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Glucose Level

Glucose is a certain type of sugar in your blood. Glucose is made from both the carbohydrates that you eat and some of what your body makes to fuel itself. Insulin is a hormone that your pancreas makes and distributes to help your body use the glucose. It is automatically released into the body when there is an indication of elevated levels of glucose. For example when you are at rest, little if no insulin is being used, however the moment you take the donut from the Krispy Kreme box and begin to ingest it, the pancreas reacts buy sending masses of insulin to help counter the glucose and bring the glucose level to a manageable stage. Glucose levels that are high for lengthy periods of time either by natural means or the external ingestions of a high carbohydrate diet, over works the pancreas and it begins to fail to keep up. When this failure begins to happen, if not found quickly and prevented, the pancreas may shut down completely.

The level of glucose in the human body should range between 70 and 120 depending on the testing meter the participant is using and the doctor’s recommendation. The range will depend on many factors; age, weight and activity of the participant. The fluctuation of numbers when tested will depend on the time of day taken and the activity previous to the test.

There are many contributing factors to the cause of high levels glucose. A diet high in carbohydrates which include sugars and starches, over time will over work the pancreas causing it to slow down the metabolic rate of producing insulin. Fat in the body will slow the process of digestion even to processing simple starches.

There are times of a day that attribute to highs and low glucose levels. Over night the body uses counter regulatory hormones to maintain body functions. These hormones work against the body’s insulin action to drop the glucose level. They are increased at a time when your night time insulin application is wearing out, this means a higher glucose level in the morning. To counter this, ingest a small amount of carbohydrate before going to bed. This will ensure that a larger dose of insulin will be produced and will last the whole night instead of running out when needed. The glucose levels will not be as high in the mornings.

The Sonogyi effect is similar to the morning effect, but is usually a manmade problem from poor diet. management. This results if the insulin taken before bed was not countered with some kind of approved snack. During the night the glucose level drops and the body counters by releasing hormones to raise the glucose level.

If glucose levels spike during the day when you test; wash your hands, make sure they are not too hot or too cold, rub them together to stimulate circulation. Retest and see if the reading is more accurate. If not, take measures to lower your glucose level.

Be aware that many things contribute to a change in glucose levels. A cold, flu, or other infections can affect the levels wither higher or lower. Proper management of glucose and carbohydrates will maintain the levels in the proper range. Getting plenty of sleep and exercise will also keep the levels in range.

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