Get A Boost From Refined Grains
White bread, cooked white pasta and rice, pancakes, soda crackers and breakfast cereals made with refined grains can quickly raise your blood sugar levels. Refined grain products typically raise your blood sugar levels faster than their whole grain counterparts because they are lower in dietary fiber, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Rice cakes, hard pretzels, cornflakes and bagels are convenient choices to carry with you in case you begin experiencing symptoms of low blood sugar.
What Are Clinical Trials For Low Blood Glucose
Clinical trialsand other types of clinical studiesare part of medical research and involve people like you. When you volunteer to take part in a clinical study, you help doctors and researchers learn more about disease and improve health care for people in the future.
Researchers are studying many aspects of low blood glucose levels in diabetes, such as
- how to diagnose and treat low blood glucose among people with diabetes
- medicines that can treat symptoms of low blood glucose in people with hypoglycemia unawareness
- educational approaches to reduce fear of low blood glucose, which can make it harder for you to control your diabetes
Low Blood Glucose During Sleep
Your blood glucose level can drop while you sleep and stay low for several hours, causing serious problems.7 Symptoms of low blood glucose while you sleep can include
- crying out or having nightmares
- sweating enough to make your pajamas or sheets damp
- feeling tired, irritable, or confused after waking up
Although you may not wake up or notice any symptoms, low blood glucose can interfere with your sleep, which may affect your quality of life, mood, and ability to work. Having low blood glucose during sleep can also make you less likely to notice and respond to symptoms of low blood glucose during the day.
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Correcting High Blood Sugar Levels With Insulin
If you take insulin, one way to reduce blood sugar is to inject insulin.
However, be careful as insulin can take 4 hours or longer to be fully absorbed, so you need to make sure you take into account how much insulin you may already have in your body that is yet to be absorbed by the blood. Insulin that is yet to be absorbed by the blood is called active insulin.
If you decide to correct with insulin, watch you dont over correct as this can lead to hypoglycemia and can be dangerous, particularly so before bed.
How To Treat Someone Who’s Unconscious Or Very Sleepy
Follow these steps:
They may need to go to hospital if they’re being sick , or their blood sugar level drops again.
Tell your diabetes care team if you ever have a severe hypo that caused you to lose consciousness.
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What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Low Blood Sugar
Different people may feel low blood sugar levels differently. People with low blood sugar may:
- feel hungry or have “hunger pains” in their stomach
- feel shaky or like they’re trembling
- have a rapid heart rate
- feel sweaty or have cold, clammy skin
- have pale, gray skin color
- have a headache
- have seizures or convulsions
- lose consciousness
If you have diabetes, try to remember how your body reacts when your blood sugar levels are low. It may help you figure out when you’re having a low blood sugar level more quickly the next time.
What Are The Different Types Of Chocolate
What exactly is chocolate? Chocolate comes from the seed of the cocoa tree. Cocoa liquor includes cocoa solids and cocoa butter, and it is the percent cacao that you may see on a food label. Cocoa powder includes cocoa liquor minus some of cocoa butter, leaving solids.
Chocolate has cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, and often sugar:
- Dark or semisweet chocolate has at least 35% cocoa liquor
- Milk chocolate has condensed or powdered milk in the chocolate mixture has usually contains 10%12% cocoa liquor
- White chocolate has cocoa butter, milk, and sugar
Then, of course, there are chocolate-flavored products or products made with a little bit of chocolate and a lot of other ingredients. Brownies and chocolate cake and cookies have flour, sugar, and eggs. Chocolate ice cream has sugar and cream. Chocolate syrup has water and sugar.
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How To Treat Low Blood Sugar
If you think you have low blood sugar, be sure to check it.
Keeping your blood sugar levels on target as much as possible can help prevent or delay long-term, serious health problems. While this is important, closely managing your blood sugar levels also increases your chance for low blood sugar . Blood sugar below 70 mg/dL is considered low. If you think you have low blood sugar, check it. If you arent able to check it, go ahead and treat it.
Untreated low blood sugar can be dangerous, so its important to know what to do about it and to treat it immediately.
How Else Does Chocolate Affect Your Health
A lot of research has looked at chocolate consumption and health, especially heart health. Most of the findings are positive. That is especially good news if you have diabetes, since diabetes is a risk factor for heart disease and related conditions. Various studies have linked chocolate consumption to lower blood pressure, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels, and lower levels of unhealthy inflammation, according to a review article published in Antioxidants and Redox Signaling. Many studies have included people with diabetes.
