When Your Blood Sugar Is Too High Or Too Low
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to keep your blood sugar in the range your doctor has advised, it can be too high or too low. Blood sugar that is too high or too low can make you very sick. Here's how to handle these emergencies. What You Need to Know about High Blood Sugar If your blood sugar stays over 240, it is too high. High blood sugar usually comes on slowly. It happens when you don't have enough insulin in your body. High blood sugar can happen if you miss taking your diabetes medicine, eat too much, or don't get enough exercise. Sometimes, medicines you take for other problems may cause high blood sugar. Be sure to tell your doctor about other medicines you take. This chart shows the ranges of blood sugar. Having an infection or being sick or under stress can also make your blood sugar too high. That is why it is very important to test your blood and keep taking your medicine (insulin or diabetes pills) when you have an infection or are sick. Your blood sugar may be too high if you are very thirsty and tired, have blurry vision, are losing weight fast, and have to go to the bathroom often. Very high blood sugar may make you feel sick to your stomach, faint, or throw up. It can cause you to lose too much fluid from your body. Testing your blood sugar often, especially when you are sick, will warn you that your blood sugar may be rising too high. If your blood sugar stays over 300 when you check it two times in a row, call your doctor. You may need a change in your insulin shots or diabetes pills, or a change in your meal plan. *CGM-based treatment requires fingersticks for calibration, if patient is taking acetaminophen, or if symptoms/expectations do not match CGM readings, and if not performed, may result in hypoglycemia. Please see important risk and sa Continue reading >>
The Best Time To Check Blood Glucose After A Meal
Q: I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Should I check my blood glucose two hours from when I start eating or after I finish eating my meal? A: Most of the food you consume will be digested and raises blood glucose in one to two hours. To capture the peak level of your blood glucose, it is best to test one to two hours after you start eating. The American Diabetes Association recommends a target of below 180 mg/dl two hours after a meal. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends a lower target: below 140 mg/dl two hours after a meal. Ask your doctor which target is right for you. Postmeal blood glucose monitoring (and record-keeping) is important because it helps you see how your body responds to carbohydrates in general and particular foods. Managing postmeal blood glucose can help reduce your risk of developing heart and circulation problems. Virginia Zamudio Lange, a member of Diabetic Living's editorial advisory board, is a founding partner of Alamo Diabetes Team, LLP in San Antonio. Continue reading >>
Is A Blood Sugar Level Of 124 High After Eating Lunch?
Normal Rises When you eat lunch, your body takes whatever you put into it and converts it to energy -- or stores it as fat. Carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and other starches as well as fruits, vegetables and simple sugars break down quickly and absorb into your bloodstream as glucose. From there, insulin released from the pancreas helps cells remove the glucose to use as energy. If you take in more carbohydrate than your body can immediately process, your blood sugar rises temporarily. Normally, your blood sugar two hours after eating remains below 120 mg/dl and won't exceed 140 mg/dl, an April 2002 article published in "Clinical Diabetes" explains. Diagnosing Diabetes While knowing your blood sugar a few hours after eating is useful information, because it shows how well you process glucose, your doctor normally won't use this number alone to diagnose you with diabetes. Both your fasting glucose and your glucose levels measured after ingesting a specific amount of glucose after exactly two hours are used to diagnose diabetes. A glucose level of 200 or higher two hours after ingesting a glucose solution, along with a fasting blood glucose of 126 mg/dl or higher on two separate occasions can be used to diagnose diabetes, according to the Virginia Mason Medical Center. The Influence of Foods Your body can only absorb simple sugars such as glucose. Complex carbohydrates like those found in starches must break down into easily absorbed forms of glucose, which takes time. If you eat an entire pound of jelly beans, the influx of simple sugar in the form of glucose found in jelly beans makes your blood sugar rise higher quickly. It will rise more slowly if you eat a meal high in whole grains and vegetables, which take longer to break down into simple sugars. For this reaso Continue reading >>
Blood Sugar Throughout The Day - For Normal People And Those With Diabetes
