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What makes your blood glucose rise and fall
So, equipped with an accurate blood glucose meter, it is time to look at what makes your blood glucose rise and fall throughout the day. There are many factors which can affect your blood glucose, below are a few examples.
Raising your blood glucose
Eating
Eating increases your blood glucose, particularly if you eat sweet or starchy food.
Illness
When you are ill, especially when you have a temperature, your body makes glucose from its own stores to help fight the infection, so your levels well rise even if you don't eat
Stress
Your body's natural reaction to feeling stressed is to make glucose from its stores and move it into your blood, so that you are ready to stand and fight or run away if neccessary
Exercise
Exercise usually lowers your blood glucose except when you do not have enough insulin available. If you don't, your levels can rise.
Smoking
Smoking has been shown to make you less sensitive to insulin.
Lowering your blood glucose
Your insulin dose
The insulin you inject lowers your blood glucose. Some short-acting insulins are designed to do this quickly; long-acting insulins work more slowly
Exercise
Exercise will generally lower your blood glucose. As you build muscle, it will also make your body more sensitive to the insulin you inject
Not eating
If you forget to eat, or do not eat enough carbohydrate to balance your insulin dose, your blood glucose will fall
Alcohol
Alcohol can cause your levels to fall because it shuts down your body's natural mechanism for raising your blood glucose.
