A few decades ago, people were not very often worried about such a problem as blood sugar. But today everything has changed. Millions of people on our planet are concerned about high glucose levels. And there is an explanation for this. The fact is that literally over the past 2-3 decades, the component composition and quality of food that is consumed by humans has undergone dramatic changes. People began to include significantly more sugar and a variety of confectionery, all kinds of pastries, semi-finished products and fast food in the menu. Constant stresses and modern life, in which there is little movement, aggravate the situation.
Such an unbalanced diet along with physical inactivity lead to weight gain, increased cholesterol, as well as to constant surges in blood sugar. As a result of this, the problem of mass obesity arises, as well as an increase in the number of patients with diabetes. Such conditions are accompanied by an excess of glucose concentration in the blood. In everyday life, this is called increased sugar. The medical term for a condition with such symptoms is hyperglycemia. As a rule, the main reason for the development of such a pathology is diabetes. However, blood sugar may increase due to other disorders in the body. Why is this happening and what to do in this situation?
Norm Definition
What should be the values of blood sugar in the absence of disease? To determine the norm, there are rather limited limits. The analysis, which is given only in the morning and always on an empty stomach, should show a level between 3.3 and 5.5 millimoles per liter. A similar rule applies to both women and men whose age ranges from 14 to 65 years.
Thirty minutes after a person has taken food, the rate rises. After an hour, the concentration of sugar in the blood reaches its maximum value. After 2 or 3 hours in a healthy person, this indicator decreases to normal.
Why does blood sugar rise? Reasons for exceeding this indicator may be:
- physiological;
- caused by overeating;
- provoked by various diseases.
Let's consider them in more detail.
Physiological reasons
What does blood sugar rise from? The reason may be physiological abnormalities. In this case, there is a sharp increase in glucose uptake by the body. A change in the amount of sugar in the blood is observed during physical work. The reason is the need to obtain energy stored by the body for muscle contraction work.
Why does blood sugar rise with injuries and burns? This is facilitated by the release of various stress hormones, in particular adrenaline. The increased production of such components is the result of:
- increase the rate of synthesis of glucose and insulin;
- the release of glucose, which was stored by the liver in the form of glycogen.
Why blood sugar rises in the absence of disease? Glycemia in a healthy person is possible from smoking. The fact is that nicotine, which is in tobacco, activates the production of hormones such as growth hormone and cortisol. This becomes the cause of the jump in glucose levels.
If women have raised blood sugar, then the reasons for this may be:
- the beginning of the menstrual cycle;
- pregnancy;
- taking diuretics or contraceptives.
What does sugar in human blood rise from? In both women and men, the cause of this can be physical inactivity, the use of antidepressants, corticosteroids and beta-blockers.
Hyperglycemia Diseases
What causes blood sugar in pathologies? Hyperglycemia can be observed not only in diabetes. The amount of sugar in the blood rises in case of diseases in which:
- there is a metabolism of fats and carbohydrates;
- insulin and counterinsulin hormones are produced.
Among them are diseases of the kidneys and endocrine system, pancreas.
In addition, the rate of sugar in the blood increases with:
- Wernicke encephalopathy, provoked by a lack of vitamin B1;
- black acanthosis;
- acute conditions (stroke, myocardial infarction, epilepsy attacks, after surgery on the stomach).
It is noted that if blood sugar rose sharply, then a similar symptom often indicates a condition when a person’s life is in danger. It is no coincidence that hyperglycemia is noted in those patients who enter the intensive care unit.
Pancreatic ailments
What does blood sugar rise from? Often this happens due to pancreatic diseases. After all, it is the main organ that is responsible for the level of glucose in the body. It is in the pancreas that the hormones glucagon and insulin are synthesized. The entire work of this body is controlled by the brain due to its departments - the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
In a healthy person, with an increase in the amount of sugar in the blood, an additional volume of insulin is synthesized. It causes glucose to be consumed, which leads to a decrease in its concentration. But in the case of pathology, the functional activity of the pancreas is reduced. At the same time, the production of insulin by this body decreases. The lack of this hormone leads to an increase in blood sugar.
