Many people disregard blood sugar discussions as irrelevant because they think it is an issue that is relevant only to diabetics. Diabetes has 2 types, type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 is called juvenile diabetes and it is an autoimmune disease that causes insulin deficiency. Insulin is needed to control Type 1 blood glucose levels throughout the day. Other autoimmune diseases include Lupus etc. Type 2 diabetes is a product of obesity and affects the elderly. Diabetes is a disorder defined by chronically elevated glucose levels. Diabetes is now more frequent in children than ever, with 95% of cases being Type 2.
Lifestyle changes that stabilize blood sugar can reverse Type 2 diabetes, unlike Type 1. They lower insulin resistance and blood sugar over time.
If you don’t have diabetes, you probably don’t know about these procedures. However, insulin resistance should be taken carefully before it becomes prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes. Insulin resistance and glucose spikes might impair your health before you have a metabolic disease. Reversal is harder than prevention.
Daily life and long-term health depend on understanding blood sugar variations and why they matter. It’s crucial to society’s health.
1 out of 3 US adults have prediabetes but 80% are unaware. High blood sugar and its effects cause 8 of the top 10 killers. The Greeks are as obese as the Americans even though they are supposedly eating more healthily.
However, glucose dynamics affect everyone’s health. Whether you’re small, fit, or healthy, fluctuating blood sugar can lower your energy and focus and lead to major health issues.
Blood sugar levels affect weight gain, hormonal difficulties, mental health, and chronic illnesses including Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular risk.
Blood sugar, or glucose, is a major energy source for cells. After breaking down carbohydrates, your body turns them into glucose, raising your blood sugar.
Since most foods—even vegetables—contain carbs, eating raises blood sugar gradually. Some meals can cause a blood sugar “spike,” or sharp rise. eating types and quantities create distinct spikes, and how people react to eating differs. We consume roughly 10x more sugar per day than 200 years ago and are assaulted with processed carbohydrates, which increase blood sugar.
Lifestyle factors like sleep, stress, and exercise affect blood sugar. Poor sleep might cause blood sugar rises the next day. Exercise after eating reduces increases.
The good news is that you can control your blood sugar. This crucial health factor is mostly under your control with easy lifestyle changes. You can control your blood sugar and health by changing your food, exercise, stress, and sleep.
Big blood sugar spikes and crashes indicate a fueling system malfunction. Repeated surges can harm health. This is mainly because glucose surges affect insulin and cause insulin resistance.
What’s insulin resistance?
Your body creates insulin to digest and transport glucose from the blood to the cells when glucose levels rise. Insulin production is normal, but large or frequent glucose rises increase insulin production. This causes insulin resistance in cells. The body creates more insulin to deal with glucose, which develops insulin resistance and causes chronically high blood sugar. Poor blood sugar management causes insulin resistance and many health issues.
How severe is the health impact?
Dysregulated glucose can cause dysfunction in your veins, brain, organs, muscles, and more since glucose fuels your cells. Cellular damage causes everything from minor mood changes to death risk.
Your daily life is affected by blood sugar. Blood sugar dysregulation has various daily effects. High blood sugar causes weariness, mental fog, cravings, and unpleasant skin.
A sugar high or crash, an afternoon slump, or feeling awful after going a long time without eating are all symptoms of high or low blood sugar.
When blood sugar is steady, we have greater energy, healthier skin, better mental clarity and memory, and fewer cravings or crashes that disrupt our eating patterns.
When dealing with hormonal imbalance, blood sugar concerns. Blood sugar regulation affects PCOS, menopause, female and male infertility, and the entire pregnancy path, from preconception nutrition to postpartum and lactation.
Mental health is affected by glucose. Poor blood sugar regulation is connected to depression and anxiety.
Blood sugar affects chronic disease risk.
Repeated blood sugar spikes damage cells and can lead to chronic diseases. Insulin regulates several processes; therefore, insulin resistance can increase your risk of other diseases. Here are some long-term blood sugar health issues:
- Type 2 diabetes, characterized by elevated glucose levels, is the eighth greatest cause of mortality and contributes to other conditions like cardiovascular disease.
- Insulin resistance and high glucose levels increase the risk of heart disease by damaging blood arteries.
- People with glucose dysregulation are more likely to develop certain malignancies, such as breast and prostate tumors.
What can I do for good blood sugar?
Healthy glucose levels are mostly controlled by food, exercise, sleep, and stress. However, our modern milieu of hidden carbohydrates and chemicals makes it difficult. The good news: these don’t have to be major adjustments like going vegan or running a marathon. Simple metabolic health modifications are beneficial. There are 4 main blood sugar control levers:
- Foods that stabilize blood sugar: The most important thing is to consume nutrient-dense, whole meals, fiber-rich veggies, and avoid processed foods that increase blood sugar.
- Change your eating habits: What you eat is important but when you eat is even more significant. The sequence and time of day you consume affect how blood sugar rises, whether you eat carbohydrates alone or with proteins or fats.
- Regular exercise: Exercise, especially cardio, reduced blood sugar. Studies demonstrate that walking after a meal lowers blood sugar. Cardio and more intense exercise like weight training improve glucose processing.
- Stress and sleep health are priorities: Research suggests that less than 6 hours of sleep worsens glucose metabolism and raises insulin. Sleep quality matters as much as quantity.
How can I check my blood sugar?
You can test your blood sugar in several methods. Many diabetics use pharmacy-sold finger-prick tests to check their blood sugar. They used to do it 3-4 times a day for the rest of their lives. But this was painful and was just giving a snapshot, not the evolution of the blood sugar levels. Since 2017 new technologies have emerged and people wear continuous glucose monitors (CGM) on their arms for 2 weeks to track their blood sugar continuously. CGMs are painless.
Optimal fasting blood sugar is under 85 mg/dL, and post-meal rises should be under 140 mg/dL, despite larger levels being clinically appropriate.
We strongly suggest, whether you are diabetic or not to wear a CGM and test your blood sugar so that you can validate how healthy the food from your favorite restaurants is. The results will surprise you!
