Best Life Everyday

***How to Recognize and Manage a Blood Sugar Spike***
Blood sugar spikes occur when glucose, a simple sugar, builds up in the bloodstream. For people with diabetes, this happens because of the body’s inability to properly use glucose.

***What is high blood sugar?***
Most of the food you eat is broken down into glucose. Your body needs glucose because it’s the primary fuel that makes your muscles, organs, and brain work properly. But glucose can’t be used as fuel until it enters your cells.

Insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, unlocks cells so glucose can enter them. Without insulin, that glucose keeps floating around in your bloodstream with nowhere to go. It can become increasingly more concentrated over time.

When glucose builds up in your bloodstream, your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels rise. Over time, this can cause damage to organs, nerves, and blood vessels.

Blood sugar spikes occur in people with diabetes because their bodies are unable to use insulin effectively.

Keep reading to learn about the symptoms, causes, and treatment of blood sugar spikes.

***Symptoms of high blood sugar***
Learning to recognize the symptoms of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) can help you successfully manage your diabetes.

Some people with diabetes immediately feel the symptoms of high blood sugar. Others don’t because their symptoms are mild or vague.

Symptoms of hyperglycemia typically begin when your blood glucose goes above 250 milligramsTrusted Source per deciliter (mg/dL). Symptoms can worsen the longer it’s untreated.

Symptoms of a blood sugar spike may include:
frequent urination
fatigue
increased thirst
blurred vision
headache

***What is a blood sugar spike?***
A blood sugar spike happens when glucose builds up in the bloodstream and your blood sugar levels increase. This may happen after eating.

It’s important to know the early symptoms of high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Early testing and treatment can help prevent more severe symptoms.

Early signs of high blood sugar can include:
feeling thirsty
having a very dry mouth
urinating frequently
having blurred vision

If you suspect that you have high blood sugar, you can perform a finger stick to check your level.

Exercising and drinking water after eating, particularly if you’ve consumed a lot of starchy carbs, can help lower your blood sugar.
You can also use an insulin injection, but be careful to only use this method while closely following the recommendation of a doctor regarding your dose. If used improperly, insulin can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

If your blood sugar stays elevated for too long, you may develop diabetic ketoacidosis.

***Ketoacidosis and ketosis***
If high blood sugar levels go untreated for too long, glucose will build up in your bloodstream and your cells will be starved for fuel. Your cells will use fat for fuel instead.

When your cells use fat instead of glucose, the process produces a byproduct called ketones:

People with diabetes can develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially deadly condition that causes the blood to become too acidic. Because of poorly functioning insulin in people with diabetes, ketone levels aren’t kept in check and can rise to dangerous levels very quickly. DKA can result in diabetic coma or death.

People without diabetes can tolerate certain levels of ketones in the blood. This state is known as ketosis. They do not go on to develop ketoacidosis because their bodies are still able to use glucose and insulin properly. Properly functioning insulin helps keep the body’s ketones levels stable.

***How Does Eating Affect Your Blood Sugar?***
What is blood sugar?

Blood sugar, also known as blood glucose, comes from the food you eat. Your body creates blood sugar by digesting some food into a sugar that circulates in your bloodstream.

Blood sugar is used for energy. The sugar that isn’t needed to fuel your body right away gets stored in cells for later use.

Too much sugar in your blood can be harmful. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that’s characterized by having higher levels of blood sugar than what’s considered within normal limits.

Unmanaged diabetes can lead to problems with your heart, kidneys, eyes, and blood vessels.

The more you know about how eating affects blood sugar, the better you can protect yourself against diabetes. If you already have diabetes, it’s important to know how eating affects blood sugar.
Your body breaks down everything you eat and absorbs the food in its different parts. These parts include:

carbohydrates
proteins
fats
vitamins and other nutrients
The carbohydrates you consume turn into blood sugar. The more carbohydrates you eat, the higher the levels of sugar you’ll have released as you digest and absorb your food.

