Just 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 this has its own explanation. The fact is that literally over the past 2-3 decades, the component composition and quality of food consumed by humans have undergone dramatic changes. People began to include much more sugar and a variety of confectionery products, all kinds of pastries, convenience foods and fast food in the menu. The situation is aggravated by constant stress and modern life, in which there is little movement.
Such an unbalanced diet, together with physical inactivity, leads to weight gain, high cholesterol levels, and constant spikes in blood sugar. As a result, there is a problem of mass obesity, as well as an increase in the number of people with diabetes. Such conditions are accompanied by an excess of glucose concentration in the blood. In everyday life, this is called high sugar. The medical term for this condition is hyperglycemia. As a rule, the main reason for the development of such a pathology is diabetes. However, blood sugar can also rise due to other disorders in the body. Why is this happening and what to do in this situation?
Definition of the norm
What should blood sugar values be in the absence of disease? There are quite limited limits to the definition of the norm. An analysis, which is given only in the morning and always on an empty stomach, should show a level in the range from 3.3 to 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 eaten, the rate rises. An hour later, the concentration of sugar in the blood reaches its maximum values. After 2 or 3 hours in the body of a he althy person, this indicator decreases to normal.
Why does blood sugar rise? Reasons for exceeding this indicator may be:
- physiological;
- caused by overeating;
- triggered by various diseases.
Let's take a closer look at them.
Physiological causes
What causes blood sugar to rise? The reason may be physiological deviations from the norm. In this case, there is a sharp increase in the consumption of glucose 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 the energy stored by the body for carrying outmuscle contraction work.
Why does blood sugar rise with injuries and burns? This is facilitated by the release of various stress hormones, in particular adrenaline. Increased production of such components results in:
- increasing the rate of glucose and insulin synthesis;
- release glucose that has been stored in the liver in the form of glycogen.
Also why does blood sugar rise in the absence of disease? Glycemia in a he althy person is possible from smoking. The fact is that nicotine, found in tobacco, activates the production of hormones such as somatotropin and cortisol. This causes a jump in glucose levels.
If women have high blood sugar, the reasons for this may be:
- beginning of the menstrual cycle;
- pregnancy;
- taking diuretics or birth control.
What causes a person's blood sugar to rise? In both women and men, this can be caused by physical inactivity, taking antidepressants, corticosteroids, and beta-blockers.
Diseases that cause hyperglycemia
What causes blood sugar to rise in pathologies? Hyperglycemia can be observed not only in diabetes. The amount of sugar in the blood increases in case of diseases in which:
- metabolize fats and carbohydrates;
- insulin and contra-insulin hormones are produced.
Among them are diseases of the kidneys and endocrine system, pancreas.
In addition, the level of sugar in the blood increases when:
- Wernicke's encephalopathy caused by vitamin B1 deficiency;
- black acanthosis;
- acute conditions (stroke, myocardial infarction, epileptic seizures, after stomach surgery).
It is noted that if blood sugar has risen sharply, then a similar symptom often indicates a condition where a person's life is in danger. It is no coincidence that hyperglycemia is noted in those patients who enter the intensive care unit.
Diseases of the pancreas
What causes blood sugar to rise? Often this happens due to diseases of the pancreas. 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. All the work of this body is controlled by the brain thanks to its departments - the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.
In a he althy person, with an increase in the amount of sugar in the blood, an additional amount 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 decreases. At the same time, the production of insulin by this organ also decreases. The lack of this hormone leads to an increase in blood sugar.
Endocrine diseases
What causes blood sugar to rise? If a person is he althy, then the level of glucose in his body is regulated by the normal ratio of hormones produced in it. So, for lowering sugar in response to insulin. Increase its contrainsular hormones, namely:
- glucagon produced by the pancreas;
- adrenaline, cortisol, testosterone produced by the adrenal glands;
- thyroxine produced by the thyroid gland;
- somatotropin produced by the pituitary gland.
When the endocrine organs malfunction, the volume of the above hormones released into the blood increases. This leads to an increase in blood sugar.
Thyroid disease
What causes blood sugar to rise? The cause may be damage to the thyroid gland. Pathologies of this organ are accompanied by disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. This is what causes hyperglycemia. This condition is caused by a decrease in the production of hormones by the thyroid gland.
Somatostatinoma
The increase in the amount of sugar in the blood is also 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 suppresses the production of insulin. This increases the level of sugar in the blood. Signs of increased somatostatin production are:
- diarrhea;
- weight loss;
- decrease in stomach acidity;
- excretion of fat with feces.
Wernicke's Encephalopathy
The volume of sugar in the blood also increases due to a lack of vitamin B1 in the body. This disease is called Wernicke's encephalopathy. Suchpathology is not only an increase in blood sugar, but also malfunctions in a certain part of the brain.
Deficiency of vitamin B1 leads to impaired ability to absorb glucose by nerve cells. This is the reason for the increase in its level in the bloodstream.
