When To Check Your Blood Sugar
Your diabetes treatment and self-management plan will determine how often and when to check your blood sugar levels. How Often to Test Check your blood sugar levels when you need information to make decisions. How you use the information from testing is more important than how often you test. Whatever you decide is the best testing schedule for you, be sure you have a plan for what to do with the information from your tests. Many people find it helpful to check their blood sugar when they first wake up in the morning and again before their evening meal or going to bed. Others test before or after each meal. Many people test before and after exercising. In general, most people test at least 1 time a day if they: Manage diabetes by diet and exercise only Take diabetes pills Take 1 to 2 insulin shots a day People test 4 to 6 times a day when they: Take more than 2 insulin shots a day Start to have very high or very low blood sugar readings Are pregnant Use an insulin pump Are under more stress than usual Are sick Have changed their routine When to Test Testing at different times of the day can give you different information about how your diabetes care plan is working. First thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything. This will tell you whether you have enough insulin in your body to control blood sugar levels at night, while you're asleep. Before each meal. This will help you make decisions about how much medicine to take and how much food to eat. After meals and before bedtime. This can tell you if you're taking enough medicine to cover the food you eat during the day and whether you're making the right food choices. Before certain activities, such as driving or using any kind of machine. This will let you know if your blood sugar is in a normal range. If y Continue reading >>
It’s 3 Am. Do You Know What Your Blood Glucose Is?
The other night, I woke up at 1:20 AM, 10 minutes before my alarm was scheduled to go off. I’d set the alarm for 1:30 because, as I got ready for bed two hours earlier, I checked my blood glucose and got a reading of 79 mg/dl. Not too low and not dangerous. At least, not really. You see, earlier that night I had a pretty intense workout at the gym, and as I mentioned in last week’s entry (“What Causes Stress and Relieves It at the Same Time?”), I’m still not certain about when my “second lows” happen. I do know that I continue to burn more sugar than usual for several hours after I work out, and I knew that I needed to do something to bring my blood glucose up around 120 mg/dl, especially since, even on a nonexercise night, I wouldn’t intentionally fall asleep with a reading in the 70’s or 80’s. In fact, I fear any reading lower than the century mark at bedtime. So after drinking a glass of skim milk (12 grams of carbohydrate) mixed with a scoop of some powdered Slim-Fast (18 g/c), I regained confidence in my ability to avoid “nocturnal hypoglycemia.” But, just in case, I set my alarm for 1:30 so that I could wake up and check again, to make sure I wouldn’t go low. And, as I said, I woke up at 1:20, which is when I should have checked my blood glucose. Instead, I rolled over, turned off the alarm, and then pretty quickly the warm comforter overpowered my good intentions and sucked me back in. I did that thing, that stupid thing, where, half-awake, I lay in bed but could’ve sworn I was down in the kitchen going through the motions with the test kit. Ahh, the dream-imagined blood glucose reading! I can’t remember the numbers I created for that reading, but what I did—going back to sleep without checking—was stupid. When I know I need to c Continue reading >>
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Is It Safe To Go To Sleep With High Or Low Blood Sugar?
Those with diabetes must always be aware of their blood glucose levels. This includes being aware of what might happen to your levels while sleeping. Hypoglycemia Nighttime hypoglycemia is generally defined as having a blood glucose reading lower than 72 mg/dl. Without treatment, that level could continue to slip; if it reaches 40 mg/dl or below, the person could slip into a coma. Possible Causes Suppose you are having a late dinner. You take your insulin bolus beforehand, and have your meal. Later, at bedtime, your glucose count is right where you want it to be, at 121 mg/dl. That means the injection did what it was supposed to do, to cover your meal. However, that bolus you took works for as long as five or six hours. Now it’s 2 am and your sugar is still dropping, even though you’re sleeping. Or maybe you had some alcohol during the evening. Your liver is busy clearing out the alcohol and a lot less focused on producing glucose. Late night at the gym? A walk after supper? Exercise can temporarily raise glucose levels for hours, leaving you with good bedtime numbers, only to have them fall later in the night. Symptoms and Solutions Symptoms of hypoglycemia – shaking, sweating, chills and clamminess, lightheadedness or dizziness, blurred vision – might not be felt by someone who is asleep. Sometimes if hypoglycemia comes on during sleep the patient might cry out or have nightmares, but not always. Doctors at Joslin Diabetes Center recommend that your blood glucose reading at bedtime should be at least 140 mg/dl. If you are wearing an insulin pump, and you feel you might be at some risk of low overnight readings, then adjust the pump to deliver less basal insulin though the night. You can also consider consuming a healthy snack just before bedtime. If this is a Continue reading >>
Understanding Diabetes
