The Highs and The Lows

Introduction

    Ever wonder about what exactly makes your blood sugar rise and fall? There is more to it than meets the eye.  Sure, there are the obvious answers but there are some may surprise you.  In this article, I will cover everything that I have experience with that has made my blood sugar rise and fall.

The Obvious - Raise

    Like I said, there are several scenarios that are obvious that raise blood sugar.  Carbohydrates raise blood sugar in excessive amount without insulin. So, anything that is a carbohydrate, including sugar, will raise blood sugar.  There are two exceptions to this, however.  Fiber (which is considered a carbohydrate) does not effect blood sugar and actually helps maintain a healthy blood sugar level.  Also, sugar alcohol (an ingredient added as a sweetener) doesn't effect blood sugar level.















    When a food item has one of these two factors, the total amount of carbohydrates needs to be calculated differently since they do not have an effect on blood sugar.  In the nutrition label on the right, there are 10 total grams of carbs and 5 grams of fiber.  You would subtract the 5 grams of fiber from the 10 grams of total carbs to get 5 carbs that will have an effect on your blood sugar.  
    Next, we will look at the nutrition label on the right.  In this case, there are 14 grams of total carbs and 9 grams of sugar alcohol.  If you subtract the 9 grams of sugar alcohol from the 14 grams of total carbs, you are left with 5 grams of carbs that will effect your blood sugar and will need insulin to correct.

The Obvious - Lower

    There are some other things that will lower blood sugar and are pretty obvious.  Exercise has a tendency to lower blood sugar in type 1 diabetic patients.  For some people, the lows happen immediately after exercise but for others, there is a delayed low that happens several hours after exercise.  It is important to know how this effects your body so you are able to treat and correct a low blood sugar accordingly.  
    Another obvious reason for your blood sugar to drop is if you get too much insulin.  There has been a couple times where I have over estimated the amount of carbs I ate which resulted in me giving too much insulin.  I ended up going low because I received more insulin that was required for the amount of carbs I ate.

What Else Makes My Blood Sugar Rise?

    I have learned first hand that there are other ways besides the basics that will raise blood sugar.  Firstly, stress has a great effect on blood sugar.  Around finals week or if there is an intense meeting coming up at work, my blood sugar has the tendency to go high and stay high.  It almost seems that my body has become resistant to the insulin and no matter how much insulin I give, my blood sugar doesn't come down.  The way I have found to combat this, as cheesy as it sounds, is to not get stressed about these things.  I calm myself down and don't get myself worked up about the final or about the meeting.

    Along with stress, adrenaline also has an effect on blood sugar levels.  If there is an important event coming up that I am worried about, adrenaline kicks in and that will also make my blood sugar rise.  This isn't very common but it is still something that effects my blood sugar.
    Long periods of inactivity will also make my blood sugar rise.  The most prevalent example I have of this is road trips or long car rides.  Sitting in the car for long periods of time makes my blood sugar spike like no other.  I don't know why this effects me so much as compared to sitting and doing homework, but it really does make my blood sugar go high.  I counter this by increasing my basal rate (the rate of insulin i get steadily throughout the day) so I get more insulin while I am in the car.  There have been times where it simply passes my mind or I don't remember to increase the basal rate.  In this case, I simply give extra insulin as a bolus (the insulin I give when eating food or correcting blood sugar) and then increase my basal rate.  This will bring my blood sugar down while also keeping it down.
    Another thing that makes my blood sugar rise is when I am getting sick.  Before I am actually sick, my blood sugar tends to stay higher than usual.  So, if I feel bad (like my body is fighting something) and my blood sugar is high, I can usually tell that I will be getting sick in the next day or two.

What Else Make My Blood Sugar Low?

    I mentioned that when getting sick, my blood sugar is higher than usual.  But when I am actually sick, my blood sugar tends to go low.  I'm not sure what causes this to flip but it is something that effects me.  I always have to be drinking sugary fluid like soda or Gatorade when I am sick to keep from dropping too low.
    Another thing that causes my blood sugar to drop is drinking alcohol.  When I first start drinking, it actually raises my blood sugar.  But as the night goes on, I actually start to drop rapidly.  I don't know exactly why this happens but I remember reading somewhere that the lowering of the blood sugar is the effect alcohol has when it is breaking down.  This would explain why as time goes on, I actually go down.

Conclusion

    As you can see, there are more things that raise my blood sugar as compared to things that lower my blood sugar.  At the same time, the things that raise my blood sugar are more uncommon or aren't a daily occurrence.  It is mainly important to just be aware of all of the things that could happen so when you experience them next, you can know how to prepare.  

NOTE: It is also important to keep in mind that I am not a medical professional.  While I am a diabetic myself, I am not a licensed, medical professional to give treatment advice.  The examples in this article are what works for me and my main goal is to help people going through the same situation as me.  Attempt this advice at your own risk.

If you have any questions or want more information about my experience, feel free to contact me!  This is done by clicking the "Contact" link at the top of the page and filling out the form. Or you can always leave a comment below!

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