Ways To Lower Fasting Blood Sugar

Why Is My Fasting Blood Glucose High

People point fingers towards the nighttime snack or dinner for their high fasting blood glucose. It appears to be logical! Even it may be indirectly correct in few occasions however, the real culprit is the hormones that involved in the blood glucose control.

Before going into the details about high fasting blood glucose, you should know about four hormones that influence your blood glucose level Insulin, Amylin, Incretins, and Glucagon.

Take The Medication Unless Your Doctor Tells You Otherwise

Your doctor isnt medicating you for the sake of it. There are certain health problems that will require medication to help you control your levels. This is the case with diabetes.

Its important to visit your doctor regularly. Arranged for morning appointments when you have your checks to get your morning levels recorded on a regular basis. This way your doctor can see if your medication is still needed and whether there are other things you can do instead.

Only stop taking your medication if your doctor tells you so. Youll get a good idea by your glucose levels. Track them yourself to see if theyre getting lower one week to the next. If you see a significant drop, talk to your doctor about your options for cutting back or out your medication and trying more holistic options.

If you believe you need a second opinion, dont be afraid to get one from someone reputable. Just follow the advice from those who have the degrees!

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Ensure A Good Nights Sleep

Never underestimate the power of a good nights sleep. A single night of inadequate sleep makes our body react in a manner similar to insulin resistance. It can lead to raised blood sugar levels. A good nights sleep can improve glucose metabolism. It will also keep you motivated to follow through with your diet and exercise routine.

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When To Go To The Er

High blood sugar can be very concerning because your body can start burning fat for energy instead of blood glucose.

This can cause conditions such as DKA and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome . These conditions are medical emergencies and can be fatal if left untreated.

DKA is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes. Its rare in people with type 2 diabetes, but can occur.

Symptoms that can indicate you should go to the emergency room include:

• ketones in your urine, as diagnosed using a urine dipstick test
• confusion
• stomach pain
• vomiting

High blood sugar levels can cause a fluid imbalance in the body and can cause the blood to become acidic in a manner that doesnt support life.

Medical treatments for these conditions include administering intravenous insulin on a continuous basis and IV fluids to correct dehydration.

Summary

High blood sugar can become a medical emergency. Go to the ER if you suspect DKA or HHS.

S To Reduce High Fasting Blood Sugar Levels

Reducing the morning highs largely depends on how high your insulin levels fluctuate. Your diabetes doctor may recommend the following:

• Switching to a different medication
• Adjusting medication or doses of insulin
• Changing the time of the person taking long-acting insulin in the evening
• Switching to an insulin pump to help regulate the insulin dose
• Avoiding eating heavy amounts of carbs before bedtime

Apart from these, you gain diabetes control by regular monitoring. Get a glucometer preferably a smartphone glucometer so that you can get immediate inputs from the care team.

Most of diabetes care happens with self-care, which means with your vigilance and lifestyle modification you get diabetes treatment at home. However, you are not alone. For diabetes home healthcare: Enquire Now.

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Preventing High Blood Sugars

Everyone with diabetes experiences high blood sugars sometimes there are simply too many variables in the human body out of your control to prevent them altogether.

That being said, there are a few guidelines we can all follow to minimize the frequency of high blood sugars:

• Avoid full-sugar beverages including soda, juice, coffee drinks, iced tea, etc.
• Choose your carbohydrates carefully starchy carbs from pasta, candy, bread, desserts, etc. will spike your blood sugar the most
• Take your medications as prescribed and contact your healthcare team if you miss a dose to determine if you can take it late
• Exercise daily even a 20-minute walk makes a big difference on a daily basis
• Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration

And of course, if youre experiencing high blood sugars are a daily basis and youre unsure of the cause, talk to your healthcare team about making adjustments in your diabetes management regimen. A slight increase in your medications can have a big impact!

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Studies On Blood Sugar And Fasting

Not all studies show that intermittent fasting is a magic wand when it comes to reducing your blood sugar levels. Research indicates daily caloric restriction and diets that mimic fasting also have a positive effect on blood glucose levels.

