Why Does Blood Sugar Go Up At Night
There are many factors that can cause your blood sugar to increase at night. For example: what food you ate during the day, how much and when you exercised, whether you ate snacks before bed, the timing of your insulin doses, and your stress level. You can experience different patterns of high blood sugar at night. You may start with high glucose when you go to bed, start the night in range but go high several hours later, or spend most of the night in range until the hours just before you wake up. By identifying your bodys patterns, you can figure out what is causing your high blood sugar and how to address it.
Common causes of a glucose increase at night include:
Take A Pass On The Bread Bowl
Its obvious that sugary stuff leads to an increase in blood sugar, but starchy foods can do the same thing. Your body processes simple carbs quickly and turns them into sugar, and it needs a lot of insulin to absorb them. That means a bag of Doritos is as likely as a candy bar to cause a spike.
If youre in the middle of a blood sugar spike, its best to curtail your carb intake. Check the glycemic index if youre not sure about a food.
Surprisingly, popcorn and white potatoes are worse than ice cream, according to the index. If you stick to low-carb/low-glycemic-index foods, your blood sugar will return to normal much more quickly.
Ultimately, its best to limit your carb intake. A 2004 study found that a diet of 20 percent carbs, 30 percent protein, and 50 percent fat lowered fasting blood sugar and kept blood sugar from spiking after meals.
This was a very small study, but the results suggest that lower carb intake can lead to generally lower blood glucose. In general, most people with diabetes eat 40 to 45 percent of their calories in the form of carbohydrates. Choosing nutrient-rich sources of carbs is best.
Another promising study found that after two years on a low-carb diet, many participants with type 2 diabetes were able to manage their condition without medication or resolve it entirely.
The occasional baked potato isnt a problem, but frequent trips to the drive-through are not a good idea. Find a few veggie-and-protein-heavy meals and make them your go-tos.
What About The Glycemic Index
Your daily carb total, spread steadily across the day, is one key to good blood sugar control. Some people also use the glycemic index , a rating of how individual foods raise blood sugar levels. Beans and whole-grain breads and cereals have a lower GI than white bread and regular pasta. Juice has a higher GI than whole fruit. Craving a high-GI food? Eat it along with a lower-GI choice to help control your levels.
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How Can I Track My Blood Glucose
There are two ways to keep track of your blood glucose levels:
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Using a blood glucose meter to measure your blood glucose level at that moment
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Getting an A1C test at least twice a year to find out your average blood glucose for the past 2 to 3 months
This hand-out was published in Clinical Diabetes, Vol. 36, issue 2, 2018, and was adapted from the American Diabetes Associations Diabetes Advisor handout Factors Affecting Blood Glucose. Visit the Associations Patient Education Library at for hundreds of free, downloadable handouts in English and Spanish. Distribute these to your patients and share them with others on your health care team. Copyright American Diabetes Association, Inc., 2018.
American Diabetes Association
Only Diabetics Get High Glucose Values
While a high glucose value can indicate diabetes, nondiabetics can also have higher values than normal. When researchers studied people wearing a continuous glucose monitor who did not have a diabetes diagnosis, they found 93% of individuals reached glucose levels that are considered dangerous, with 10% spending over 2 hours per day in these dangerous levels. Traditional glucose measurements, like a single point in time blood glucose value, are unable to capture these abnormalities.
There are actually several causes of high blood sugar unrelated to diabetes that the CDC recognizes. These include certain foods, like artificial sweeteners and coffee. Other factors like stress can do it, too. If you live with an endocrine or pancreatic condition, had surgery recently, or are experiencing intense physical stress , you may also see your glucose value rise.
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When You Have Diabetes Its Important To Make Healthier Food Choices And Be Smart With The Snacks You Choose Swapping Things Like Crisps Biscuits Ice Cream And Chocolate For Yoghurts Unsalted Nuts Seeds Fruits And Vegetables
This will help to manage your diabetes and reduce your risk of long-term complications.
That said, celebrations such as Easter and Christmas only come once a year, so dont worry about the odd one or two indulgences as these will not affect your long-term diabetes management.
Its a myth that you cant eat chocolate if you have diabetes, just eat it in moderation, and try not to eat a lot in one go as it affects your blood sugar levels.
