12 Signs of High Blood Sugar and 8 Ways to Prevent Sugar Spikes
If this occurs frequently enough, we may develop type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease.
Blood glucose is produced by our liver, but it can also be obtained through high-carbohydrate foods and beverages. Our bodies require the hormone insulin to keep blood glucose levels within a healthy range. Our cells respond to insulin by storing glucose.
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Glucose, or sugar, is naturally present in our blood. Our body's organs and cells receive energy when blood glucose levels are normal. But, when they skyrocket, it becomes dangerous for our health.
If that happens too often, we can develop a chronic disease called type 2 diabetes.
Lack of insulin or improper work of the hormone causes accumulation of blood glucose. And, high blood glucose levels can cause many health issues.
READ MORE: What Is Insulin Resistance And How Do You Prevent It If You Are Diabetic?
Signs of High Blood Glucose
When someone has high blood glucose, they may feel the following things:
- Headaches
- Feeling tired or drowsy
- Difficulty concentrating
- Dry mouth
- Have blurred vision
- Excessive thirst or hunger
- Increased urge to urinate
- Bloating
- Wounds not healing quickly
- Confusion
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss
Possible Causes for High Blood Glucose
Our blood glucose levels can increase if we:
- consume too many carbs
- are under stress
- are sick
- have an infection
- forget or skip our oral medicine for lowering blood glucose, or insulin
- are less physically active than usual
What Happens If We Have Ongoing High Blood Glucose
Frequent high blood glucose, or persistent hyperglycemia, can cause many health complications. According to WebMD, some of them are:
- Skin infections
- Worse vision
- Slow-healing sores and cuts
- Diarrhea, chronic constipation, and other intestinal or stomach problems
- Nerve damage causing loss of hair on the lower parts of legs, insensitive or painful cold feet
- Damage to kidneys, blood vessels, or eyes
- Long-term complications include stroke, heart attack, loss of vision, kidney failure, or kidney disease.
How to Treat It
People who have diabetes should drink plenty of water, be physically active, and change their eating habits. It’s best to consult a doctor or a nutritionist to change the types and amount of foods they eat, as well as the diabetes medication they take.
How to Prevent It
In order to control our blood glucose levels, we need to follow our exercise program, meal plan, and medicine schedule. We can also pay more attention to the total carb amount in each of our meals and snacks.
We should test our blood glucose levels regularly, and consult a doctor if we have repeated abnormal readings. Here are more tips to prevent blood sugar spikes.
Ways to Prevent Sugar Spikes
1. Exercise Regularly
Being physically active regularly can help us increase insulin sensitivity. This, in turn, improves the cells’ ability to use the available glucose in the blood. Good forms of exercise are brisk walking, weight lifting, dancing, biking, running, swimming, and hiking.
2. Control The Intake of Carbs
Our body breaks carbohydrates down into sugars, so consuming lots of carbs can lead to abnormal insulin function. As a result, our blood glucose levels rise. Therefore, we can count carbs and plan our meals appropriately. We can also try to consume more low-carb foods and drinks.
READ ALSO: Home Remedies To Use For Diabetes
3. Eat More Fiber
Fiber slows the digestion of carbs and the absorption of sugar. That’s why it helps prevent blood sugar spikes. So, we should eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and other fiber-rich foods.
4. Stay Hydrated
Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and blood sugar spikes. Drinking enough water re-hydrates the blood, reduces blood glucose levels, and lowers the risk of diabetes, says Healthline.
5. Eat Foods with Low-Glycemic Index
Consume foods with a low glycemic index like eggs, beans, barley, lentils, yams, corn, sweet potatoes, legumes, most fruits, oats, and non-starchy veggies.
6. Avoid or Control Stress
Stress affects our blood glucose levels more than we can imagine. Therefore, relaxation methods like meditation and yoga, as well as exercise, are very useful when it comes to preventing blood sugar spikes.
7. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Lack of rest and poor sleeping habits affect our insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels. What’s more, they can increase appetite and cause weight gain. Therefore, we should make sure we get a sufficient amount of sleep every night.
Lack of rest and poor sleeping habits affect our insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels. What’s more, they can increase appetite and cause weight gain. Therefore, we should make sure we get a sufficient amount of sleep every night.
8. Consume Foods High in Magnesium and Chromium
Lack of magnesium has been linked to a higher risk of diabetes, a study says. Chromium helps prevent blood sugar issues, so we should eat more foods high in these minerals. Magnesium-rich foods include whole grains, dark leafy green vegetables, avocados, bananas, and beans.
Coffee, egg yolks, broccoli, green beans, nuts, high-bran cereals, and whole-grain products, on the other hand, are high in chromium.
Final Thoughts
We should not ignore persistently high blood glucose levels. In fact, it can lead to a slew of serious health issues, so it's best to get it under control as soon as possible. We might be able to help prevent type 2 diabetes, or at the very least learn how to manage it and avoid all of its devastating repercussions, in this way.
Lack of magnesium has been linked to a higher risk of diabetes, a study says. Chromium helps prevent blood sugar issues, so we should eat more foods high in these minerals. Magnesium-rich foods include whole grains, dark leafy green vegetables, avocados, bananas, and beans.
Coffee, egg yolks, broccoli, green beans, nuts, high-bran cereals, and whole-grain products, on the other hand, are high in chromium.
Final Thoughts
We should not ignore persistently high blood glucose levels. In fact, it can lead to a slew of serious health issues, so it's best to get it under control as soon as possible. We might be able to help prevent type 2 diabetes, or at the very least learn how to manage it and avoid all of its devastating repercussions, in this way.
DR. APPIAH
Dr. Appiah is a Natural Health Therapist (Naturopath) who engages the natural healing agents given by God to save lives. EAT FOOD AS MEDICINE! EAT TO LIVE, DON'T LIVE TO EAT!! FOR BOOKINGS AND MORE: WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCTS? WANT A PERSONAL(CERTIFIED) NATURAL MEDICINE PRACTITIONER? REACH ME DIRECTLY ON WHATSAPP +233245643615 appiahinok@gmail.com
