What Can You Eat For Low Blood Sugar

Other Ways To Measure Blood Sugar

Checking your blood sugar levels with a glucometer is not the only way to measure blood sugar. Other tests that your healthcare provider might use to check your blood sugar levels are hemoglobin A1c and oral glucose tolerance test . If youre really lucky, you may have access to a continuous glucose monitor .

HbA1c provides an estimate of your average blood sugar levels over time, giving you a sense of your blood sugar control over the last two or three months. An HbA1c test is the most common measurement used for diagnosing type 2 diabetes.16

However, HbA1c tests and blood sugar tests dont always agree. Using HbA1c levels to diagnose diabetes often fails to identify individuals who would otherwise be diagnosed with diabetes using blood sugar levels.17

Your HbA1c is normal if it is below 5.7%. You may have prediabetes if your HbA1c is above 5.7% but less than 6.5%. You may have diabetes is your HbA1c is 6.5% or over.

To learn more about HbA1c measurements and how they relate to blood sugar levels you record with your glucometer, see our full guide to understanding HbA1c.

An oral glucose tolerance test can be more accurate in terms of diagnosing prediabetes or diabetes.18 It measures your blood sugar two hours after you drink 75 grams of glucose. Because it requires drinking a large sugar solution, an OGTT may not be a useful test for someone on a long-term low-carb or ketogenic diet .

What Is A Normal Blood Sugar

Ideas about normal blood sugar levels are based on individuals eating a standard American diet. This type of diet usually contains about 50% of calories from carbohydrate, the nutrient that tends to raise blood sugar the most.2

If your own carbohydrate intake is much lower than this, you may have a different normal. You can jump to How a low-carb diet affects blood sugar measurements for more information.

Fasting blood sugar levels

A normal fasting blood sugar level in someone who does not have diabetes is generally between 70 and 100 mg/dL .

Fasting blood sugar that consistently falls in the range of 100 to 125 mg/dL is considered prediabetes, which is also referred to as impaired fasting glucose.

If your fasting blood sugar is above 126 mg/dL on two separate occasions, then you may have diabetes.

If you are concerned about the measurements youre getting, especially if you are already on a low-carbohydrate diet, see How a low-carb diet affects blood sugar measurements. A few blood sugar measurements may not always provide an accurate picture of your health.

Post-meal blood sugar levels

If your healthcare provider has not given you specific instructions regarding when to test post-meal blood sugar, you may want to try measuring it one to two hours after you begin eating. Whichever reading is the highest is the one that you should pay attention to, because blood sugar levels may peak at different times.

Blood glucose chart

Drink Water And Stay Hydrated

Drinking enough water may help you keep your blood sugar levels within healthy limits.

In addition to preventing dehydration, it helps your kidneys flush out the excess sugar through urine.

One observational study showed that those who drank more water had a lower risk for developing high blood sugar levels (

90 ).

Its important to monitor your waistline, as its perhaps the most crucial weight-related factor for estimating your diabetes risk.

A measurement of more than 35 inches for women and more than 40 inches for men is associated with an increased risk of developing insulin resistance, high blood sugar levels, and type 2 diabetes .

Having a healthy waist measurement may even be more important than your overall weight .

Summary

Keeping a moderate weight and waistline will help you maintain normal blood sugar levels and decrease your risk for developing diabetes.

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What To Do If You Facing Extremely High Blood Sugar Situation

Well, if it happens that you are facing a high sugar attack the immediate step is to drink lots of water. It will dilute the blood level thereby saving form a further deterioration. Then you may take medication and come back to normalcy. Extremely high blood sugar might lead to a cardiac arrest in some cases.

How Do I Treat An Episode Of Hypoglycemia

The American Diabetes Association recommends the 15-15 rule for an episode of hypoglycemia:

• Eat or drink 15 grams of carbs to raise your blood sugar.
• After 15 minutes, check your blood sugar.
• If its still below 70 mg/dL, have another 15 grams of carbs.
• Repeat until your blood sugar is at least 70 mg/dL.

If you have symptoms of hypoglycemia but cant test your blood sugar, use the 15-15 rule until you feel better.

Note: Children need fewer grams of carbs. Check with your healthcare provider.

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Diabetes And Low Blood Sugar

Diabetes is a tricky disease to handle. The symptoms of low and high blood sugar are similar, and each causes irreversible damage to the body. Doctors believe that low blood sugar is more dangerous to the body than high blood sugar levels. This is because the brain, like the rest of the body, depends upon glucose to meet its energy requirements. In the absence of a sufficient quantity of glucose, it can cause stroke, seizures or even permanent brain damage.

