What Makes Glucose Levels Rise and Fall?
When you have diabetes it is important to understand what might make your blood glucose level rise or fall so that you can take steps to stay on target.
When you eat any type of carbohydrate (starches, fruits, milk, sugars etc.), your body breaks it down into simple sugars. These get absorbed into the blood stream and insulin helps remove them from the blood into the cells to be used for energy.
Without diabetes, our body usually makes just the right amount of insulin to match the food eaten, when diabetes is present, tablets or insulin injections are required to help this process.
Things that can make your blood glucose rise
- A meal or snack with a bigger portion of carbohydrates than usual
- Less activity than usual
- Side effects of some medications
- Infection, surgery or other illness
- Changes in hormone levels, such as during menstrual periods, or adolescence
- Stress
Things that can make your blood glucose fall
- A meal or snack with a smaller portion of carbohydrates than usual
- Taking too much insulin or a dose increase of your diabetes tablets
- Extra physical activity
- Side effects of some medications
- Missing a meal or a snack
- Drinking alcohol