This information describes diabetes, the complications related to the disease, and how you can prevent these complications. Blood Sugar Control Diabetes is a disease where the blood sugar runs too high, usually due to not enough insulin. It can cause terrible long-term complications if it is not treated properly. The most common serious complications are blindness ("retinopathy"), kidney failure requiring dependence on a dialysis machine to stay alive ("nephropathy"), and foot and leg amputations. The good news is that these complications can almost always be prevented if you keep your blood sugar near the normal range. The best way to keep blood sugar low is to eat a healthy diet and do regular exercise. Just 20 minutes of walking 4 or 5 times a week can do wonders for lowering blood sugar. Eating a healthy diet is also very important. Do your best to limit the number of calories you eat each day. Put smaller portions of food on your plate and eat more slowly so that your body has a chance to let you know when it's had enough to eat. It is also very important to limit saturated fats in your diet. Read food labels carefully to see which foods are high in saturated fats. Particular foods to cut down on are: whole milk and 2% milk, cheese, ice cream, fast foods, butter, bacon, sausage, beef, chicken with the skin on (skinless chicken is fine), doughnuts, cookies, chocolate, and nuts. Often, diet and exercise alone are not enough to control blood sugar. In this case, medicine is needed to bring the blood sugar down further. Often pills are enough, but sometimes insulin injections are needed. If medicines to lower blood sugar are started, it is still very important to keep doing regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. Keeping Track of Blood Sugar Checking blood sugar wi Continue reading >>
10 Things To Consider If Your Blood Sugar Is High
I just read Catherine’s piece about a series of pump and insulin failures (It’s great! Read it!), and I had to shake my head in that oh-I-so-feel-you way. I’m going on nearly two decades as a diabetic now, but Friday night was a first for me, and one of the worst blood sugar nights I have ever had. I had been trending insulin resistant for a few days — requiring on average about 22 units of insulin per day rather than the standard 14 or 15. This was not too surprising, as — well, I suppose I meant to write a piece announcing this, but it hasn’t happened yet, so here goes nothing– I’m pregnant, and the hormonal ups and downs lead to periodic changes in insulin requirements. Still, heading into Friday night, my insulin behaved like water, and I was just pumping it in with relatively little return on investment. By the evening, I had used some 25 units for the day. Now, being pregnant, hyperglycemia is my bogeyman. Hyperglycemia is bad bad bad. And not just standard, over 200 hyperglycemia. I now begin to panic when I hit 130 mg/dL. So before bed, when I began to climb to 120, 130, I bolused excessively and walked in circles, trying to bring myself back down. I stayed up for an extra hour, waiting, walking, bolusing. Finally I was closer to 100 mg/dL, and went to bed, annoyed to have had to stay awake longer than desired. To my chagrin, not an hour later, my CGM woke me up with its buzzing: HIGH. I cursed, got out of bed, measured myself. 139 mg/dL. Damn you, diabetes. Under normal, non-pregnant circumstances, I would bolus and go back to bed. Now, the risk of going up is too high, and I want to make sure I go down first. I left the bedroom, and proceeded to walk and bolus and wait and walk and bolus and wait and watch lame Netflix movies. Cursing diabetes Continue reading >>
Why Blood Sugar Levels Rise Overnight
get the scoop When you go to bed, your blood sugar reading is 110, but when you wake up in the morning, it has shot up to 150. Why does this happen? To understand how blood sugar levels can rise overnight without your eating anything, we have to look at where glucose comes from — and where it goes — while we sleep. During the day, the carbohydrates we eat are digested into glucose and absorbed into the bloodstream. Some of this glucose goes to the liver, where it is stored for later use. At night, while we are asleep, the liver releases glucose into the bloodstream. The liver acts as our glucose warehouse and keeps us supplied until we eat breakfast. The amount of glucose being used is matched by the amount of glucose being released by the liver, so blood sugar levels should remain constant. what is the dawn phenomenon? A rise in blood sugar level between approximately 3 A.M. and the time you wake up is called the “dawn phenomenon.” The liver is supposed to release just enough glucose to replace what is being used, and insulin works as the messenger to tell the liver how much is enough. But if there's not enough insulin (as with type 1 diabetes), or if there's enough insulin but it cannot communicate its message to the liver (as with type 2 diabetes), the liver starts to release glucose much too quickly. In addition, levels of hormones such as cortisol begin to increase in the early morning hours, which can contribute to altered insulin sensitivity. The result? Blood sugar levels rise. This is why blood sugar levels can go up between the time you go to bed and the time you wake up. what can you do about it? You might be able to make changes in the timing of your meals, medications, or insulin injections to help prevent dawn phenomenon. First, keep a detailed rec Continue reading >>
Managing Your Blood Sugar
