What Makes Blood Sugar Rise? Here are some factors that affect our blood sugar. I'm not talking about
clinical reasons, deterioration of the pancreas' ability to produce insulin, factors we might not be able to control, etc. Listed are factors that we ourselves have control over and then their expanded explanations below.
1. the food we eat, the drinks we drink
2. the amount of food we eat
3. stress and sickness (Ok, well, we can't exactly control these but maybe try to lessen them.)
4. medications we take
5. lack of exercise
6. being overweight
7. educating ourselves about
diabetes
1. Carbohydrates in food make the blood sugar rise in general. How much it rises depends on the individual. How high and for how long it rises depends on the kind and the amount of carbs eaten as well as if other food is eaten with the carbs. Nothing is simple! This is why we have to test our blood sugar afterwards to find out how we are affected. One person might be able to eat a piece of whole grain bread with lunch with negligible effect but others can't. (I can't.) The point about
carbs is that they will make your blood sugar rise, period. This means: potatoes, rice, and any food made with flour or sugar.
2. If you eat too much at a meal, so much that you feel "full", your blood sugar might rise too high simply because of how much you ate. Whereas if you had eaten only a smaller amount of the
same food, your blood sugar would have been fine. This is why spreading out your food into smaller meals throughout the day works better,
3. Stress and illness affect us in many ways, even blood sugar. Be prepared unless, of course, you're never stressed out or never sick. Right. So, please see about
the best ways for you to handle stress as it comes it. Speak with your doctor if you are overwhelmed. Illness can also make our blood sugar rise. Be sure to keep testing your blood sugar.
4. Some medicine affects the blood sugar, so make sure you know this. Prednisone is one of them. Steroid shots and oral medication also raise blood sugar very high. Check the labels or inserts. Ask the pharmacist. Some doctors may even change your diabetes medication while you are on these drugs.
5. Moving, exercising, walking, dancing help our bodies metabolize food much better which in turn helps control the blood sugar. It's good for the circulation, blood pressure, the heart, our moods, you name it. No excuses. You can march in place in your house, go up and down stairs, dance, etc. You might notice a rise of blood sugar after exercising but this is normal. It's the good long-term effects that we want.
6. Carrying excess weight can make us insulin resistant and mess up our blood sugar. Carbs make us gain weight. Many diabetics can reduce their meds simply by losing weight. It's not that easy though. The best strategy for a diabetic is to have tight control of blood sugar and this is best done by cutting way down on carbs and doing some consistent, regular, sustained exercise like walking, biking, swimming, garden work, aerobic exercises, etc.
7. We have so much more information available to us today, more than our parents' generation ever did, and better understanding of this disease. We can take better control of our health now. Just do it!
Post Edited (Lanie G) : 9/14/2017 7:03:17 PM (GMT-6)