Are you looking for reasons why your blood sugar goes up? This article discusses 7 reasons your blood sugar can go up and ways to reduce your blood sugar level.
To avoid the devastating effects of type 2 diabetes, we, as diabetics, need to manage the glucose levels in our blood. Most of us manage to do this through diet.
However, sometimes our diets don’t work as well as we think they should and our blood glucose levels increase for reasons we can’t even begin to fathom.
This is often because we don’t understand how specific foods or other substances can affect our blood glucose levels.
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7 Reasons Your Blood Sugar Can Go Up
Here are 7 common causes of spikes in blood sugar:
1) Fat-heavy Food
Eating foods high in fat will cause your blood glucose levels to increase over time. When you have type 2 diabetes, fat blocks the receptors in the muscle cells and stops insulin from getting the glucose from your blood into your cells.
The only way to reverse type 2 diabetes is to unblock these receptors.
Eating a low-fat diet is the best way to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The best way to avoid type 2 diabetes is a plant-based diet. This means avoiding all animal products, except for lean meat, eggs, and dairy products.
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You should also limit the amount of oil you use when cooking. Concentrate on fresh, raw, or cooked foods.
2) Bagels
All bagels are either low-fat or no-fat, which sounds great if you have type 2 diabetes and are working to break down the receptors in the muscle cells to improve your insulin sensitivity.
The problem is that they are loaded with carbs and calories. A single bagel contains more carbohydrates than the equivalent weight of a pound of bread.
Both bread and bagels are made from high-fructose flour, which means they break down quickly and cause massive insulin spikes.
So, like white bread, you should steer clear of bagels, with the exception of whole-grain flour.
3) Dried fruits
Fruit can be dried in two ways. The first method is drying in the sun or heated wind tunnels. Fruit dried in this way will have almost the same nutrients as fresh fruit.
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The second method is dried in a sweetener (usually sucrose syrup). Fruit dried in this method will naturally have a much higher sugar content than fresh fruits.
Dried fruits are just as good as fresh fruit for snacks. The only difference is that, once the water is removed from the fruit, you tend to consume more of it than you would if it were fresh.
Fruits such as dried prunes, dried dates, dried figs, dried apricots, dried peaches, dried apples, and dried pears are great snacks… as long as they are dried in the traditional way without being sweetened.
Drying removes most of the water and concentrates the natural sugars in the fruit, no matter which drying method is used.
The amount of traditional dried fruit you consume should be around 1/3 of what you would consume fresh fruit; otherwise, your glucose levels will skyrocket.
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Dried fruit that has been infused with sugar should be avoided.
4) Caffeine
Caffeine has been linked to a small but measurable increase in blood glucose levels, especially after meals.
This effect can be seen even in people who drink zero-calorie black coffee. Drinking two to three cups of caffeine daily (250mg) can increase blood glucose levels.
In one study, 10 people who had type 2 diabetes were given capsules (equivalent to four cups of caffeine) instead of coffee.
The capsules increased blood glucose levels up to 8% but the exact mechanism by which caffeine raises blood glucose levels has not been determined.
Caffeine-containing beverages like coffee, tea, and green tea, as well as energy drinks, have other components that lower blood glucose levels.
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Coffee has also been linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
5) A bad cold or flu
Your blood sugar levels rise when your body is dealing with a disease, especially if you have diabetes. Your diabetes makes it difficult for you to cope with infections like the flu.
In addition, a cold or flu can stop you from eating properly. Some medicines, like antibiotics and decongestants, for your sinuses can increase your blood sugar levels.
Some medicines for a cold include sugar or alcohol. Even though the sugar content is low, you should use sugar-free or alcohol-free products for colds.
Ask your pharmacist about OTC products before buying them.
The best way to prevent a cold or flu is to stay away from people who have a cold or flu as much as possible. You should also get a flu shot every year.
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A diabetic who has a bad dose of the flu is three times as likely to be hospitalized because of the flu and flu-related complications compared to non-diabetic people.
6) Stress
Stress hormones, such as cortisol, increase blood sugar levels, especially in type 2 diabetes patients.
This is not surprising, as the primary function of stress hormones is to increase your energy levels by raising your blood sugar so you have enough energy to fight or run.
Stress hormones can increase when you’re physically stressed or emotionally stressed.