Know the basic steps for managing your diabetes. Poorly managed diabetes can lead to many health problems. Know how to: Monitor your blood sugar (glucose) Find, buy, and store diabetes supplies If you take insulin, you should also know how to: Give yourself insulin Adjust your insulin doses and the foods you eat to manage your blood sugar during exercise and on sick days You should also live a healthy lifestyle. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Do muscle strengthening exercises 2 or more days a week. Avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time. Try speed walking, swimming, or dancing. Pick an activity you enjoy. Always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise plans. Follow your meal plan. Take your medicines the way your health care provider recommends. Checking your blood sugar levels often and writing down the results will tell you how well you are managing your diabetes. Talk to your doctor and diabetes educator about how often you should check your blood sugar. Not everyone with diabetes needs to check their blood sugar every day. But some people may need to check it many times a day. If you have type 1 diabetes, check your blood sugar at least 4 times a day. Usually, you will test your blood sugar before meals and at bedtime. You may also check your blood sugar: After you eat out, especially if you have eaten foods you don't normally eat If you feel sick Before and after you exercise If you have a lot of stress If you eat too much If you are taking new medicines Keep a record for yourself and your provider. This will be a big help if you are having problems managing your diabetes. It will also tell you what works and what doesn't work, to keep your blood sugar under control. Write down: The time of day Your blood sugar level Th Continue reading >>
Why Is Blood Sugar High In The Morning?
Here you'll find info about why blood sugar is high in the morning, along with tips and resources to lower those numbers! A while back I had a client sending me her blood sugar charts every few days and on those charts she always made some notes if she had questions. Every time she sent them through, I noticed she had 3 big question marks (???) against her morning blood sugar results. And on another morning when her morning blood sugar levels were high at 160 mg/dl (or 8.9 mmol/l). She had written: I don't understand. 97 mg/dl (or 5.5mmol/l) last night when I went to sleep. I didn't eat anything because I didn't feel well. Humm… I was also over in one of the online diabetes groups I'm involved in today and this message popped up. I'm struggling with my morning BS number. When I went to bed around 11PM my BS was 107. I'm waking up with my BS between 120 – 135. I did put two pieces of string cheese next to my bed and when I woke up around 3am, I ate one. Since I was told to eat protein at night. When I woke up 3 hours later my BS was 130. I didn't want to eat anything large since it's so close to 140 (my goal is to keep it below 140). So I had 1 piece of toast (sugar free wheat bread) and just a tiny bit of peanut butter. I checked it an hour later and it was 161! What am I doing wrong? Do these morning situations sound familiar to you? Are you constantly questioning: Why is blood sugar high in the morning? I mean, logically we'd think that it should be at it's lowest in the morning right? Well don't panic, there is a reason for it, so let's explore why morning blood sugar is often higher. And at the end, I'll also point you toward some resources to help you lower those levels. Why Is Blood Sugar High In The Morning? Although it would seem logical that your body would Continue reading >>
![[a Dietitian’s] 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Before Bed](https://diabetestalk.net/images/zZCdlakXTmGcYiOe.jpg)
[a Dietitian’s] 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Before Bed
It’s three hours past dinner and you’re getting ready for bed, when you feel the familiar grumble in your tummy. You’ve been told over and over again that eating before bed will make you fat; that eating before bed provides unnecessary calories; that you shouldn’t eat after [insert time here]. Conventional wisdom says that food will sit in your stomach all night long, which will result in packing on the pounds. Word to the unconventionally wise: Don’t fall for it! These are myths, and not only will eating the right type of bedtime snack not make you fat, it will actually boost your metabolism (Get my (FREE) guide for more ways to do THAT), and a bedtime snack can bring you closer to your weight and overall wellness goals by keeping your blood sugar levels stable. So, don’t push through that hungry feeling and go to bed on an empty stomach, and even if you’re not hungry, it’s still important to eat a snack to reap the health benefits! Before you go accusing me of insanity, read these five reasons you absolutely should eat a balanced bedtime snack—even if you’re not hungry! 1. Eating a snack before bed can promote weight loss. Yup, you read that correctly! We’ve been falsely told that a bedtime snack is simply extra calories (read my post on why I HATE calories here!). There’s a huge problem with this outdated theory: Weight loss cannot be simplified to an equation of calories in and calories burned. If this were true, you could be drinking all the diet soda and eating all the 100-calorie cookie snack packs you wanted as long as you hit the gym often enough (ugh, I’m feeling sick just thinking about that…but I used to fall for this too (read about how low-fat foods OWNED me and how they made me gain weight.). You see, general health and weight Continue reading >>
Tips For Managing Nighttime Hypoglycemia