So how does one suffer from low blood sugar when diabetes is a complication which causes blood sugar spikes? Skipping a meal, over medicating, exercising too much or heavy insulin medication can initiate dips in blood glucose levels.

Preventing Low Blood Sugar Levels

Here are some other tips to help you avoid low blood sugar levels:

• Eat all your meals and snacks on time and try not to skip any.
• Take the right amount of insulin.
• If you exercise longer or harder than usual, have an extra snack.
• Don’t take a hot bath or shower right after an insulin shot.
• Stick to your diabetes management plan.
• Check your blood sugar levels regularly, so you can tell if your blood sugars are running too low and your treatment plan needs adjustment.
• Carry something containing sugar with you at all times and take it right away if you have symptoms. Don’t wait to see if the symptoms will go away they may get worse!

Alcohol and drugs can cause major problems with your blood sugar levels, so avoiding them is another way to prevent diabetes problems. Drinking can be particularly dangerous even deadly for people with diabetes because it messes up the body’s ability to keep blood glucose in a normal range. This can cause a very rapid drop in blood glucose in people with diabetes. Drug or alcohol use is also dangerous because it may affect someone’s ability to sense low blood sugar levels.

Learning how to recognize the signs of low blood sugar levels and get them back to normal is an important part of caring for diabetes. Keeping track of your blood sugar levels and recording lows when they occur will help you and your diabetes health care team keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range.

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Foods That Lower Blood Sugar Instantly Diabetic Health Guide

When your body doesnt produce enough insulin or it cannot use insulin correctly it leads to the accumulation of glucose in the blood. Eat foods that lower blood sugar instantly. High blood sugar levels can be controlled with regular exercise, lifestyle modifications, and proper diet. How to lower blood sugar? What to eat when you have diabetes?

The answers to these questions lie right here. The glycemic index measures the effects of specific foods on blood sugar levels. People looking for diabetic control should add foods that have low GI scores in their diet.

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Whats The Link Between Diabetes And Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is most common, by far, in people with diabetes. Treatment for the diseaseoften involves taking medication to increase insulin. Hypoglycemia can develop if things like food, exercise and diabetes medications are out of balance.

Common pitfalls for people with diabetes include:

• Being more active than usual.
• Drinking alcohol without eating.
• Eating late or skipping meals.
• Not balancing meals by including fat, protein and fiber.
• Not eating enough carbohydrates.
• Not timing insulin and carb intake correctly .

Also, if someone with diabetes uses the wrong insulin, takes too much or injects it incorrectly, that can cause hypoglycemia.

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What Can You Do To Raise Your Blood Sugar Quickly

This post will explain What to eat when blood sugar is low. The energy you need to work, play, and even simply think directly originates from blood sugar level, or blood glucose. It flows throughout your body all the time.

Blood glucose originates from the foods you eat. A hormone called insulin assists move the sugar from your blood stream into cells in your body, where its utilized for energy. But if your blood glucose levels drop too low, you can experience a wide variety of signs, some of which can be severe. If youre vulnerable to dips in your blood sugar levels, understanding what to do can help keep you safe. In this short article, well take a more detailed look at the types of foods that can quickly raise your blood sugar, along with other actions you can take to keep your blood sugar at a healthy level.

Low Blood Sugar Level Causes

Reduced blood sugar level levels can bring about a lowered threat of cardiovascular disease, loss of sight from diabetic person retinopathy, as well as other problems related to diabetes. Belows what you need to understand:

Reducing blood sugar level degrees aids handle the signs and symptoms of type 2 type two diabetes

Reducing blood glucose degrees might prevent problems of kind 2 diabetic issues

Reducing blood glucose levels can bring about a decreased danger of cardiovascular disease

Reducing blood sugar degrees may reduce the demand for drugs For those who require medicine to decrease their blood sugar, this may mean they will certainly call for less insulin and/or oral drugs.

Decreasing blood sugar levels can lower the danger of establishing kind 2 type two diabetes

Lowering blood sugar levels can assist stop diabetic person issues, such as vision loss and kidney disease

Lowering blood sugar degrees may result in a lowered likelihood of depression. This is especially true for women

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What Causes Low Blood Glucose In People With Diabetes

Low blood glucose levels can be a side effect of insulin or some other medicines that help your pancreas release insulin into your blood. Taking these can lower your blood glucose level.