You’ve probably figured out what increases your stress level, and you can roughly tell when it’s low, medium, or high.
To match your stress level with your blood glucose levels, you’ll need to record your stress levels (subjective, of course) every time you check your glucose levels.
Once you’ve figured out what stresses cause your blood sugar to rise, it’s time to find ways to relax. Do whatever makes you happy. Deep breathing and exercise are great ways to relax.
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Change the situation that’s causing you too much stress if you can.
7) Steroids and diuretics
Corticosteroids, also known as steroids, are used to help reduce inflammation in conditions such as asthma, arthritis, and rashes.
However, these drugs can also increase your blood sugar levels and may even lead to diabetes in some individuals.
Corticoids work by mimicking the action of a hormone called cortisol, which is released when your body is under stress.
As mentioned above, cortisol increases blood pressure and blood glucose levels, making you more likely to fight or run.
While high blood glucose levels while taking steroids may go away after stopping steroids, they can become more persistent if you take them for more than 3 months, which can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes (also known as hypoglycemia).
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Diuretic drugs, also known as water pills, are used to manage high blood pressure and can also raise blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Therefore, it is important to never take them unless your doctor prescribes them for you.
3 Ways To Reduce Blood Sugar Level
Getting your blood sugar under control and keeping it under control isn’t as easy as you might think. But it’s not as scary as it seems.
If you have the courage to challenge your diabetes, you can change your lifestyle. Here are some surefire ways to reduce abnormal levels of diabetic blood sugar effectively.
1) Proper food
One of the most important things to remember is that when you have diabetes, you need to eat foods that are suitable for your body type.
For a diabetic, it will be easy to control your blood sugar levels by avoiding high-glycemic foods like rice, potatoes, and white flour bread.
These foods contain a lot of carbohydrates that do not help lower your blood sugar. As a result, your pancreas does not produce enough insulin.
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The best way to control your sugar levels is to eat foods with low glycemic indexes. Beans, peanuts, apples, oranges, and red grapes are all low-glycemic foods.
They are digested slowly and increase pancreatic secretion.
2) Meal plan
Decreasing the amount of food, you eat can lead to a lack of energy in your body. This is compensated for by eating frequently with short breaks.
Eating big meals twice a day may be helping you lower your blood sugar if you decide to have 4 to 5 servings a day.
Consistent breakfast can also help with digestion. Eating late at night and going straight to bed is not good for digestion.
3) Exercise
The next step after choosing the right foods in your meal plan is to maintain your energy level. This is achieved by regular exercise in your body.
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You don’t need to get physically exhausted by doing simple and fast movements to your body. If you’re concerned about walking 30 minutes every day, you’re on the right track.
Other Things To Note:
-Eliminate junk foods completely if you want to lower your blood sugar.
-Limit your intake of alcohol.
-Avoid smoking when you have diabetes.
-Eliminate unnecessary mental stress since it cannot help lower your blood sugar levels.
-Limit or stop daytime sleeping if possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few FAQs I get asked concerning (or related to) reasons your blood sugar can go up.
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What normally causes the blood sugar level to rise?
Excessive food consumption (e.g., snacks between meals), lack of exercise, dehydration, missing a dose of diabetes medicine, or taking the wrong dose.
Why does my blood sugar go up when I don’t eat?
If insulin isn’t made properly, then it is released into the bloodstream and increases a person’s blood glucose levels.
How do I bring my blood sugar down quickly?
Take fast-acting insulin.
What are 5 signs your blood sugar is too high?
- Extreme thirst.
- Headache.
- Fluid in the urine.
- Hot, dry skin.
- Restlessness.
- Drowsiness.
- Difficulty waking up.
What drink lowers blood sugar?
Water, unsweetened teas, black coffee, etc.
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Why is my blood sugar high even when I eat healthily?
When you’re dehydrated, your body’s water stores run low, leading to a build-up of glucose in your blood (or high blood sugar) as your body attempts to make up for the fluid deficiency.
The solution? Make hydration part of your everyday routine.
What time of day is blood sugar highest?
Is between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m.
What is the normal sugar level by age?
From 90 to 130 mg/dL (5.0 to 7.2 mmol/L) for adults.
A Word From GetMe Treated
Diabetes is more of an art than a science. If you want to be safe, you should keep up with 7 reasons your blood sugar can go up and the 3 ways to reduce blood sugar levels.
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