Most of us have heard the term blood sugar bandied around enough that we think we know what it means, but few of us really understand the complexity of the system that makes a steady supply of fuel available to our cells around the clock. The basic facts are these: All animals have a small amount of a simple sugar called glucose floating around in their bloodstream all the time. This simple sugar is one of two fuels that the cells of the body can burn for fuel. The other is fat. Though you may occasionally eat pure glucose--it's called "dextrose" when it is found in the list of ingredients on a U.S. food label--most of the glucose in your blood doesn't come from eating glucose. It is produced when your digestive system breaks down the larger molecules of complex sugars and starch. Sugars like those found in table sugar, corn syrup, milk and fruit and the starches found in flour, potatoes, rice, and beans all contain chains of glucose that are bonded together with other substances. During digestion, enzymes break these bonds and liberate the glucose molecules which are then absorbed into your bloodstream. How Blood Sugar is Measured Blood sugar concentrations are described using a number that describes the weight of glucose that is found in a specific volume of blood. In the U.S. that measurement is milligrams per deciliter, which is abbreviated as "mg/dl." Europeans and almost all researchers publishing in medical journals use a different measurement, micromoles per liter, abbreviated "mmol/L." You can convert any European measurements you encounter to the American standard by multiplying the mmol/L number by 18. There's a handy converter online that will do this for you automatically. You'll find it at If a blood test says that your blood sugar is 85 mg/dl this means t Continue reading >>
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Strike The Spike Ii
Dealing With High Blood Sugar After Meals Eleven years ago, I wrote an article for Diabetes Self-Management about the management of high blood sugar after meals. It was called “Strike the Spike” and no article I’ve ever written has led to greater reader response. To this day, I still receive calls, letters, and e-mails thanking me for offering practical answers to this perplexing challenge. I’ve even been asked to speak on the topic at some major conferences. So when presented with the opportunity to readdress the issue, I jumped at the chance. A lot has changed in the past eleven years: we know more than ever about the harmful effects of after-meal blood sugar spikes, but we also have a number of potent new tools and techniques for preventing them. Now that I know how important this topic is to so many people, I’ll do my absolute best to bring you up to date. What’s a spike? After-meal, or “postprandial,” spikes are temporary high blood glucose levels that occur soon after eating. It is normal for the level of glucose in the blood to rise a small amount after eating, even in people who do not have diabetes. However, if the rise is too high, it can affect your quality of life today and contribute to serious health problems down the road. The reason blood glucose tends to spike after eating in many people with diabetes is a simple matter of timing. In a person who doesn’t have diabetes, eating foods containing carbohydrate causes two important reactions in the pancreas: the immediate release of insulin into the bloodstream, and the release of a hormone called amylin. The insulin starts working almost immediately (to move glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells) and finishes its job in a matter of minutes. The amylin keeps food from reaching the sm Continue reading >>
How Long After Eating Does Blood Sugar Peak?
After consuming carbs, your blood sugar levels temporarily go up until insulin steps in to remove the extra sugar. This type of peak is a normal part of digestion. A bigger concern is how high your blood sugar goes after eating. Frequent spikes in blood sugar can lead to long-term medical problems, but you can protect your health through dietary choices. Video of the Day Two types of carbs -- sugars and starches -- are responsible for increasing your blood sugar. After you eat these carbs, digestive enzymes break them down into simple sugars, which are absorbed into your bloodstream. The pancreas responds to the influx of sugar by releasing insulin, which returns sugar levels back to normal. Blood sugar begins to rise about 20 minutes after you eat. It can peak at that time if you consumed quickly digested carbs, such as hard candy or juice. After a balanced meal containing protein, fat and fiber, blood sugar peaks about one to two hours after eating. Your blood sugar should drop back down to its lowest level two to four hours after a meal. Blood Sugar Spikes Portion sizes, the type of foods in your meal and when you eat can all influence how high and how quickly your blood sugar peaks. Carbohydrates that do not contain fiber, such as products made from processed white flour and white rice, cause high blood sugar. High-carb beverages, such as sugar-sweetened drinks, have a significant effect. Bigger portions of carbs also cause a larger spike of sugar. Starches in whole grains and beans are digested slowly, so they have a small impact. You can also keep blood sugar better balanced by eating meals at regular intervals. Glycemic Index Guidelines The glycemic index is a rating system used to show the impact of carb-containing foods on blood sugar. Carbs are assigned a scor Continue reading >>