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Tip : Reduce Excess Fat Consumption
Fats should not be missing from your daily diet, but you should avoid excesses. The daily dose of approx. 80 grams of healthy, unsaturated fat is sufficient for keeping a normal level of blood sugar.
You should avoid eating foods that contain saturated fats because saturated fats especially found in foods of animal origin facilitate the creation of insulin resistance.
Therefore the unsaturated fats are recommended for consumption, which positively influences insulin resistance. These healthy fats can be found in fish, nuts and soy products.
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Avoiding Blood Sugar Spikes
Spacing your carbohydrate and caloric intake evenly throughout the day will help minimize blood sugar spikes, so dont eat bananas at meals where you are eating a large number of carbs from other foods. Eat bananas at the same time as foods that contain high amounts of fiber or foods containing protein or healthy unsaturated fat to slow down digestion and the release of glucose into your bloodstream.
What Are Blood Sugar Levels
Blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose level, is the level of sugar/glucose present in the blood. Glucose is a simple version of sugar which comes from the food we eat. Therefore, the more food you consume with high sugar levels over a period of time, will typically increase your blood sugar level.
Glucose comes from the foods we eat and its sugar content. When a person consumes a food with high sugar content, that is turned into glucose. The glucose is then absorbed into the bloodstream with the support of insulin. This is then distributed between the bodys cells and used as energy.
Foods high in glucose include most carbohydrates and a handful of proteins and fats. Most foods contain glucose as it is simply a natural sugar that occurs in most dietary forms. However, it is carbohydrates that contain the most sugar and 100% of it turns into glucose, through the process mentioned above, once consumed. The concentration of glucose present in the blood will determine your blood sugar level.
Here is a quick video explaining Blood sugar levels chart :
Your blood sugar level can either be low, normal or high. Depending on what you eat and health conditions, it will vary from person to person. Here is a breakdown of how your blood sugar works and how low or high blood sugar levels happens:
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Blood Sugar Level Chart By Age
Blood sugar levels tend to rise with age due to an increase in insulin resistance and decrease in insulin sensitivity. In one study by the National Health Institute , each extra decade of age was linked to a 2.7 mg/dl increase in fasting glucose, and a 4.5 mg/dl increase in 2-hour post-prandial glucose levels.
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.
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What Causes High Blood Sugar
A variety of things can trigger an increase in blood sugar level in people with diabetes, including:
- stress
- missing a dose of your diabetes medicine or taking an incorrect dose
- overtreating an episode of low blood sugar
- taking certain medicines, such as steroids
Occasional episodes of hyperglycaemia can also occur in children and young adults during growth spurts.
Put An End To Smoking
Youâre at higher risk for Type 2 diabetes if you smoke, as smoking has so many adverse health effects.
As well as cancer, smoking can cause heart attack and emphysema. Smokers are much more likely to be overweight, which increases the risk of diabetes
The chemicals in cigarette smoke increase inflammation, which causes your cells to become less responsive to insulin.Not only does cigarette smoke damage the lungs, but it damages all the cells in your body. These cells all have a hard time performing their regular functions, like taking sugar out of your blood.
It is possible to significantly enhance your health, including the level of glucose in your blood, by quitting or reducing your smoking. Living with someone who smokes can damage your health as well, so encourage your loved ones to stop smoking.
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What Causes High Morning Blood Sugars
Two main culprits prompt morning highs: the dawn phenomenon and waning insulin. A third, much rarer cause, known as the Somogyi effect, may also be to blame.
The occasional morning high will have little impact on your A1C, a measure of your average blood sugar levels over time that indicates how well managed your diabetes is. But if those highs become consistent, they could push your A1C up into dangerous territory.
Suffering From Diabetes 7 Amazing Foods To Control Your Blood Sugar Levels
- If you are diagnosed with diabetes, you may consume these amazing herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits to control your sugar naturally and effectively.
Diabetes is something that one has to battle for life once diagnosed. It is important to keep the blood sugar levels in check or it can increase your risk of cardiac problems, stroke, kidney diseases, blindness etc. You get diabetes when either your body doesnt make enough insulin or is not able to use it effectively .
So, if you are experiencing too much urination, fatigue, thirst, getting hungry too often, facing vision problems or your wounds are not healing quickly, its time to schedule an appointment with doctor.