A 12-month study that compared alternate-day fasting to daily caloric restriction found both methods of calorie reduction lowered fasting glucose levels. Other studies also support the theory that its the caloric restriction that reduces fasting glucose and the risk for atherosclerosis.

However, intermittent fasting may still be among the easiest ways to restrict your caloric intake. You may find its easier to limit your calories for a few hours or a few days per week versus every day.

If you already have insulin resistance, or if your intermittent fasting protocol causes you to stress, fasting can cause an increase in your blood sugar.

A Brazilian study suggests the stress of fasting might increase the production of free radicals. These stress-induced free radicals can harm the cells in your pancreas, which is the organ responsible for insulin production. Damage to your pancreas can inhibit your ability to reduce glucose in your bloodstream and can lead to an increase in your belly fat. The Brazilian study, however, is an outlier.

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Opt For Smaller Portions

Smaller portions across your meals can make it easier for your body to regulate and maintain healthy blood sugar levels instead of leading to sudden spikes or even lows during the night.

Of course, this does not mean starving yourself or skipping meals, since this might end up doing more harm than good. Instead, keep track of how much you eat during each meal, especially if you have diabetes.

You can also try eating snacks in between three smaller meals instead of having three large meals every day. Take smaller plates, take your time to chew and eat your food and try documenting your portions.

How To Control Blood Sugar With Intermittent Fasting

If youd like to try intermittent fasting for blood sugar control, there are a few things for you to consider, especially if you have diabetes.

Choose an intermittent fasting plan that wont cause you stress. During your fast, your insulin levels decrease. In response, your body releases hormones from your liver, one of which is the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol tells the liver to release more glucose. So if youre in a state of stress, or if you have diabetes, your liver is more likely to over-react and release more glucose than you need. As a result, your blood sugar levels will increase.

If youre your blood sugar goes up, and you havent eaten, its likely your liver release glucose into your bloodstream. Exercise is a vital way to utilize sugar in your blood and help your body return to a fat-burning state.

Its uncommon, but fasting can cause you to experience hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. If you have diabetes, this can potentially be dangerous since diabetes medications already put you at risk for low blood sugar. Talk to your doctor about your intent to start a fast, especially if youre on diabetes medications. Its possible for you to fast safely when your doctor manages your diabetes medications appropriately.

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Focus On The Positives

As youre making the transition to a new diet and making lifestyle changes, it can be easy to feel like youre giving up old favorites. A good way to flip this on its head is to focus on the positives of new changes.

Improved mood, improved energy, better body weight, better fitness, improved control over your life and your blood health focus on the changes that you will be able to see happening in your body.

Dont Rely On Supplements Or Vitamins

Theres no shortcut to maintaining good blood sugars. A supplement or vitamin alone will not give you healthy blood sugar levels and they can interact negatively with other medications. Speak to your healthcare provider and perhaps ask for a referral for a dietitian who specializes in blood sugar control before incorporating dietary supplements, shakes, or vitamins to achieve blood sugar control.

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Foods To Eat In Moderation

You can eat the following foods in smaller quantities at meals, depending on your personal carb tolerance:

• Berries: 1 cup or less
• Plain, Greek yogurt: 1 cup or less
• Cottage cheese: 1/2 cup or less
• Nuts and peanuts: 12 ounces, or 3060 grams
• Flaxseeds or chia seeds: 2 tablespoons
• Dark chocolate : 30 grams or less
• Winter squash : 1 cup or less
• Liquor: 1.5 ounces, or 50 grams
• Dry red or white wine: 4 ounces, or 120 grams

Legumes, such as peas, lentils, and beans, are healthy sources of protein, though they do have carbs as well. Be sure to include them in your daily carb count.

Drastically reducing carbs usually lowers insulin levels, which causes the kidneys to release sodium and water .

Try to eat a cup of broth, a few olives, or some other salty low carb foods to make up for the lost sodium. Dont be afraid to add a little extra salt to your meals.

However, if you have congestive heart failure, kidney disease, or high blood pressure, talk to your doctor before increasing the amount of sodium in your diet.