Endocrine diseases
What does blood sugar rise from? If a person is healthy, then the level of glucose in his body is regulated by the normal ratio of hormones produced in him. So, insulin is responsible for reducing sugar. Its counter-hormonal hormones increase, namely:
- pancreatic glucagon;
- adrenaline, cortisol, testosterone produced by the adrenal glands;
- thyroid produced by the thyroid gland;
- growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland.
In case of malfunctioning of the endocrine organs, an increase in the volume of the hormones listed above is released into the blood. This leads to an increase in blood sugar.
Thyroid disease
What does blood sugar rise from? The cause may be damage to the thyroid gland. Pathologies of this organ are accompanied by disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. This becomes the cause of hyperglycemia. This condition is caused by a decrease in the production of hormones by the thyroid gland.
Somatostatin
An increase in the amount of sugar in the blood also occurs due to a pancreatic tumor. This disease is called somatostatinoma. It is hormonally active. When a tumor occurs in the pancreas, an active release of the hormone occurs. It is called somatostatin. This hormone inhibits the production of insulin. From this, the volume in blood sugar increases. Signs of increased somatostatin production are:
- diarrhea;
- weight loss;
- lowering the level of acidity of the stomach;
- the release of fat with feces.
Wernicke Encephalopathy
The amount of sugar in the blood also increases due to a lack of vitamin B1 in the body. This disease is called Wernicke encephalopathy. Such a pathology is manifested not only by an increase in blood sugar, but also by malfunctions of a certain part of the brain.
Vitamin B1 deficiency leads to impaired ability of glucose uptake by nerve cells. This is the reason for increasing its level in the bloodstream.
Binge eating
The causes described above cause an increase in glucose in the morning. Why does blood sugar rise at night? A similar phenomenon is associated only with the diet of a person who in the evening consumed foods high in carbohydrates or simply over-eaten.
This leads to the fact that the body has to spend a significant amount of energy and even use its spare resources. With a shortage of food during the day and its excess in the evening, metabolic processes, as well as the normal glucose value, are undoubtedly disturbed. To reduce it will allow the adjusted diet and diet.
Manifestations of hyperglycemia
The fact that blood sugar has risen, symptoms may indicate the following:
- constant thirst;
- dry skin and mucous membranes;
- excessive urination, including frequent trips to the toilet at night, which are not accompanied by pain;
- a sharp set of body weight or, conversely, weight loss;
- Dizziness
- visual impairment;
- persistent skin itching;
- increased appetite;
- irritability;
- decreased performance;
- daytime sleepiness;
- heavy sweating;
- distraction.
One of the indirect signs of hyperglycemia can be frequent infectious pathologies of the urinary tract.
A sign of an increase in blood sugar is also a tendency of the body to fungal diseases of the genitals, skin and oral mucosa.
Product Impact
Many people mistakenly believe that if the blood sugar level rises, you should only refuse to use such a product, and everything will return to normal after that. This understanding is quite simplistic. After all, the main supplier of glucose for our body is carbohydrates. And they are part of any product.
In their chemical structure, carbohydrates are:
- Simple (monomers). This type of carbohydrate is called fast, because when they are consumed, sugar rises sharply in the blood.
- Slow (polysaccharides). These carbohydrates increase blood sugar gradually.
If blood sugar rises after a meal, then it is important to follow a diet that consists in eating foods that contain a lot of slow carbohydrates. Monomers in this case should be excluded.
What if blood sugar rises? You can reduce its indications without pills and special preparations when you include the following products in the menu:
- any fresh vegetables;
- nuts and legumes;
- berries;
- boiled poultry meat (without skin), as well as fish;
- products that include a large amount of coarse fiber;
- porridge (except rice);
- fresh apples, pears, citrus fruits, apricots and juice from them;
- artificial or natural sugar analogues.