Appointments At Mayo Clinic
I think I have reactive hypoglycemia. How can I address my symptoms? Answers from M. Regina Castro, M.D. Reactive hypoglycemia (postprandial hypoglycemia) refers to low blood sugar that occurs after a meal — usually within four hours after eating. This is different from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) that occurs while fasting. Signs and symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia may include hunger, weakness, shakiness, sleepiness, sweating, lightheadedness and anxiety. It's possible to have symptoms that are similar to reactive hypoglycemia without actually having low blood sugar. True reactive hypoglycemia symptoms that are caused by low blood sugar occurring after eating are uncommon. For the majority of people with postprandial symptoms, the actual cause of the symptoms is not clear but may relate to what food was eaten or variations in the timing of the food moving through the stomach and intestinal tract. Generally, a medical evaluation is done to determine whether symptoms are caused by low blood sugar — and whether symptoms resolve once blood sugar returns to normal. Further evaluation of reactive hypoglycemia depends on the severity of symptoms. For the majority of people, reactive hypoglycemia usually doesn't require medical treatment. It may help, however, to pay attention to the timing and composition of your meals: Eat a well-balanced diet, including lean and nonmeat sources of protein, and high-fiber foods, including whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Avoid sugary foods, especially on an empty stomach. Be sure to eat food if you're consuming alcohol, and avoid using sugary soft drinks as mixers. Eat several small meals and snacks throughout the day, no more than three hours apart during the waking hours. Most people will try to find out what dietary changes ar Continue reading >>
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 can’t make enough insulin or can’t 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. Glycemic index In the past, carbohydrates were commonly classified as being either “simple” or “complex,” and described as follows: Simple carbohydrates: These carbohydrates are composed of sugars (such as fructose and glucose) which have simple chemical structures composed of only one sugar (monosaccharides) or two sugars (disaccharides). Simple carbohydrates are easily and quickly utilized for energy by the body because of their simple chemical structure, often leading to a faster rise in blood sugar and insulin secretion from the pancreas – which can have negative health effects. Complex carbohydrates: These carbohydrates have mo Continue reading >>
Hypoglycemia
Definition The condition called hypoglycemia is literally translated as low blood sugar. Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar (or blood glucose) concentrations fall below a level necessary to properly support the body's need for energy and stability throughout its cells. Description Carbohydrates are the main dietary source of the glucose that is manufactured in the liver and absorbed into the bloodstream to fuel the body's cells and organs. Glucose concentration is controlled by hormones, primarily insulin and glucagon. Glucose concentration also is controlled by epinephrine (adrenalin) and norepinephrine, as well as growth hormone. If these regulators are not working properly, levels of blood sugar can become either excessive (as in hyperglycemia) or inadequate (as in hypoglycemia). If a person has a blood sugar level of 50 mg/dl or less, he or she is considered hypoglycemic, although glucose levels vary widely from one person to another. Hypoglycemia can occur in several ways. Drug-induced hypoglycemia Drug-induced hypoglycemia, a complication of diabetes, is the most commonly seen and most dangerous form of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia occurs most often in diabetics who must inject insulin periodically to lower their blood sugar. While other diabetics also are vulnerable to low blood sugar episodes, they have a lower risk of a serious outcome than insulin-dependant diabetics. Unless recognized and treated immediately, severe hypoglycemia in the insulin-dependent diabetic can lead to generalized convulsions followed by amnesia and unconsciousness. Death, though rare, is a possible outcome. In insulin-dependent diabetics, hypoglycemia known as an insulin reaction or insulin shock can be caused by several factors. These include overmedicating with manufactured insulin, m Continue reading >>
High Blood Sugar After Exercise?