It is however of note that women who are pregnant should avoid chocolate, particularly if you have gestational diabetes.
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Treating Severely Low Blood Sugar
Blood sugar below 55 mg/dL is considered severely low. You wont be able to treat it using the 15-15 rule. You also may not be able to check your own blood sugar or treat it by yourself, depending on your symptoms. Make sure your family members, friends, and caregivers know your signs of low blood sugar so they can help treat it if needed.
Injectable glucagon is the best way to treat severely low blood sugar. A glucagon kit is available by prescription. Speak with your doctor to see if you should have a kit. Be sure to learn how and when to use it. Let family members and others close to you know where you keep the glucagon kit and make sure theyve been trained in how to use it too.
Its important to contact a doctor for emergency medical treatment immediately after receiving a glucagon injection. If a person faints due to severely low blood sugar, theyll usually wake up within 15 minutes after a glucagon injection. If they dont wake up within 15 minutes after the injection, they should receive one more dose. When the person is awake and able to swallow:
- Feed the person a fast-acting source of sugar .
- Then, have them eat a long-acting source of sugar .
Its also important that friends, family, co-workers, teachers, coaches, and other people you may be around often know how to test your blood sugar and treat severely low blood sugar before it happens.
If any of the following happens, your friend, relative, or helper should call 911:
Reflect On The Amount Of Sugar In Your Diet
Hyperglycemia occurs when there is too much glucose in the blood.
Therefore, one way of reducing your blood glucose levels is reflecting on where sugar may be consumed in the diet. Think about any refined and processed foods that may be in your diet as these are often high in sugar. This can be achieved through a low carbohydrate diet.
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Can You Raise Blood Sugar Without Food
Two products glucose gel and chewable glucose tablets are also effective at quickly raising blood sugar. Theyre available without a prescription and are recommended for people who experience frequent episodes of low blood sugar.
If youve had severe low blood sugar symptoms in the past, speak with your doctor about whether a glucagon kit is right for you. Glucagon is a hormone that triggers your liver to release glucose into the bloodstream.
These kits are only available by prescription. Theyre used to raise your blood sugar when youre not able to eat or drink, such as in a state of unconsciousness. Therefore, someone else, like a friend or family member, typically administers this medication for you.
An episode of low blood sugar that necessitates assistance from another person is by definition severe hypoglycemia. The kits come with a syringe and needle that can be used to inject glucagon into your arm, thigh, or buttocks.
Be sure to ask your doctor when and how to use a glucagon kit. Also, let your family and friends know how to use it and how to recognize a hypoglycemic emergency.
There are many different factors that can cause a dip in your blood sugar levels. Here are some of the most common causes.
When You Have Diabetes Its Important To Make Healthier Food Choices And Be Smart With The Snacks You Choose Swapping Things Like Crisps Biscuits Ice Cream And Chocolate For Yoghurts Unsalted Nuts Seeds Fruits And Vegetables
This will help to manage your diabetes and reduce your risk of long-term complications.
That said, celebrations such as Easter and Christmas only come once a year, so dont worry about the odd one or two indulgences as these will not affect your long-term diabetes management.
Its a myth that you cant eat chocolate if you have diabetes, just eat it in moderation, and try not to eat a lot in one go as it affects your blood sugar levels.
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How To Raise Blood Sugar Fast Conclusion
It is always important to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. It becomes even more critical for those diagnosed with Diabetes Type I and Type II. Be sure to monitor your levels and take immediate action if you find yourself near the 70 mg/dL range.
If you continue to have low blood pressure you are in danger of suffering confusion, shakiness and seizures, which are all listed as symptoms of dangerously low blood sugar levels.
Do hesitate to reach out to medical professionals if your blood sugar dips below that threshold, or if you cannot get it to rise. Hypoglycemia is a very serious medical problem and if not treated can lead to hospitalization and even death.
Whats Considered Low Blood Sugar Level
Your blood sugar tends to change throughout the day. Itll be more economical when you initial wake up, particularly if you have not eaten for the past 8 to 10 hours. Your blood glucose will go up once you eat. Depending upon when you last ate, heres whats considered to be a normal blood glucose range:
Fasting2 hours after a meal
70 99 mg/dLLess than 140 mg/dL
Low blood sugar, likewise called hypoglycemia, is when your blood sugar level levels fall below 70 mg/dL. The point at which low blood glucose symptoms become visible is different from one person to the next. Some individuals might feel tense, irritable, or lightheaded when their blood glucose level is up to 70 mg/dL. Other individuals may not feel any symptoms until well listed below that mark.
