Don’t Sit On The Couch Or Lie Down Right After A Meal
While you may want to plop on the couch and turn on the television after a long day of work and a satisfying meal, you should resist the urge to become sedentary.
“Sitting on the couch or laying down after a meal will likely make blood sugar worse because you are sedentary and your muscles aren’t burning off the extra glucose in your bloodstream,” Harris-Pincus explains.
Plus, it is a common GERD trigger, so be wary if you are prone to indigestion after eating a meal, especially one containing trigger foods, like acidic tomato sauce on pizza or pasta, for example. Wait a bit before nestling under the covers.
Your Blood Sugar Knows Best
Kids out of school, vacations, get-togethers, family reunions. The summer season can throw off your routine, and possibly your diabetes management plan. Check your blood sugar more often to make sure its in your target range no matter what the summer brings. Its especially important to recognize what low blood sugar feels like and treat it as soon as possible.
Play it safe in the sun with a hat and sunglasses.
Warm-weather wisdom:
- Drink plenty of watereven if youre not thirstyso you dont get dehydrated.
- Avoid alcohol and drinks with caffeine, like coffee and energy or sports drinks. They can lead to water loss and spike your blood sugar levels.
- Check your blood sugar before, during, and after youre active. You may need to change how much insulin you use. Ask your doctor if you would like help in adjusting your dosage.
- Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing.
- Wear sunscreen and a hat when youre outside. Sunburn can raise your blood sugar levels.
- Dont go barefoot, even on the beach or at the pool.
- Use your air conditioner or go to an air-conditioned building or mall to stay cool. In very high heat, a room fan wont cool you enough.
Simple Ways To Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes After Meals
Lets talk about blood sugar, or blood glucose. Maybe youve been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes and youre not sure where to start. Or maybe youve just been hearing some buzz about blood sugar-friendly foods and youre wondering if you should pay attention.
When blood sugar spikes after eating, it can leave you feeling tired, lethargic and moody. Over time, chronic blood sugar issues can put you at risk for conditions like kidney disease, heart disease and even dementia.
The good news is, you can improve your blood sugar control today with a few simple steps.
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What Causes High Blood Sugar Levels In The Morning
Commonly known reasons why your blood sugar may be high in the morning include high-carb bedtime snacks and not enough diabetes medications.
Yet two lesser-known reasons may be causing your morning blood sugar woes: the dawn phenomenon and the Somogyi effect. These causes of high morning blood sugar levels are a result of body changes and reactions that happen while you are sleeping.
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High Blood Sugar: Causes Complications And How To Lower Blood Sugar
Your body breaks down glucose for energy using the insulin produced by the pancreas. This is required for our bodies to function. Illness can have an impact on the way our pancreas functions. Read this to learn how high blood sugar can affect your health.
7 minute read
Your body requires energy to function, and this energy comes from food. Specifically, your body breaks down glucose for energy using the insulin produced by the pancreas.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes cause impairment to this breakdown of sugar in the body, causing blood glucose levels to become irregular. When glucose is not broken down into energy, it can build up in the bloodstream and then becomes a health problem.
Your pancreas produces insulin, which breaks down glucose. With type 1 diabetes, the cells that produce insulin are mistakenly attacked by your immune system. As a result of this autoimmune condition, blood sugar levels can become dangerously high without intervention.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body no longer responds to insulin as well as it should and then also causes glucose to accumulate in the blood.
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Blood Sugar Spiking In The Middle Of The Night
The dawn phenomenon is a natural response that everyone experiences diabetic and non-diabetics alike. Between 2 and 8 a.m., our bodies release hormones to begin preparing for the day. These hormones can cue glucose to be released by the liver, which can cause elevated blood glucose levels for people those who have insulin resistance or do not produce enough insulin. If your fasting glucose is consistently elevated in the morning, try to check your glucose between 2 and 4 a.m. Repeat for a few days, and record the data for your doctor.
Go For A Walk After You Eat
Beyond avoiding the couch, there is something you can actually do to help your blood sugar levels after a meal. Lace up those sneakers, and go for a walk to help balance blood sugar levels further. You’ll even walk off some of those calories, as an added perk.
“Taking a walk after a meal will help to minimize the rise in blood sugar since your muscles will use that glucose for fuel,” she explains.
Something quick, like 10 to 20 minutes, will do the trick, and it’s a bonus if you can get outdoors for some fresh air and exposure to nature, which may further boost your mood and help you de-stress.
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Make Sure To Eat Fiber At Meals And Snacks
When you eat refined white flour, such as pizza crusts, pasta, or crackers, your body is taking in carbs and sugars only and will experience more significant spikes in blood sugar, as theres no fiber to keep levels stable or to slow digestion.