Many people with diabetes (both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes) experience hypoglycemia while sleeping—this is called a nighttime low (as in low blood glucose level). Many factors contribute to nighttime hypoglycemia. Being familiar with the causes will help you understand the signs and take steps to prevent nighttime lows. Episodes of hypoglycemia can be uncomfortable and frightening. Severe hypoglycemia can cause seizures and be life-threatening so it's important to recognize the problem and respond appropriately.Read on for tips to help you prevent hypoglycemia. Recognizing the Signs Shakiness and irregular heartbeats can be a sign of approaching hypoglycemia. Symptoms can develop when blood sugar drops below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). Eating dinner much later than you normally do, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or having an unusually active day can contribute to the condition. Sometimes exercising too close to bedtime can trigger it, too. Experts say it's best to avoid exercising within two hours of bedtime. If you frequently wake up with symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as a headache, nausea, restlessness, dry mouth, light-headedness, or sweating, start testing your blood glucose level as soon as you get out of bed. If it's low in the morning on a regular basis —below 70 mg/dL— you and your doctor should take steps to stop the nighttime hypoglycemia.Not everyone experiences symptoms so it's possible (and potentially dangerous) to ignore the problem. To avoid what is known as "hypoglycemia unawareness" routine checking of levels at night and in the morning is vital. Strategies for Preventing Nighttime Hypoglycemia To reduce the risk of nighttime hypoglycemia, you need to come up with a way of ensuring you have more glucose in your body duri Continue reading >>
Yes, Eating Before Bed Affects Your Sleep
Is late night snacking healthy for you? Eating before bed and eating late at night — a large dinner or something small to snack on while watching your favorite TV show — may help you fall asleep but can affect your overall metabolism and ultimately create stress inside the body. When blood sugar crashes in the middle of the night, cortisol levels rise, and melatonin production diminishes. What Does the Sun Have to Do with Metabolism? During the dark hours of the night, a hormone called norepinephrine is released. It tells the brain to make melatonin. Think of melatonin as the chemical that dominates sleep cycles. Eating before bed will cause your blood sugar to spike and crash before you even wake up. This blood sugar crash will put stress on the body, weaken the digestive system, and lead to adrenal exhaustion. Body Ecology Ancient Earth Minerals is designed to nourish the adrenals, and it also contains magnesium as a natural sleep aid. A couple of things need to be in place for the production of melatonin: Norepinephrine is one essential element necessary for melatonin production. Actual darkness is needed for norepinephrine release and for melatonin production. This means that bright lights, including the light from a television, can inhibit this process. Excess of cortisol, a chemical tied to stress, will also inhibit the release of norepinephrine and the production of melatonin. Melatonin and cortisol have an inverse relationship. When cortisol is high, melatonin will be low. Likewise, when cortisol is low, melatonin will be high. We already know by now that stress has an important relationship with sleep — more stress equals less quality sleep, in most cases. Clayton Sleep Institute researchers discovered in 2009 a “bidirectional relationship” between ch Continue reading >>
Blood Glucose Levels
What is the blood sugar level? The blood sugar level is the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It is also known as plasma glucose level. It is expressed as millimoles per litre (mmol/l). Normally blood glucose levels stay within narrow limits throughout the day: 4 to 8mmol/l. But they are higher after meals and usually lowest in the morning. In diabetes the blood sugar level moves outside these limits until treated. Even with good control of diabetes, the blood sugar level will still at times drift outside this normal range. Why control blood sugar levels? When very high levels of blood glucose are present for years, it leads to damage of the small blood vessels. This in turn increases your risk of developing late-stage diabetes complications including: With type 1 diabetes, these complications may start to appear 10 to 15 years after diagnosis. They frequently appear less than 10 years after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, because this type of diabetes is often present for years before it is recognised. By keeping the blood sugar level stable, you significantly reduce your risk of these complications. How can I measure blood sugar levels? Home testing kits come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A pharmacist or the diabetes clinic nurse can advise you about the best model. You can usually obtain a blood glucose meter at little or no cost via the diabetes clinic. Testing strips are available on NHS prescription. You can learn to measure blood sugar levels simply and quickly with a home blood glucose level testing kit. All kits have at least two things: a measuring device (a 'meter') and a strip. To check your blood sugar level, put a small amount of blood on the strip. Now place the strip into the device. Within 30 seconds it will display the blood glucose level. The Continue reading >>
What Should My Blood Glucose Levels Be?
