What Affects Blood Sugar: Factors Of Blood Sugar Swings

Publish date: 2024-08-30

Blood glucose levels tell you how much sugar is circulating in your blood. Your levels can be affected by multiple different factors, including what you ate, how much exercise you got, whether you drank alcohol and more. When your blood sugar spikes, insulin kicks in to help bring your levels back down to a healthy range. But when your blood sugar is too low, it's up to you to refuel with fast-acting carbs (like fruit or candy). Basically, managing your blood sugar swings—whether or not you have type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes—is vital for preventing weight gain, heart health issues, and other health problems. 

Here's everything you need to know about what affects your blood sugar and how to keep your levels at a steady, healthy range.

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What Affects My Blood Glucose Levels?

It's perfectly normal for your blood glucose levels to rise and fall. Fluctuations can be caused by a variety of different factors, like eating a bowl of pasta or doing an intense workout; but blood sugar ebbs and flows can also be triggered by variables outside of your control, such as stress and hormone changes. 

Factors That Cause Blood Glucose to Rise Include:

<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn more: </strong><a href="../blog/how-to-break-a-fast">How to Break a Fast Safely: Managing Blood Sugar Levels</a>.</p>

Factors That Cause Blood Glucose to Fall:

How to Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes

It's important to keep your blood sugar levels stable because, over time, hyperglycemia can cause damage to your blood vessels, which can increase your risk of heart attack, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other diabetes complications. However, making a few lifestyle changes and tweaking your routine can help prevent high blood glucose and keep your levels healthy. 6, 7

Here are a few ways to help prevent blood sugar spikes: 

Learn More About How to Improve Blood Sugar Health With Signos’ Expert Advice

Understanding how certain foods and lifestyle habits affect your blood sugar levels is key to helping you manage your diabetes or prevent developing the disease down the line. Signos can help arm you with the information you need to optimize your diet, lose weight, and learn about the different medications available to help you live a healthier life. To learn more about glucose levels, check out Signos’ blog.

Ready to try CGMs? Take this quick quiz to find out if Signos is right for you.

<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Keep reading: </strong><a href="../blog/low-sugar-drinks">11 Refreshing Low-Sugar Drinks That Won't Spike Blood Sugar</a>.</p>

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