A fast, easy blood test can determine your blood sugar level. If you have diabetes or different medical condition that seldom causes incidents of low blood sugar, its essential to routinely examine your blood sugar with a home test.
If a analysis exhibits that your blood sugar is below standard, you can take steps to change it quickly.
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What Is Low Blood Glucose
Low blood glucose, also called low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, occurs when the level of glucose in your blood drops below what is healthy for you. For many people with diabetes, this means a blood glucose reading lower than 70 milligrams per deciliter .1 Your number might be different, so check with your doctor or health care team to find out what blood glucose level is low for you.
When Blood Sugar Is Too Low
Glucose is a sugar that comes from the foods we eat, and it’s also formed and stored inside the body. It’s the main source of energy for the cells of our body, and is carried to each cell through the bloodstream. Our brains depend on glucose to function, even when we’re sleeping.
The is the amount of glucose in the blood. When these levels drop too low, it’s called hypoglycemia . Very low blood sugar levels can cause serious symptoms that need to be treated right away.
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Check Your Blood Sugar
If you take medication that may cause low blood sugar , its highly advisable to check your blood sugar levels before you try to bring your sugar levels down.
This is just in case your blood sugar is normal or low, which can be the case in some situations.
Testing of blood sugar before bringing your levels down is particularly important if you take insulin.
How Your Diet Can Impact Your Hormones
Maintaining a healthy daily diet can help keep hormone levels stable. Foods such as olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds, fibre from fruits and vegetables and quality proteins such as eggs, fish and meat, have a positive impact on our hormones.
Processed foods, fried foods, alcohol, sugar and artificial sweeteners can all have a negative impact on your hormones and lead to issues with blood sugar levels, estrogen metabolism and may other serious health conditions.
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What If I Have Severe Low Blood Glucose And Cant Treat Myself
Glucagona hormone that raises blood glucose levelsis the best way to treat severely low blood glucose. Available as an injection or a nasal spray, glucagon will quickly raise your blood glucose level. Your doctor can prescribe you a glucagon kit for use in case of an emergency.
If your blood glucose level drops very low, you wont be able to treat it by yourself. Be prepared to address severely low blood glucose by
- talking with your doctor or health care team about when and how to use a glucagon emergency kit. If you have an emergency kit, regularly check the date on the package to make sure it hasnt expired.
- teaching your family, friends, and coworkers when and how to give you glucagon. Tell them to call 911 right away after giving you glucagon or if you dont have a glucagon emergency kit with you.
- wearing a medical alert identification bracelet or pendant. A medical alert ID tells other people that you have diabetes and need care right away. Getting prompt care can help prevent the serious problems that low blood glucose levels can cause.
How Is Hypoglycemia Diagnosed
The only way to know if you have hypoglycemia is to check your blood sugar with a blood glucose meter. Its a small machine that measures blood sugar. Most of these devices use a tiny prick of the finger to take a small amount of blood.
People with hypoglycemia unawareness may need a continuous glucose monitor. These wearable devices measure glucose every few minutes, day and night. An alarm sounds if blood sugar drops too low.
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Foods That Raise Blood Sugar
The quickest way to raise your blood sugar is by having something to eat or drink, says Barnathan.
If your blood sugar levels are extremely low and you need a quick boost, you’ll need something with some carbohydrates so that you can restore your blood glucose. But you shouldn’t overdo it.
It’s best to have something with simple carbs that are quick and easy to break down. About 15 grams of simple carbohydrates is ideal. Examples include:
- One-half cup of fruit juice or regular, non-diet soda
- One tablespoon of sugar
- One tablespoon of honey or syrup
- Four or five hard candies, jelly beans, or gumdrops
Doctors recommend waiting 15 minutes and check your blood sugar levels once more before eating again to avoid raising your blood sugar too much.
If you notice your blood sugar levels may be dropping, but you haven’t reached hypoglycemia, it may be best to add some protein and fat into the mix, like by eating a protein bar or meat sandwich.
Protein and fat will slow down digestion, delaying an increase in glucose. However, they can also prevent a big blood sugar spike and subsequent drop. For this reason, those who experience insulin resistance are recommended to regularly include protein and healthy fats in their diet.