This content originally appeared on On a regular basis Health. Republished with permission.
By K. Aleisha Fetters
Medically Reviewed by Kacy Church, MD
For those who’re living with type 2 diabetes, your doctor has probably told you time and time again that maintaining control over your blood sugar is important.
“Controlling blood sugar is vital for 2 predominant reasons,” says Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES, a licensed personal trainer in Prescott, Arizona, and a medical reviewer for On a regular basis Health. “On a day-to-day basis, people just feel higher when their blood sugar stays in a healthy range. Over the long run, it’s the most effective thing you possibly can do to forestall complications of diabetes from occurring.”
Diabetes complications include nerve damage, kidney disease, skin conditions, eye damage, heart disease, and stroke, in accordance with the Mayo Clinic.
Certainly one of the predominant and most steadily discussed contributors to high blood sugar is a weight loss plan too wealthy in carbohydrates, which, once digested, turn into sugar (glucose). Certain high-carb foods (for instance, white bread, white-flour pasta, sugary drinks, and french fries) are amongst probably the most common foods that spike blood sugar, she explains.
RELATED: 10 Foods to Avoid When You Have Type 2 Diabetes
“Many individuals with diabetes also get into trouble with processed foods, which have added sugars they might not learn about,” says Gregory Dodell, MD, an assistant clinical professor of endocrinology on the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in Recent York City. The excellent news is that by sticking to a diabetes-friendly weight loss plan, incorporating physical activity into your day, taking medication (if really useful by your doctor), and recurrently monitoring your blood sugar levels, you possibly can gain higher control over type 2 diabetes.
There are some triggers of high blood sugar, nevertheless, which can be out of your control or can sneak up on you. Such triggers could make it difficult to administer blood sugar levels even once you think you’re doing every part right.
Listed here are 10 surprising yet common causes of high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia.
1 — Artificial Sweeteners May Cause Hyperglycemia within the Long Run
Regular soda is off-limits for many individuals with type 2 diabetes, but weight loss plan soda is okay, right? Perhaps not. One study suggests that consuming zero-calorie artificial sweeteners, just like the ones present in weight loss plan sodas and people which can be often added to coffee and tea, actually increases blood sugar levels over the long run. Based on the study authors, once consumed, artificial sweeteners appear to worsen insulin resistance and the body’s ability to maintain blood sugar levels regular.
That said, the negative effects of artificial sweeteners on blood sugar are likely lower than those of actual sugar, Dr. Dodell notes. “Food regimen soda might be higher than regular soda.” Still, he stresses that moderation is vital, and for healthier blood sugar levels, he recommends ditching soda — each regular and weight loss plan — for healthier beverages, with water being the No. 1 alternative.
A scientific advisory from the American Heart Association (AHA) recognizes that these sugar alternatives generally is a temporary option for people weaning off of sugary beverages, but in addition asserts that they mustn’t be used over the long run resulting from their unknown health effects.
RELATED: No- and Low-Calorie Sweeteners May Not Help With Weight Loss
2 — Foods High in Saturated Fat Have the Potential to Worsen Insulin Resistance
In the case of type 2 diabetes, carbohydrates get lots of attention. But carbs aren’t the one style of food that individuals who’ve the disease need to observe closely. For instance, one study found that diets high in fat, and saturated fat particularly, increase insulin resistance. While increases in abdominal fat can contribute to poor insulin health, dietary fat seems to affect insulin resistance even in people who find themselves weight stable and don’t see increases of their abdominal fat levels, in accordance with the researchers.
While high-fat foods are okay carefully — in spite of everything, as a part of a balanced meal, healthful fats from foods similar to nuts, avocado, and salmon can slow the discharge of glucose into the bloodstream, not to say promote heart health, because the AHA notes — it’s necessary to listen to how much fat you’re eating, Grieger says. The Cleveland Clinic recommends that about 25 to 35 percent of your each day calories come from fat, and the present Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that saturated fat from foods similar to cheese, beef, fried foods, and baked goods should make up lower than 10 percent of your each day caloric intake.
RELATED: The Best and Worst Fats for Heart Health
3 — Skipping Breakfast Can Result in Higher Blood Sugar All Day
Breakfast is credited as a very powerful meal of the day — and this may increasingly be very true for individuals with type 2 diabetes. For instance, in a single small study, researchers tracked the food intake of twenty-two individuals with type 2 diabetes in addition to their blood sugar levels for 2 days. The one difference in food intake over the 2 days was that the participants consumed breakfast one morning and never the subsequent. The study showed that on the day they skipped breakfast, their blood sugar levels were higher for the entire day. Based on researchers, forgoing breakfast may inhibit the function of the pancreas’s beta cells, which produce insulin.
But remember, says Grieger, just any breakfast won’t suffice in relation to keeping blood sugar levels regular. “What you eat for breakfast is vital,” she says. “I encourage people to think outside the cereal box. Sugary cereal with an enormous glass of juice isn’t helpful.” She recommends choosing balanced morning meals that pack in nutrients and, for diabetes-friendliness, are low in carbs, similar to scrambled eggs with spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes.
RELATED: 10 Easy Breakfast Ideas for People With Type 2 Diabetes
4 — Hormonal Changes in Menstruation Are inclined to Mess With Blood Sugar Levels
Widely known menstruation symptoms include low mood and certain food cravings, but did you realize that the menstrual cycle may also cause blood sugar level swings? “Blood sugar spikes throughout the ovulatory phase for just a few days after which increases again within the last week of the cycle — the times prior to the onset of a period,” explains Dodell. “That is resulting from peak levels of estrogen and progesterone.” Also value noting: Women in perimenopause, when hormone levels and menstrual periods are sometimes irregular, are prone to find their blood sugar levels to be unpredictable, says Grieger.
