Blood Sugar Levels

Do you know that immediately after eating, the blood sugar levels in the body will increase up to 180 mg/dl because food is broke down into glucose and carried throughout the body? At the same time, between meals a healthy person is supposed to have a glycemia between 70 and 110. However, it is important to note that these values can only be maintained with the proper hormonal secretions of the pancreas. Therefore, if the pancreas was unable to produce insulin, when the blood glucose levels are high, or glucagon when they are low, that will lead to diabetes (see “what is diabetes”). In case the glucose levels were under the normal values then that person would suffer from hypoglycemia, whereas if they are above 180, then he will be suffering from hyperglycemia.

How Does the Body Regulate High Blood Sugar Levels?

Blood sugar levels

Sugar is seen as one of the main source of energy for the body, as it is the result of foods processed by the digestive system. Transporting the energy to all tissues and organs is done with the help of insulin. In a nutshell, insulin absorbs the glucose cells and transports them across the body. While the role of the hormone is to fuel muscles, fat tissues and blood cells, there is also a certain amount of sugar that it is stored in the liver. The glucose from the liver is usually processed and transformed into glycogen, which can be used later on.

In general, the pancreas tends to secrete small amounts of insulin into the bloodstream all the time. However, since this hormone is the body’s response to high glycemia, after meals the amount produced is considerably higher. Because the insulin is dependent on sugar, it is only normal that the levels the hormone found in the bloodstream to decrease, as the sugar level drop.

A few Tips on Lowering the Blood Sugar Levels

If the body is unable to regulate the glucose levels in the next two or three hours after a meal, then that person starts to display symptoms of diabetes and is diagnosed as diabetic. The simplest test to detect diabetes is performed at the doctor’s office: patients will be given a sugar-rich drink and if their glucose surpasses 200 mg/ml then they are diagnosed with diabetes. Having constant high blood sugar levels in the body has lots of negative consequences in the long run, such as kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, nerve problems or blindness for example.

However, being diagnosed with diabetes does not necessarily imply that a person will be dealing with these health issues, especially if he makes a few modifications in his lifestyle. For starters, the diabetic needs to be more careful about what and when he eats. Since the high blood sugar levels are common immediately after eating, then he should have smaller meals throughout the day.

At the same time, he is to avoid carbonated drinks or carbohydrate rich foods, as these are known aliments to increase the glucose levels. Lastly, since stress is also one of factors that contribute to increased sugar levels, it is advisable that the diabetic individual dedicates some time for hobbies and activities he enjoys.