Intermittent Fasting Reduces Blood Sugar

The benefits of intermittent fasting extend far beyond weight loss. Studies show it can reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease because it improves the regulation of your blood sugar, increases your resistance to stress, and suppresses inflammation.

A case study published in the US National Library of Medicine showed patients with type 2 diabetes who participated in an intermittent fasting protocol lost weight and managed to stop insulin therapy. In studies where weight loss didnt occur, fasting still improved the glucose levels of participants.

This latter finding is significant because it confirms that a reduction in bloodstream glucose is not a secondary benefit of weight loss, but a direct result of intermittent fasting. This reduction in blood sugar could be due to the changes in signaling pathways and metabolic rhythm that fasting invokes, as well as an increase in ketones.

Improvements in blood sugar tend to be dependent on fasting. Your blood sugar will typically improve after 2-4 weeks of compliance with a fasting protocol, and it dissipates if you return to eating three meals or more per day.

You may be able to maintain your weight loss after you stop fasting, but long-term fasting is recommended if you need to continue to regulate your blood sugar.

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How To Lower Your Blood Sugar Naturally

Nearly 10% of the U.S. population has diabetes, and globally rates are expected to double by 2030. Significant evidence shows you can lower your blood sugar quickly, and even reverse diabetes by adopting a healthy lifestyle:

• In the United Kingdom, researchers successfully lowered blood sugar and reverse diabetes by implementing a combination of a lifestyle change and weight loss.
• In urban locations in Africa, scientists have found educational programs help prediabetic adults alter their lifestyle to effectively lower blood sugar levels.
• The most extensive study was completed in the United States and was called the Diabetes Prevention Program Randomized Trail. The study observed 3,234 men and women with pre-diabetes over a three-year period. The researchers found a healthy lifestyle was more effective than medication in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes. One third of the adults took a placebo, another took metformin , while the final third of the adults adopted lifestyle changes that were similar to the Pritikin Program . Adults who adopted a lifestyle change were twice as likely to reduce the progression of their pre-diabetes into type 2 diabetes than the control group.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle, such as the Pritikin lifestyle, is twice as effective as medication in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes.

How Can I Check My Blood Sugar

Use a blood sugar meter or a continuous glucose monitor to check your blood sugar. A blood sugar meter measures the amount of sugar in a small sample of blood, usually from your fingertip. A CGM uses a sensor inserted under the skin to measure your blood sugar every few minutes. If you use a CGM, youll still need to test daily with a blood sugar meter to make sure your CGM readings are accurate.

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Which Foods Keep Your Sugar Levels In Control

Carbohydrates need to be consistent. You dont want to eat all of your daily carb count in one meal. That will cause your blood sugar to spike, and then drop during the other meals. Giving your body a steady amount of carbohydrates will provide a stable amount of energy. It will also help your body make enough insulin to keep your blood sugar at a healthy number.

The easiest way to make sure that your carb intake is appropriate is to count carbohydrates. It is a simplified way to evaluate foods based on their nutritional value. The best place to start when counting is to aim for 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal and roughly 15 to 30 grams for each snack in between meals. You may have to adjust this based on your individual needs and your blood sugar readings. It is a lot easier to calculate the carbohydrates when you have a food with a label, but many foods do not. Check the serving size on the label to be sure that you are counting correctly. The US Department of Agriculture has a website that allows you to type in any food and it will give you the nutritional values. Check it out at . A few examples of 15 grams of carbs include:

• 1 slice of bread
• ½ cup of oatmeal
• 1 small piece of fresh fruit

It is important that you pay attention to nutrients other than the carbs too. Be sure to have adequate protein and fiber, while keeping lots of fat to a minimum.

Techniques To Manage Your Blood Sugar In The Morning

Based on your glucose levels and trends, there are a few things you can do to manage your glucose levels so they dont run high in the morning. Some of these strategies focus on adjusting medications to better suit your needs. Other strategies include adjusting your exercise routine, as well as what and when you are eating before bed.

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