At the same time, the following should be excluded from the diet:
- cane and beet sugar;
- foods cooked by frying;
- ketchups and mayonnaises;
- salty, spicy and pickled foods;
- white bread and pastries;
- confectionery.
How to bring glucose back to normal?
If blood sugar rises sharply, what should I do? Quickly and also effectively bring to normal its level with the help of any home remedies will not work.
Only special medications will allow this. Among them:
- clayides;
- sulfonylurea derivatives;
- biguanides.
Specific drugs and the dosage of their use should be recommended by the attending physician. Self-administration of such funds can cause tremendous harm to health.
Practical tips
What to do if your blood sugar rises? First of all, you need to make the necessary adjustments to the diet. When compiling the menu, you should include in it products that have a low calorie content and a low glycemic index. Eating is recommended in small portions, that is, 5-6 times a day. Such a diet will contribute to the timely processing of glucose by the body, which will reduce the load on the pancreas. In addition, you should adhere to the golden rule. It is concluded in the refusal of food after 18 hours. Such a meal schedule will ensure a quiet sleep and will not allow the body to accumulate body fat.
To bring the blood sugar level to normal, one should also not neglect physical activity. People whose work is characterized as static must perform physical exercises every day and walk leisurely for 7-10 kilometers. All this will get rid of excess calories, saturate the body with oxygen and activate metabolic processes.
Patients with hyperglycemia should always remember that sugar is the main supplier of fast carbohydrates. In addition, it is also very high-calorie. That is why it must be replaced with no less sweet, but at the same time low-calorie and safe analogue. Currently, there are many sweeteners. Some of them are synthesized artificially. This, for example, xylitol and aspartame. Others are obtained from natural raw materials. For example, stevia and fructose.
Folk remedies
When treating hyperglycemia, one should not look for methods that will allow, in just one day, to reduce, bringing to normal, the level of sugar in the bloodstream. Similar methods in alternative medicine do not exist. All the drugs and drugs recommended by her contribute to a slow decrease in glucose levels. Consider the most popular of them:
- Oat broth. This recipe is pretty simple. To prepare a medicinal product, you need to take oatmeal in the volume of one glass, to which add 600 ml of boiling water. The resulting mixture is boiled for 15 minutes over low heat. Next, the broth should be infused. For this, it is enough to allocate 20 minutes. Take the finished product three times a day for 1/3 cup. It is worth noting that this mixture is very useful for the digestive tract.
- A decoction of chicory root. This tool has a beneficial effect on the pancreas and allows you to reduce blood sugar. To prepare the drug, you need 1 tsp. chicory roots, which should be pre-chopped. Raw materials are poured 1 tbsp. boiling water. The mixture is boiled for 10 minutes over low heat. The cooled broth is considered ready to receive. The recommended dosage is 5 ml up to five times a day.
- A decoction of bird cherry. This tool in alternative medicine is considered one of the most effective. At its preparation berries of a bird cherry are used. They will need to take 1 tbsp. l then pour a glass of boiling water. Such a mixture should be put on a small fire and brought to a boil. After 3 minutes, the drug can be used for treatment. They drink it for a month at ½ tbsp. three times a day. After a break, the course can be repeated.
- Healing teas. In the preparation of these medicinal potions, those herbs are used that, due to their composition, are able to lower blood sugar. Among them are St. John's wort and clover, linden blossom, as well as leaves of currant and lingonberry. All these components are taken in equal proportions. They are thoroughly crushed, and after 1 tbsp. a spoonful of raw materials is poured into a glass of boiling water. After this, the tea is left to infuse the mixture for 15 minutes. A similar medicine is used twice a day.
So, we examined the answer to the question of why blood sugar rose. The causes of this problem can be very different. To eliminate it, it is important to consult a doctor.