Focus on fiber-rich foods to not only manage a post-meal rise in blood sugar but also to assist with gut health as well, Harris-Pincus says.
Indeed, eating fiber-rich and blood sugar-friendly foods will promote your bodys gut-healthy bacteria, which can further help to balance blood sugar, while keeping your digestive system regular. High-fiber foods include fruits with skin, vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, and whole grains, as well as other fortified cereals.
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Heart And Blood Vessel Diseases
Over time, high blood sugar can damage the blood vessels and nerves in your heart. People with diabetes also have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and stroke.
Untreated high blood sugar can also block blood vessels. This can lead to infections and foot ulcers. In serious cases, it can lead to amputation of a toe, foot, or lower leg.
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Medical Approaches To Spike Control
A common approach to lowering after-meal blood glucose spikes is to take more insulin. But unless blood glucose levels remain high for three to six hours after eating, taking more insulin is not going to solve the problem. In fact, increasing mealtime insulin will most likely result in low blood glucose before the next meal.
Here are some strategies that may work better:
How Does Your Body Manage Blood Sugar At Night
âYour body uses different types of energy in different ways at different times of day,â says Paul.
At night, your body uses less glucose because you are inactive. Instead, it burns more fat for energy, but it still needs glucose for vital bodily functions.
âYour brain relies almost exclusively on glucose for energy and still needs plenty of it even when youâre asleep,â explains Paul. âSo itâs very important to have a constant supply of glucose overnight.â
To ensure this happens, the body uses various biological feedback mechanisms, including hormones like insulin, which encourage your cells to remove sugar from your blood after you eat.
There is also glucagon, which tells your liver to produce more glucose from fat and other sources if your blood sugar is dipping.
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Blood Sugar Spike Symptoms
Learning to recognize the symptoms of hyperglycemia can help you keep your diabetes in control. Some people with diabetes immediately feel the symptoms of high blood sugar, but others go undiagnosed for years because their symptoms are mild or vague.
Symptoms of hyperglycemia typically begin when your blood glucose goes above 250 milligrams per deciliter . Symptoms get worse the longer you go untreated.
Symptoms of a blood sugar spike include:
- frequent urination
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Symptoms Of A Blood Sugar Spike
The longer your blood sugar levels stay elevated, the more symptoms you are likely to develop, and the more damage is being done to your body. While there are some hallmark symptoms of high blood sugar levels , they can vary from person to person.
Learning to recognize your individual symptoms of high blood sugar early on can help minimize any damage to your body and keep your diabetes in control.
Common symptoms of high blood sugar include:
- Frequent urination
- Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, get your blood sugar level tested. It can be as simple as a small finger poke but can go a long way in helping you manage your blood sugar levels.
If you do not have diabetes and are experiencing any of these symptoms, seek medical attention as soon as you can to get your blood sugar levels tested. Early identification of high blood sugar levels and diabetes can save your life.
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Lower Blood Sugar Levels With Swee2ooth
The next time your blood sugar spikes, dont be discouraged! The first step to lowering your blood sugar is to know what causes the spikes to occur. Once you know this, you and your doctor can come up with a plan to get your levels back on track.
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Not Brushing And Flossing
If you have diabetes, youâre more likely to get gum disease . And serious gum disease can make it harder to keep your blood sugar under control. Like all infections, it may cause your glucose to rise. That, in turn, can make other infections more likely. Inflamed or infected gums can also cause your bodyâs defense system to go into overdrive. That makes it harder for your body to keep insulin and blood sugar in check.
Make sure you not only brush and floss your teeth but also rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash daily.
Keep up with your dentist visits, work on managing your blood sugar, and, if you have gum disease, treat it — and any other infection in any part of your body — ASAP.
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Why Are Blood Sugar Spikes A Problem
Even though the spike is temporary, all of those spikes throughout the day can raise your HbA1c. Research has shown that for those with an A1c below 7.5%, post-meal readings actually have a greater influence on A1c than fasting blood sugars. In other words, managing pre-meal readings will only get you so far. If you want tight control, you need to pay attention to the after-meal glucose as well.
The long-term effects of postprandial hyperglycemia have been studied extensively. For those with type 1 diabetes, significant post-meal rises have been shown to produce earlier onset of kidney disease and accelerate the progression of existing eye problems . And like a dagger through the heart, post-meal hyperglycemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular problems. Recently, post-meal spikes and glucose variability have been associated with diminished brain function and an increased risk of dementia.