In case your menstrual cycle seems to affect your blood sugar levels, chances are you’ll find it helpful to search for a monthly pattern in your blood sugar readings, the Mayo Clinic recommends. A pattern would let you predict changes in your blood sugar and to work together with your doctor to regulate your treatment approach as needed throughout your cycle.
5 — Physical Inactivity Can Elevate Blood Sugar in a Matter of Days
Exercise is vital in managing type 2 diabetes. Along with helping you maintain a healthy weight or drop pounds, in addition to lowering your risk of stroke and heart disease, physical activity increases the body’s insulin sensitivity and helps your cells remove glucose from the blood and use it for energy, Grieger says. In truth, in accordance with one review, individuals with type 2 diabetes may have the ability to scale back their dependence on glucose-lowering medication and insulin by recurrently exercising.
Conversely, inactivity may cause blood sugar levels to rise. Research shows that just three days of decreased activity increases blood sugar levels in healthy, normally energetic individuals.
When ramping up your physical activity, look ahead to signs of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, during exercise. As a general rule, test your blood sugar before and after exercise, in addition to during in case you’re undecided how your blood sugar will react, Grieger says. In case your blood sugar dips too low, treat it immediately.
RELATED: 6 Top Diabetes Exercise Mistakes to Avoid
6 — Stress Increases Cortisol, Which Affects Insulin Sensitivity
You’re overextended at work, there’s a family crisis, and suddenly your blood sugar level is thru the roof. Sound familiar? “Stress definitely raises blood sugar levels,” Dodell says. “It increases cortisol, our fight-or-flight hormone. When cortisol goes up, it makes us less sensitive either to our body’s own insulin or to insulin injections.”
Stress will be physical — sustaining an injury, for instance — or mental, similar to facing financial woes or marriage problems. Even positive changes to your each day routine — a promotion at work or occurring vacation — may cause a sudden increase in blood sugar, he says.
The perfect ways to destress and get the hormones back under control? “People often turn to food, which doesn’t help,” Grieger says. “But we are able to learn latest ways to administer stress.” There are things you possibly can do once you’re right within the moment — when tension at work suddenly makes you should pull your hair out. “Go for a five-minute walk or take 10 deep breaths to slow your respiratory,” she says. “And there are regular habits you possibly can develop, like establishing a each day exercise or meditation routine.”
7 — The Body’s Inflammatory Response to Infection Can Cause Blood Sugar to Rise
If you’re sick or you may have an infection, your body releases hormones to assist it fight off the illness. While that’s a very good thing, there’s a drawback for individuals with type 2 diabetes — your blood sugar levels can soar. That’s likely resulting from the body’s inflammatory (aka stress) response to illness and infection, Dodell explains.
That’s why it’s a very good idea to have a plan for sick days. Talk together with your doctor or diabetes specialist to find out what it’s best to do to maintain your blood sugar in check on sick days. Make sure you get your healthcare provider’s advice on how often to measure your blood sugar, which medication may further cause your blood sugar to rise, any red flags to look out for, and whether it’s best to check for ketones in your urine (which, in accordance with MedlinePlus, can suggest you’re not getting enough insulin).
RELATED: 9 Signs Your Blood Sugar Is Out of Control
8 — Medication and Supplements May Contribute to Blood Sugar Changes
Illness itself can increase blood sugar levels, but so can illness-fighting medication. Plenty of over-the-counter (OTC) and pharmaceuticals — even some vitamins and supplements — can raise blood sugar. Examples include corticosteroids, asthma medication, contraception pills, certain antidepressants, and a few medication for severe pimples, Dodell says. While the precise causes aren’t completely clear, research has suggested that changes in blood flow in addition to direct effects on insulin release and receptors may explain why blood-pressure-lowering medication has the potential to spike blood sugar.
It’s due to this fact necessary to let your doctor learn about each medication you’re taking, whether OTC or prescribed by one other doctor, he says. They could have the ability to enable you to find an alternate medication that is best on your blood sugar levels or, alternatively, simply enable you to manage your blood sugar despite any sugar-increasing medicine.
9 — Lack of Sleep Can Increase Stress and Lower Insulin, Raising Blood Sugar
There’s been much investigation into the connection between sleep and health problems. Based on the Sleep Foundation, the overwhelming bulk of the research that pertains to diabetes has found the identical thing: Not enough shut-eye can result in spikes in blood sugar. Current sleep recommendations for individuals with type 2 diabetes are the identical for all adults: Aim for seven to nine hours per night for adults and 7 to eight hours for adults 65 and older, per the Sleep Foundation’s published guidelines.
The Foundation says the connection might be related to the proven fact that sleep deprivation triggers a release of the stress hormone cortisol while also reducing the quantity of insulin released once you eat. So as to add insult to injury, poor sleep also elevates hunger hormones within the body, making it harder to follow a healthy weight loss plan, Dodell explains. For instance, in a single study, when men and ladies reduced their nightly sleep time by one-third, they ate 559 extra calories the subsequent day.
It’s a very good idea then, Dodell says, to pay extra attention to your blood sugar levels after sleepless nights.
RELATED: 8 Ways to Sleep Higher When You Have Diabetes
10 — Poor Dental Health
Gum disease has long been recognized as a complication of type 2 diabetes. But researchers are also finding that unhealthy gums may very well increase blood sugar levels within the body, in accordance with the American Dental Association (ADA). Dodell also notes that gum disease can increase the chance of infections in addition to inflammation throughout the body, each of which might increase blood sugar levels.
The ADA recommends that individuals with type 2 diabetes take extra care of their gums. Brush twice per day, floss, and see your dentist recurrently to have your gums checked. Make certain to let your dentist know you may have diabetes.
Additional reporting by Katie Kerns Geer.