back to Overview Markus, one of our great German-language authors, wrote about struggling with high blood sugar after exercise. I know it's a common problem, and one I've struggled with personally, so I want to make sure you get to see it, too. From Markus Berndt: It’s one of the first recommendations you get after being diagnosed with diabetes. “Get active, do more exercise, it’s good for you!” And since we’ve been a child we’ve heard that exercise is healthy. If we do it consistently we’re rewarded, literally, with an awesome beach body. Adding exercise into our day is also good for our diabetes. We’re taught that exercise lowers blood sugar, right? But can the opposite also be true? Can you have high blood sugar after exercise? Up close We now know that physical activity usually lowers blood sugar because it reduces how much insulin is needed to move sugar into the cells. While, in the past, most experts advised frequent training intervals at moderate intensity, but recent studies have shown that even short, intense workouts are very effective. For example, a 15-minute intense weight training lowered blood sugar even more than what’s seen in some endurance training. So activity lowers blood sugar – but not always! Personally, I experienced this very early on and was extremely irritated! I just learned that exercise lowers blood sugar, but an intense 45-minute run consistently resulted in higher blood sugars than when I started! What in the world? At first, I was confused and felt like I didn’t understand the world anymore. Then it was more of a “would you look at this?” kind of thing. And finally, I was determined to figure out what was happening. I knew there had to be an explanation. Why does exercise sometimes raise blood sugar? Exercise Continue reading >>
Reactive Hypoglycemia - Hypos After Eating
Tweet Reactive hypoglycemia is the general term for having a hypo after eating, which is when blood glucose levels become dangerously low following a meal. Also known as postprandial hypoglycemia, drops in blood sugar are usually recurrent and occur within four hours after eating. Reactive hypoglycemia can occur in both people with and without diabetes, and is thought to be more common in overweight individuals or those who have had gastric bypass surgery. What are the causes of reactive hypoglycemia? Scientists believe reactive hypoglycemia to be the result of too much insulin being produced and released by the pancreas following a large carbohydrate-based meal. This excess insulin production and secretion continues after the glucose derived from the meal has been digested, causing the amount of glucose in the bloodstream to fall to a lower-than-normal level. What causes this increase in pancreatic activity is unclear. One possible explanation is that in rare cases, a benign (non-cancerous) tumour in the pancreas may cause an overproduction of insulin, or too much glucose may be used up by the tumour itself. Another is that reactive hypoglycemia is caused by deficiencies in glucagon secretion. In the U.S. the National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that "the causes of most cases of reactive hypoglycemia are still open to debate". Signs and symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia Symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia can include: Anxiety Blurred vision Confusion Fatigue Headaches Heart palpitations Increased hunger Irritability Light-headedness Sleeping problems Sweating Weakness When talking about the signs of reactive hypoglycemia, it's important to note that many of these symptoms can be experienced without actually having low blood sugar. In fact, it is rare for such sympt Continue reading >>
When To Test Blood Sugar After Meals
For some reason the past week brought me a bunch of emails all asking the same question: Are we supposed to test our blood sugar one hour after we start or end a meal? As is true with everything involving diabetes the answer is not simple due to variations in individual blood sugar responses. The reason we test one hour after a meals is to learn how high our blood sugar goes in response to the specific meal. So we want to be testing at the moment when our blood sugar is at its peak. Studies tell us something about the average time it takes for the carbohydrate in our food to turn into blood sugar (carbohydrates are the main nutrient that causes elevated blood sugars). Such studies suggest that most Americans who eat our meals fairly quickly will see a peak somewhere between one hour and seventy-five minutes after we start eating. But because studies only come up with averages, they don't take into account individual variations--and you are, of course, an individual. And when we move from group averages to individual response we learn that when the blood sugar peak occurs depends on a multitude of factors that include how fast we eat our meals, how much we eat at each meal, how tightly bound the glucose is in the carbohydrates we eat, and how efficient our digestive system is at digesting the carbohydrate bound in our food. That explains why the same meal consumed at the same time by two different people may peak at different times--and why I can't tell you exactly when to test. That's why you might try varying the time at which you test a carefully chosen test meal to see if your personal peak is later than average. Choose a simple meal that contains a known quantity of carbohydrate--a single measured portion of something rather than a meal where you have to guess what Continue reading >>