Carbohydrates in liquid form consumed by themselves are absorbed more quickly than those in solid food. So having a soda will cause a faster rise in your blood sugar levels than eating a slice of pizza.

Fiber is one component of carbohydrates that isn’t converted into sugar. This is because it can’t be digested. Fiber is important for health, though.
Protein, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals don’t contain carbohydrates. Carbohydrates have the greatest impact on blood glucose levels.

If you have diabetes, your carbohydrate intake is the most important part of your diet to consider when it comes to managing your blood sugar levels.

***High-carbohydrate foods***

The foods that generate the biggest spike in your blood sugar are those that are high in processed carbohydrates. These foods include:

white grain products, such as pasta and rice
cookies
white bread
cold processed cereals
sugared drinks
If you’re watching your carbohydrate intake, you don’t have to avoid these foods. Instead, you’ll need to be careful about portion size and substitute with whole grains when possible. The more food you eat, the greater the amount of sugar you’ll absorb.

Eating mixed meals is helpful. Protein, fat, and fiber help slow down the digestion of carbohydrates. This will help reduce spikes in blood sugar after meals.

How often you eat during the day is also important. Try to keep your blood sugar levels consistent by eating every 3 to 5 hours. Three nutritious meals a day plus a couple of healthful snacks can usually keep your blood sugar steady.

If you have diabetes, your doctor may recommend the amount of carbohydrates you can have for meals and snacks. You may also work with a dietitian familiar with diabetes who can help plan your meals.

Your health, age, and activity level all play a part in setting your dietary guidelines.

***Exercise and blood sugar***
Exercise can have a big effect on your blood sugar levels because blood sugar is used for energy. When you use your muscles, your cells absorb sugar from the blood for energy.

Depending on the intensity or duration of exercise, physical activity can help lower your blood sugar for many hours after you stop moving.

If you exercise regularly, the cells in your body may be more sensitive to insulin. This will help keep blood sugar levels within normal ranges.

***Insulin and blood sugar***
Insulin is an important hormone that helps regulate your blood sugar levels. The pancreas makes insulin. It helps control your blood sugar levels by assisting the cells that absorb sugar from the bloodstream.

If you have type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin. This means you have to inject insulin every day.

If diet and exercise aren’t enough to manage blood sugar, those with type 2 diabetes may be prescribed medications to help keep blood sugar levels within target ranges.

If you have type 2 diabetes, your body produces insulin, but may not use it properly or produce enough of it. Your cells don’t respond to insulin, so more sugar keeps circulating in the blood.
Exercise can help the cells respond better and be more sensitive to insulin. The proper diet can also help you avoid spikes in blood sugar. This can help keep your pancreas functioning well since high blood sugar levels decrease pancreatic function.

***Knowing blood sugar levels*
If you have diabetes, the frequency of testing your blood glucose level depends on your treatment plan, so follow your doctor’s advice on the appropriate times for you.

Common times to check are in the morning, before and after meals, before and after exercise, at bedtime, and if you feel sick. Some people may not need to check their blood sugar daily.
What you eat and what you do for physical activity affect your blood sugar. But there’s no way to know what effect they have unless you test your blood sugar.

Blood glucose meters are used to test blood sugar levels so you can see if your levels are within the target range. Your doctor will also work with you on your individualized range.

***Watch what you eat***
Carbohydrates are the component in food that affects blood sugar the most. It’s not the only component that provides calories. Foods also contain proteins and fats, which provide calories.

If you consume more calories than you burn in a day, those calories will be converted into fat and stored in your body.

The more weight you gain, the less sensitive your body becomes to insulin. As a result, your blood sugar levels can rise.

In general, you want to avoid or minimize your intake of sweetened beverages and foods that are highly processed and high in carbohydrates and unhealthy fat, and low in healthy nutrients.
For example, a brownie may have as many carbohydrates as a banana, but the fruit also has fiber, potassium, and vitamins your body needs. Brownies don’t have those benefits.

If you have diabetes or you’ve been told you have high blood sugar levels, talk with your doctor or a dietitian about what you can do to eat smarter and healthier.