But the problems are not limited to long-term health issues. Any time blood sugars rise particularly high, even temporarily, our quality of life suffers. Energy decreases, cognitive ability falters, physical/athletic abilities become diminished, and moods become altered. And dont forget: What goes up must come down. The rapid blood sugar decline that usually follows a post-meal spike can cause false hypoglycemic symptoms.
Sugar Candies And Sweets
Sugar candies and sweets are rich in sugar and are quickly digested hence cause a spike in sugar levels. They are also devoid of any nutrients and contain other harmful ingredients. There are many naturally sweet and equally satisfying treats.
Substitutions:
- Fresh fruits, homemade popsicles, fruit chips, frozen fruits, energy balls, dry fruit laddu, peanut chikki, sesame and flaxseeds laddu, fruit puddings, sugar-free brownies, dark chocolate, strawberries covered with dark chocolate.
Harmful effects of consuming sugar candies and sweets:
- Excessive sweets and candies have been associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, heart disease, tooth decay and type 2 diabetes.
- When you eat excess sugar, the extra insulin in your bloodstream can affect your arteries all over your body.
- It causes walls to get inflamed and stiffer and damages the heart over time.
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How These Blood Sugar Spikes Affect Your Health
Over time, recurrent spikes in after-meal blood sugars, can raise your HbA1c level. HbA1c is a measure of your average blood sugar over a three-month period. Having an elevated HbA1c has been shown to increase the risk of other health complications.
Research has shown that frequent high blood sugar levels after a meal can exacerbate the onset of kidney disease and accelerate the progression of retinopathy. Type 2 diabetics may experience more cardiovascular problems when post-meal blood sugar spikes occur frequently.
Cognitive decline, including an increased risk of dementia, has also been associated with after-meal sugar spikes and large variations in blood sugar levels. Other short-term complications can include fatigue, cognitive impairment , reduced physical ability and changes in mood.
One study conducted on the effects of acute high blood sugar on cognitive function and mood in type 2 diabetics found that the speed of information processing, memory, and some features of attention were all impaired during elevated blood sugar readings. It was also noted that participants experienced a reduction in energy and increased sadness and anxiety.
What Makes Using Honey In Diabetes Better Than Using Refined Sugar
Honey vs Sugar, is a debate that never seems to end. Mankind is known to have been consuming honey for thousands of years now. It is revered for its natural medicinal properties and therefore included in various kinds of treatments. But is that a reason enough to consider honey to be a better and healthier alternative to sugar? Lets find out
Honey is denser than sugar and contains about 68 calories and 17.2 gm of carbohydrate per tablespoon. It is higher in fructose than glucose and because of which, one tends to consume lesser amount of it in comparison to sugar. Precisely the reason why one ends up adding lesser amount of it in their tea or dessert that too without sacrificing the joys of tasting something sweet.
Refined or normal sugar on the other hand is a combination of glucose and fructose which combine together to form sucrose. It is also devoid of any vitamins or minerals and is also high in carbohydrate levels. Therefore, sugar is considered to be unhealthy and a major source of empty calories in the body.
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What Is High Blood Glucose
To fully understand your blood glucose levels, itâs important to know: a) what values are actually considered high, and b) factors that can cause your elevated reading in the first place.
High blood glucose, also known as hyperglycemia, occurs when there is too much sugar in the bloodstream. Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, is the result of too little glucose in the bloodstream. Hyperglycemia usually occurs because your body doesnât produce enough insulin or canât properly use the available insulin to remove the glucose from the bloodstream.
Using milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood for measurement, high blood glucose readings after a meal indicating prediabetes can fall between 140 and 199 mg/dL. Levels reaching 200 mg/dL two hours after eating indicate you may already be insulin resistant or diabetic, though that diagnosis will need to come from your doctor. By comparison, the typical standard for normal glucose readings is to remain under 140 mg/dL throughout the day and under 100 mg/dL after eight hours of fasting.
A range of lifestyle factors, habits, and health conditions can cause high blood sugar. To debunk common hyperglycemia myths, review causes and symptoms, and discuss the best ways to address them, we spoke with two experts on high blood sugar levels: registered dietitian and For The Love of Diabetes creator Lori Zanini and registered dietitian nutritionist and diabetes management expert .
Things That Can Spike Your Blood Sugar
As confident as you may be about your diabetes management, you never know what factors might affect your blood sugar in ways you never expected. Get ahead of pesky highs and lows that result from corrections by understanding a few common things that might be throwing you off.
Here are a number of unexpected triggers that can and will send your blood sugar on a ride:
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