What is Too High for Blood Sugar?

… Continued …

First off, follow your treatment plan!

Follow your doctor’s orders especially if there are certain medications you have to take.

For example, if you need to take insulin, take it properly as well as your healthcare team suggests. The right doses are important – you don’t want to take unnecessary doses, do you?!

Also it bears repeating that checking your blood sugar is important so you can stay on your safe target ranges. And keep alert to warning signs and symptoms of high blood sugar to prevent hyperosmolar syndrome as mentioned earlier, seek immediate medical help when you have to!

Keep active with simply things and fun!

Getting plenty of physical activity is necessary to improve your insulin sensitivity and prevent spikes in your blood sugar. So do exercise when you’re ready!

But this doesn’t means you need to do heavy or strenuous exercise. Be careful, more intense exercise could be counterproductive!

Instead, start from simply things to boost your physical activity. For instant, try dancing. One study suggests that dancing may work more effectively than walking when it comes to reducing high blood sugar [6].

Get enough Zzz’s!

It’s necessary for everyone to catch adequate sleep at night, particularly true when you deal with high blood sugar. Lack of sleep might have a role to cause a spike in blood sugar level, according to one study in 2015 [7]!

Blame it on the increased level of fatty acid. Naturally, fatty acid level decreases at night. But this mechanism may get impaired when you have sleep deprivation. This makes your insulin less sensitive!

Furthermore, lack of sleep is also likely to drive you to feel more cravings and stress – all are bad for your blood sugar control.

Keep hydrated and get more electrolytes!

A blood sugar spike will usually cause more frequent urination, making you lose more fluid (water) and electrolytes (e.g. magnesium, potassium, and phosphates). This situation would also make diabetes symptoms (fatigue for example) get worse.

So try drinking enough water every day! For additional electrolyte booster, consider drinking a low-carb drinks such as low-fat milk or free-sugar sport drinks.

What else?

1. Eat enough fiber since your dietary fiber can help slow digestion so you’re less likely to have a blood sugar spike.
2. Control your stress. Uncontrolled stress is not only about psychological problem, it also affects your food choices and makes you unwell (feeling generally run-down).
3. Watch out on glycemic index (GI)! Avoid high GI foods since they can easily cause a significant spike in your blood sugar.

Some natural remedies such as apple cider vinegar, glutamine supplement, melon (a little bitter), and probiotic foods may help too. But to keep safe, consult first with your healthcare team!