Overeating
The reasons described above cause an increase in glucose in the morning. Why does blood sugar rise at night? This phenomenon is connected only with the diet of a person who ate food high in carbohydrates in the evening or simply overate.
This leads to the fact that the body has to spend a significant amount of energy and even use its spare resources. With a lack of food during the day and its excess in the evening, metabolic processes are certainly disturbed, as well as the normal glucose level. A corrected diet and diet will allow to reduce it.
Manifestations of hyperglycemia
The symptoms of high blood sugar 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;
- dramatic weight gain or, conversely, weight loss;
- dizziness;
- vision deterioration;
- permanent skin itching;
- increased appetite;
- irritability;
- decrease in performance;
- daytime sleepiness;
- heavy sweating;
- absent-mindedness.
One ofindirect signs of hyperglycemia can be frequent infectious pathologies of the urinary tract.
A sign of an increase in blood sugar is also the tendency of the body to fungal diseases of the genital organs, skin and oral mucosa.
Product impact
Many people mistakenly believe that in the event of an increase in blood sugar levels, you should only stop using such a product, and everything will return to normal after that. This understanding is rather simplistic. After all, the main supplier of glucose for our body are carbohydrates. And they are part of any product.
By their chemical structure, carbohydrates are:
- Simple (monomers). This type of carbohydrate is called fast, because when they are consumed, sugar in the blood rises sharply.
- Slow (polysaccharides). These carbohydrates increase blood sugar gradually.
If blood sugar rises after eating, it is important to stick to a diet that consists in eating foods containing a large amount of slow carbohydrates. Monomers must be excluded in this case.
What to do if blood sugar rises? You can reduce its indications without pills and special preparations by including the following products in the menu:
- any fresh vegetables;
- nuts and legumes;
- berries;
- boiled poultry meat (without skin), as well as fish;
- products containing a large amount of coarsefiber;
- porridge (except rice);
- fresh apples, pears, citrus fruits, apricots and their juices;
- artificial or natural analogues of sugar.
Thus excluded from the diet should be:
- cane and beet sugar;
- fried foods;
- ketchups and mayonnaises;
- s alty, spicy and pickled foods;
- white bread and pastries;
- confectionery.
How to bring glucose to normal?
If blood sugar has risen sharply, what should I do? It will not be possible to quickly and also effectively bring its level to normal with the help of any home remedies.
Only special medications will allow to do this. Among them:
- glinides;
- sulfonylurea derivatives;
- biguanides.
Specific drugs and their dosage should be recommended by the attending physician. Self-administration of such funds can cause enormous harm to he alth.
Practical Tips
What to do if the blood sugar level has risen? First of all, you need to make the necessary adjustments to the diet. When compiling the menu, you should include foods that have a low calorie content and a small glycemic index. Eating is recommended to be carried out in small portions, that is, 5-6 times during the day. Such a diet will contribute to the timely processing of glucose by the body, which will reduce the load onpancreas. In addition, you should adhere to the golden rule. It consists in refusing food after 18 hours. Such a meal schedule will ensure restful sleep and will not allow the body to accumulate body fat.
To bring the blood sugar level to normal, do not neglect physical activity either. People whose work is characterized as static, it is mandatory to perform daily physical exercises and leisurely walk at a walking pace of 7-10 kilometers. All this will get rid of extra 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 in calories. That is why it must be replaced with an equally sweet, but at the same time low-calorie and safe counterpart. Currently, there are many sweeteners. Some of them are artificially synthesized. Examples are xylitol and aspartame. Others are obtained from natural raw materials. For example, stevia and fructose.
Folk remedies
In the treatment of hyperglycemia, one should not look for ways that will allow 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:
- Decoction of oats. This recipe is pretty simple. To prepare medicinalmeans you will need to take oatmeal in the amount of one glass, in which add 600 ml of boiling water. The resulting mixture is boiled for 15 minutes over low heat. Next, the broth should be infused. To do 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.
- Decoction of chicory root. This remedy 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 must first be crushed. Raw materials are poured 1 tbsp. boiling water. On low heat, the mixture is boiled for 10 minutes. The cooled broth is considered ready to receive. The recommended dosage is 5 ml up to five times a day.
- Decoction of bird cherry. This remedy in alternative medicine is considered one of the most effective. In its preparation, cherry berries are used. They will need to take 1 tbsp. l. then pour a glass of boiling water. This mixture should be put on a small fire and brought to a boil. After 3 minutes, the remedy can be used for treatment. Drink it for a month for ½ tbsp. three times a day. After the 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, lime blossom, as well as currant and lingonberry leaves. All these components are taken in equal proportions. They are carefully crushed, and after 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of raw materials with a glass of boiling water. After that, the tea is left forinfusion of the mixture for 15 minutes. This medicine is taken twice a day.
So, we have considered the answer to the question of why blood sugar has risen. The reasons for this problem can be very different. To eliminate it, it is important to see a doctor.