Everybody is different, and everybody's blood glucose management will be different, so it's important to check with your doctor about the levels you should aim for. But, there are general blood glucose ranges that you can use as guidelines. Blood-glucose levels are measured in units called mmol/L (pronounced milli-moles-per-litre). The ideal ranges are: Before meals: 4-7 mmol/L Two hours after meals: 8-9 mmol/L At bedtime: 6-10 mmol/L You may need to consult your doctor and change your treatment plan if: Blood glucose is consistently lower than 4 mmol/L or higher than 10 mmol/L before meals Blood glucose is consistently lower than 6 mmol/L or higher than 12 mmol/L at bedtime Blood glucose goals may be modified for children and others who are at greater risk of hypoglycaemia In the US blood glucose levels are measured in mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter). That’s why you’ll occasionally read about blood glucose readings that seem very high, like 140 or 220. To convert the American scores back to mmol/L, just divide the number by 18. How often should I be checking my blood glucose levels? Checking the level of glucose in your blood and keeping a record of the levels is an important part of taking care of your type 1 diabetes. This allows you to identify the patterns of high or low blood glucose levels. The information will also help you and your doctor or diabetes team to balance food, exercise and insulin doses. Ideally you should aim to do at least four blood glucose checks a day, although some people do many more. To get the most out of monitoring, your healthcare team may advise you to check your blood glucose levels before and then two to three hours after food. It’s also a good idea to monitor before, during and after exercise. If your blood glucose level is hig Continue reading >>
Proven Tips & Strategies To Bring High Blood Sugar Down (quickly)
Untreated, high blood sugar can cause many problems and future complications. Recognizing signs of high blood sugar levels and knowing how to lower them can help you prevent these complications and increase the quality and length of your life. Topics covered (click to jump to specific section) High blood sugar level symptoms and signs Symptoms of high blood sugar include: Increased thirst Tired all the time Irritability Increased hunger Urinating a lot Dry mouth Blurred vision Severe high blood sugar can lead to nausea and fruity smelling breath The signs and symptoms for high blood sugar are the same for both type 1 and type 2. Signs usually show up quicker in those who have type 1 because of the nature of their diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to stop making insulin altogether. Type 2 is caused by lifestyle factors when the body eventually stops responding to insulin, which causes the sugar to increase slowly. People with type 2 can live longer without any symptoms creeping because their body is still making enough insulin to help control it a little bit. What causes the blood sugar levels go to high? Our bodies need sugar to make energy for the cells. Without it, we cannot do basic functions. When we eat foods with glucose, insulin pairs with it to allow it to enter into the cell wall. If the insulin is not there, then the glucose molecule can’t get through the wall and cannot be used. The extra glucose hangs out in the bloodstream which is literally high blood sugar. The lack of insulin can be caused by two different things. First, you can have decreased insulin resistance which means that your insulin doesn’t react the way that it is supposed to. It doesn’t partner with glucose to be used as fuel. Secondly, you can have no insuli Continue reading >>
What Are The Ideal Levels Of Blood Sugar?
A blood sugar or blood glucose chart identifies ideal blood sugar levels throughout the day, including before and after meals. Doctors use blood sugar charts to set target goals and monitor diabetes treatment plans. Blood sugar charts also help those with diabetes assess and self-monitor blood sugar test results. What is a blood sugar chart? Blood sugar charts act as a reference guide for blood sugar test results. As such, blood sugar charts are important tools for diabetes management. Most diabetes treatment plans involve keeping blood sugar levels as close to normal or target goals as possible. This requires frequent at-home and doctor-ordered testing, along with an understanding of how results compare to target levels. To help interpret and assess blood sugar results, the charts outline normal and abnormal blood sugar levels for those with and without diabetes. In the United States, blood sugar charts typically report sugar levels in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). In the United Kingdom and many other countries, blood sugar is reported in millimoles per liter (mmol/L). A1C blood sugar recommendations are frequently included in blood sugar charts. A1C results are often described as both a percentage and an average blood sugar level in mg/dL. An A1C test measures the average sugar levels over a 3-month period, which gives a wider insight into a person's overall management of their blood sugar levels. Blood sugar chart guidelines Appropriate blood sugar levels vary throughout the day and from person to person. Blood sugars are often lowest before breakfast and in the lead up to meals. Blood sugars are often highest in the hours following meals. People with diabetes will often have higher blood sugar targets or acceptable ranges than those without the condition. These Continue reading >>
