’t have enough insulin, glucose cannot get into your cells and be used for energy. As a result, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, leading to high blood sugar. When people are stressed, they may also overeat sugary foods or adopt other unhealthy eating habits.
The Fattest People On Earth
The Pimas of Arizona are among the fattest groups of people in the world. The only populations more obese are people living on some isolated Pacific Islands. On the Gila River reservation in Arizona, children as young as six and seven are so obese they cannot run. They lumber across baseball fields, out of breath before they get to first base.
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