If you are diagnosed with diabetes, then apart from taking medication that your doctor has suggested, you can also consume foods that naturally control your blood glucose levels. These natural herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits will work wonders for your energy levels, says Dr. Samudrika Patil, Clinical Endocrinologist and CEO, Vedicure Healthcare & Wellness and also suggests these 7 amazing foods to include in your diet.
1. Neem
2. Bitter Gourd
3. Ginger
4. Jamun
5. Fenugreek
Methi helps to improve glucose tolerance in the body. It is high in soluble fibre and helps control blood sugar level by slowing digestion and absorption of carbohydrates.
6. Cinnamon
7. Ginseng
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Check Your Blood Sugar
If you take medication that may cause low blood sugar , its highly advisable to check your blood sugar levels before you try to bring your sugar levels down.
This is just in case your blood sugar is normal or low, which can be the case in some situations.
Testing of blood sugar before bringing your levels down is particularly important if you take insulin.
Diet Soda Diabetes And Eye Disease
Unfortunately, increased mortality rates arent the only bad news surfacing from diet soda studies.
A 2018 study found that people with diabetes who consumed more than 4 cans of diet soda per week were two times more likely to develop a diabetes complication called proliferative diabetic retinopathy .
But if you read the entire study, the authors reported that those with increased risk of retinopathy were those with type 1 diabetes, had a greater BMI, 55 percent were current smokers, had elevated blood fat levels, and high blood pressure which can all contribute to the development of eye disease.
When authors adjusted the results for variables such as A1c levels , age, gender, smoking, etc., there was no difference in eye disease between the diet soda drinkers and the non-consumers except those with the highest consumption.
So, everything in moderation even no calorie soda is still a good motto to live by.
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Carbohydrates And Blood Sugar
When people eat a food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which enters the blood.
- As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage.
- As cells absorb blood sugar, levels in the bloodstream begin to fall.
- When this happens, the pancreas start making glucagon, a hormone that signals the liver to start releasing stored sugar.
- This interplay of insulin and glucagon ensure that cells throughout the body, and especially in the brain, have a steady supply of blood sugar.
Carbohydrate metabolism is important in the development of type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body cant make enough insulin or cant properly use the insulin it makes.
- Type 2 diabetes usually develops gradually over a number of years, beginning when muscle and other cells stop responding to insulin. This condition, known as insulin resistance, causes blood sugar and insulin levels to stay high long after eating. Over time, the heavy demands made on the insulin-making cells wears them out, and insulin production eventually stops.
Moderation Is Key When It Comes To Fats
Carbohydrates and sugars are digested much faster than fats. Although some fats damage your heart, others are needed to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system and your overall wellbeing. Make an effort to eat fats that contain omega-3 fatty acids. Moderation of healthy fats can help protect your heart and keep blood sugar levels steady while not raising your cholesterol or triglyceride levels.
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How To Treat Low Blood Sugar
If you think you have low blood sugar, be sure to check it.
Keeping your blood sugar levels on target as much as possible can help prevent or delay long-term, serious health problems. While this is important, closely managing your blood sugar levels also increases your chance for low blood sugar . Blood sugar below 70 mg/dL is considered low. If you think you have low blood sugar, check it. If you arent able to check it, go ahead and treat it.
Untreated low blood sugar can be dangerous, so its important to know what to do about it and to treat it immediately.
When To Avoid Exercise
People with blood sugar levels above 240 mg/dL should check their urine for ketones before engaging in physical activity. If ketones are present, do not exercise. Ketones are the result of stored fat being broken down for energy. Your liver starts breaking down fat when theres not enough insulin in your bloodstream to absorb blood sugar into cells. When too many ketones are quickly produced, they can cause DKA. In this state, ketones may actually make your blood sugar level go even higher and you may need intravenous fluids to rebalance.
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How Your Diet Can Impact Your Hormones
Maintaining a healthy daily diet can help keep hormone levels stable. Foods such as olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds, fibre from fruits and vegetables and quality proteins such as eggs, fish and meat, have a positive impact on our hormones.
Processed foods, fried foods, alcohol, sugar and artificial sweeteners can all have a negative impact on your hormones and lead to issues with blood sugar levels, estrogen metabolism and may other serious health conditions.
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