Two types of diabetes pills can cause low blood glucose

• sulfonylureas, usually taken once or twice per day, which increase insulin over several hours
• meglitinides, taken before meals to promote a short-term increase in insulin

The following may also lower your blood glucose level

How Can I Be Better Prepared For Hypoglycemia

You can take some steps to be ready for hypoglycemia:

• Be aware of the symptoms and treat them early.
• Carry some fast-acting carbs with you all the time.
• Check your glucose levels frequently, especially around meals and exercise.
• Inform family, friends and co-workers so they know what do if you need help.
• Talk to your healthcare provider regularly to make and update your plan.
• Wear a medical bracelet that lets people know you have diabetes. Carry a card in your purse or wallet with instructions for hypoglycemia.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Hypoglycemia is quite common in people with diabetes. If not treated, it can cause troubling symptoms, and even serious health problems. Fortunately, you can avoid hypoglycemic episodes by monitoring your blood sugar. You can also make small adjustments to eating and exercising routines.

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What Is Low Blood Glucose

Low blood glucose, also called low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, occurs when the level of glucose in your blood drops below what is healthy for you. For many people with diabetes, this means a blood glucose reading lower than 70 milligrams per deciliter .1 Your number might be different, so check with your doctor or health care team to find out what blood glucose level is low for you.

Personalizing Your Diet Based On Blood Sugar Response

In addition to seeing your healthcare provider, there are steps you can take to reduce your blood sugar levels. If you check your blood sugar after meals and keep track of those measurements, along with the types and amounts of food you ate, you may be able to see which foods are problematic.

Although an increase in blood sugar is usually due to eating high-carb foods, all carbs are not the same when it comes to raising blood sugar. Because starchy foods digest down to glucose very quickly, some starchy foods may end up having a much greater impact on blood sugar than you might expect.

For instance, even though a banana tastes sweeter than a baked potato, the potato may actually have a bigger impact on blood sugar.13

Because high-carb foods have the biggest impact on blood sugar levels, it makes sense to reduce them, no matter what type of diet you follow. The American Diabetes made this point in a 2019 paper on nutrition for people with diabetes.14

Sometimes making gradual changes can work best. Our guide, Eating better: six steps down carb mountain, can help you lower your carb intake, one step at a time.

If youve been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, our guide to the best foods for diabetes can help you make choices that may reduce your need for blood sugar control medications.

If a food or beverage seems to be causing your blood sugar to rise too much, try leaving it out of your diet for a few days to see if you notice a difference.

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Add Cinnamon To Coffee To Help Lower Blood Sugar

Adding flavor to your plate by way of diabetes-friendly spices is another possible management tool, and when it comes to sweetening food, consider adding cinnamon to the top of your list. A study published in September 2013 in the Annals of Family Medicine suggests the spice is associated with a drop in fasting blood sugar levels, while other research shows it may help increase insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and lower LDL cholesterol. While more research is still needed, a sprinkle of cinnamon never hurts. Your taste buds will thank you and your blood sugar levels may improve, to boot.

Try sweetening your oatmeal with cinnamon or adding the spice to your morning cup of joe.

Coping With Low Blood Sugar Levels At Night

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What Drinks And Foods Raise Blood Sugar Fast

• 4 teaspoons of sugar
• 1/2 can of regular soda or juice

Many people like the idea of treating low blood sugar with dietary treats such as cake, cookies, and brownies. However, sugar in the form of complex carbohydrates or sugar combined with fat and protein are much too slowly absorbed to be useful in acute treatment.

Once the acute episode has been treated, a healthy, long-acting carbohydrate to maintain blood sugars in the appropriate range should be consumed. Half a sandwich is a reasonable option.

If the hypoglycemic episode has progressed to the point at which the patient cannot or will not take anything by mouth, more drastic measures will be needed. In many cases, a family member or roommate can be trained in the use of glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone that causes a rapid release of glucose stores from the liver. It is an injection given intramuscularly to an individual who cannot take glucose by mouth. A response is usually seen in minutes and lasts for about 90 minutes. Again, a long-acting source of glucose should thereafter be consumed to maintain blood sugar levels in the safe range. If glucagon is not available and the patient is not able to take anything by mouth, emergency services should be called immediately. An intravenous route of glucose administration should be established as soon as possible.