There is a misconception that the only reason that our sugar is elevated is due to eating sweets or eating pasta. It’s important to recognize all of the possible situations of why our blood sugar levels might be elevated.
One of those can be outside of our control at times and that is stress levels. Cortisol has a natural flux and flow going up and down throughout the day, and one of the times that it goes the lowest is right before bed at nighttime. If you are stressed all of the time or if you eat something higher in sugar at night, then this also causes your cortisol levels to be high. Due to our entire hormonal system being interconnected, this can also cause an increase in our blood glucose levels.
Another reason that you might have an unexpected high blood glucose level would be if you did not get enough sleep the night before. Due to the circadian rhythmic control of insulin, your sugar could be either higher or lower due to the stress that comes from not sleeping the normal amount that your body is used to.
A common way to lower your A1C (which is that average blood glucose level across three months) is to make sure to get in approximately 150 minutes of exercise per week. This has a drastic impact on your glucose levels so when you are not able to get this in, it is a reason that you can see higher than normal values.
A few to list below are reasons that you might not have thought of before, but should be aware of if you suffer from type 2 diabetes.
- Sunburn
- Chronic Pain
- Steroids (if on a steroid taper then the increase will only be transient and will go back down)
- Excessive alcohol
- Menstration
- Allergies
- Smoking
- Vitamins or supplements (specifically niacin shown)
It is important to remain cautious and aware of these changes but also not utilize this as a reason that you cannot get yours under control. It is possible to manage very easily and avoid these triggers, and even if these triggers come up, you know how to navigate them.
If you are someone that is struggling with your diabetes, a higher A1C, and think that you could qualify for one of our trials, follow this link to fill out a form to send in to us and we will be in touch with you asap!