How Food Affects Your Blood Sugar
Thinkstock Q: How long after eating does food affect your blood sugar? When is the best time to test my blood sugar in relation to meals? A: Food is the number one reason for fluctuations in blood sugar, or glucose. Usually, food raises blood sugar while alcohol may lower blood sugar. Depending on what you are eating, blood sugar can rise beyond 300 mg/dl if the food contains sugar or simple carbohydrates. For example, milk and juices are used medically to correct hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, because they can quickly raise sugars after only drinking 3 to 4 ounces. If you are curious about what a particular food or a meal does to your blood sugar, check your glucose level just before you eat, and then check it again two hours after finishing your meal. The American Diabetes Association recommends that a safe postprandial sugar level should not exceed 180 mg/dl. If the sugar is higher than 180 mg/dl and you are taking insulin or medication, you may need to take a higher dose before eating that same meal again or adjust the meal — either by eating less or reducing the carb content. For people diagnosed with diabetes, it’s very easy to become obsessive about blood sugars and be tempted to check them multiple times throughout the day. But that’s usually not necessary. For example, someone who takes short- or rapid-acting insulin before meals should check sugars before each meal to decide how much to take, and then again at bedtime, which will help their healthcare provider know whether to adjust the daily dose of long-acting insulin. When monitoring blood sugar around meals, remember to check it right before the meal and then two hours after eating. Almost everyone — with or without diabetes — may have a high blood sugar while eating or right afterwards, which Continue reading >>
Nondiabetic Hypoglycemia
What is non-diabetic hypoglycemia? Hypoglycemia is the condition when your blood glucose (sugar) levels are too low. It happens to people with diabetes when they have a mismatch of medicine, food, and/or exercise. Non-diabetic hypoglycemia, a rare condition, is low blood glucose in people who do not have diabetes. There are two kinds of non-diabetic hypoglycemia: Reactive hypoglycemia, which happens within a few hours of eating a meal Fasting hypoglycemia, which may be related to a disease Glucose is the main source of energy for your body and brain. It comes from what we eat and drink. Insulin, a hormone, helps keep blood glucose at normal levels so your body can work properly. Insulin’s job is to help glucose enter your cells where it’s used for energy. If your glucose level is too low, you might not feel well. What causes non-diabetic hypoglycemia? The two kinds of non-diabetic hypoglycemia have different causes. Researchers are still studying the causes of reactive hypoglycemia. They know, however, that it comes from having too much insulin in the blood, leading to low blood glucose levels. Types of nondiabetic hypoglycemia Reactive hypoglycemia Having pre-diabetes or being at risk for diabetes, which can lead to trouble making the right amount of insulin Stomach surgery, which can make food pass too quickly into your small intestine Rare enzyme deficiencies that make it hard for your body to break down food Fasting hypoglycemia Medicines, such as salicylates (such as aspirin), sulfa drugs (an antibiotic), pentamidine (to treat a serious kind of pneumonia), quinine (to treat malaria) Alcohol, especially with binge drinking Serious illnesses, such as those affecting the liver, heart, or kidneys Low levels of certain hormones, such as cortisol, growth hormone, glu Continue reading >>
13 Ways To Lower After-meal Blood Sugars
Learning to lower your post-meal blood sugars is a proven way to feel better and reduce your risk of diabetes complications, explained Gary Scheiner in last week’s “Strike the Spike” program at the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) conference in Philadelphia. As AADE’s Educator of the Year, founder of Integrated Diabetes and long-time type 1, he knows what he is talking about. Today, we will review the strategies that he shared in that program. These fall into two broad categories: slowing down your food and speeding up your insulin. Although it wasn’t mentioned, a thirteenth strategy is of course to eat fewer total carbohydrates during a meal. How Big Is Your Spike? Most people are taught to test their blood sugars two hours after meals. However, this probably doesn’t tell you how high your blood sugars go. When you eat a meal, most people experience their highest blood sugar one hour and twenty minutes after they eat. So Scheiner recommends testing one hour after the end of the meal. What should your goals be? Here are some recommendations from the major diabetes associations: American Diabetes Association – under 180 mg (10 mmol) at 1 to 2 hours after the meal American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists – under 140 mg (7.7 mmol) at peak European Diabetes Policy Group – under 165 (9.2 mmol) at peak In practice, these targets are not very realistic. For those with type 1 diabetes, one study found that only 10% of post-meal blood sugars were below 180 mg (10 mmol). So in practice, Gary talked about the importance of individual targets. For example, he has found that a realistic target for children is striving for a rise under 100 points (5.5 mmol). Talk to your doctor about an appropriate goal for your age and health. Slow Down Yo Continue reading >>
