It's not just food that affects high blood sugar: These are the insidious culprits

Blood sugar levels are a reflection of many different factors. An elevated sugar level can be the result of consuming large amounts of processed carbohydrates, but also some bad lifestyle habits

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Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Food isn't the only cause of high blood sugar, watch out for four other culprits. When you think of blood sugar, also known as glucose, the first thing that probably comes to mind is how much sugar you're eating—if that's the case, that's totally fine.

Carbohydrate intake plays a significant role in blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates, whether they are fruits, grains or sweets, are eventually broken down and metabolized into glucose. Eating large amounts of carbohydrates, especially foods with added sugar and no fiber, floods the bloodstream with glucose and can cause a dramatic rise in blood sugar.

diabetes
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However, this is not the only thing that affects glucose levels.

Other habits that have nothing to do with what or how much you eat also affect how the body regulates sugar. So, if you've recently had your blood work done or used a glucose meter and noticed higher than desirable levels, or if you've been feeling a little off about energy, it could be due to one or more of these four insidious culprits.

1. Stress

Hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are released under stress. In real stressful situations, the release of these hormones increases alertness and energy production - meaning your blood sugar will spike, but in these short-term situations, that energy spike is actually desirable. You need to be alert and full of energy to deal with any situation. And when that stressor is removed, the level of these hormones returns to a resting state and everything is balanced again.

The problem arises when the stress does not go away.

Stress from work, financial worries, relationships, parenting, and everyday inconveniences also trigger these hormones. Chronically high cortisol levels can chronically raise blood sugar levels.

What you can do: Eliminating stress is not necessarily the goal, but try to incorporate science-backed ways that can help manage stress in your life. It can be using meditation, yoga, aromatherapy...

2. Bad dream

Sleep affects blood sugar in several ways. Lack of sleep can also cause cortisol levels to rise during the day, increasing glucose and making the body less efficient at lowering high blood sugar levels.

St.
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Not getting enough sleep can disrupt your hunger hormones and you may notice that you are hungrier during the day and less full after eating.

What you can do: The optimal amount of sleep for most is between seven and nine hours a night. Avoid looking at screens for an hour or more before bed and lower the temperature in your bedroom.

3. Insufficient activity

Irregular movement is also associated with unfavorable blood sugar levels. Muscles need energy to move during exercise and will 'pull' glucose from the blood for fuel if they can. In 2022, researchers found that walking and even standing for two to five minutes, an hour or two after eating, was enough to have a significant effect on blood glucose levels. More intense exercise has an even greater effect.

What you can do: Do not sit for a long time, especially right after eating. Break up the day with short walks around the house or neighborhood, and be sure to include longer cardio and strength exercises in your weekly routine.

4. Meal time

It's not always what you eat that affects your blood sugar, it's also when you eat. The body tends to be more metabolically active in the morning, which means it is more ready to break down food, clear glucose from the blood and then use it.

Eating late at night, just before bedtime, is associated with an exaggerated and prolonged blood glucose response. It differs from, for example, the effects of the same meal just four hours earlier.

What you can do: Dinner is usually the biggest meal of the day for most people, so consider moving it earlier, and put most of your energy intake at breakfast and lunch. And when you eat dinner, let it be earlier, it says MB extension, broadcast by 24sata.

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