Blood Sugar testing. Blood sugar testing is a simple measurement which gives details of how much glucose is in the blood stream. Glucose is the fuel used for the brain and your body tries to keep the levels in your blood within certain limits. Blood sugar varies depending upon the numerous factors including what and when you last ate. High blood sugar The term blood sugar is fairly well known as it forms the basis of diabetes classification. Prolonged high levels can cause many problems including kidney damage, neurological damage, cardiovascular damage, loss of vision amongst others. High blood sugar is termed hyperglycaemia. There are two types of high blood sugar. High fasting levels and excessive post meal levels. Fasting levels are deemed high if blood sugar levels are above 130mg/dl (7 mmol/L) after a fast without eating. Hyperglycemia is a serious problem for diabetics. There are three types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes – This is the failure of the body to produce insulin and therefore you are unable to remove glucose from the blood into the cells. In this situation you must ingest your own insulin. Type 2 diabetes – This insulin made by the body cannot be used effectively and therefore you are poor at taking the glucose from the blood into the cells. This is known as insulin resistance. Lifestyle factors affect this form of diabetes and if managed poorly can deteriorate into type 1. Type 3 diabetes – This is where the body is unable to produce it’s own insulin (as in type 1 diabetes) but it is also becoming resistant to the insulin it is being given. This type of diabetes develops through poor lifestyle choices when already diagnosed as diabetic. Low blood sugar Hypoglycemia is often associated with diabetics who have induced low levels through taking insulin which leads to a diabetic coma. However, low blood sugar affects a much greater degree of the population than those rare but serious cases for diabetics. When blood sugar is low it results in the adrenal glands kicking into action to raise levels. This is a natural response to protect the brain in response to low glucose levels. Low blood sugar levels is one the six types of hunger and usually a very powerful one. The problem with low blood sugar levels is that it puts a large stress on the body without you being aware of it. This internal stressors can contribute to adrenal fatigue and hormonal changes. This can result in difficulty losing weight. When blood sugar drops below 110 mg/dl (5 mmol/L) it begins to act as a stress upon the body. Blood sugar testing It is both simple and relatively cheap to test for blood sugar. The kits are widely available in pharmacies and the information will allow you to monitor your levels which can give you a guide to how often you should be eating, the effects of exercise on your insulin sensitivity etc. The best time to test your blood sugar is before eating a meal. It is at this point where it should be between 90 – 110 mg/dL (5-6 mmol/L). It can also be taken before exercise. If your blood sugar is low before you begin aerobic activity you need to be careful about both the intensity and duration of your training plan because regular exercise in such a state over stresses the body. Blood sugar as a function of biochemical health Blood sugar stability is reflective of many biochemical processes. It improves as you increase balance within the body but it cannot be linked to any one element. If your blood sugar levels are too high or too low then you need to be addressing possible causal factors upon your health. This causal factors approach is exactly the same methodology you should take to lose weight.
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