Why You Might Consider Tracking Your Blood Glucose
Collab post with LCK <333
One commonly overlooked function of health (and one worth keeping tabs on) is blood sugar levels and fasting blood glucose.
Not new news that unmanaged blood sugar levels can hedge us towards health conditions such as Diabetes. But unmanaged levels can also hedge us towards conditions such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), where insulin resistance seems a main contributing driver.
Potential Symptoms of Blood Glucose (BG) Dysregulation:
Amenorrhea or irregular periods
Disrupted sleep
Elevated androgens (elevated testosterone/DHEA levels as a females; hair loss, cystic acne, hirsutism or black hairs)
Fatigue
Increased appetite, sugar cravings
Joint pain, inflammation
Mood swings
Weight gain (especially around stomach)
A Few Potential Contributors to Blood Glucose Dysregulation:
HPA Axis Dysfunction
Chronic inflammation
Hormonal birth control // Post-Birth Control Syndrome
Poor gut health // Gut dysbiosis
Overtraining // overexercising
Stress (:
Thyroid conditions
(Among numerous others)
How to track:
Purchase a Glucometer ~ $50 on Amazon.
When Do I Check My Blood Glucose?
1. Fasting BG (first thing in am). Optimal values 70-85 mg/ dL
2. Post Prandial Blood Glucose (aka BG post-meals). Post-prandial BG should be at its highest around 1hr after eating- then should decrease over the next 2 hrs back toward resting levels. If we’re curious how our body responds to certain foods or food combinations, we can test 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours after eating to get a more comprehensive picture. Two hours after eating, levels should be <100 mg/dL.
My Fasting Blood Glucose is 90-100+ in the morning- Should I be concerned?
Potentially. We likely feel like dog shit if it’s elevated consistently. However, a diagnosis of insulin resistance typically requires abnormal post-prandial blood glucose levels as well as elevated A1C (a measurement of how much of our hemoglobin is bound to glucose). But, pinging back readings 90-100+ consistently is likely worth curiosity and further investigation.
My Fasting Blood Glucose is 100-120+ in the morning – Should I be concerned?
Yessssss. Consult with your physician and hire an experienced coach to work on getting levels into a normal range.
Things to Consider if BG is elevated in the morning:
-Disrupted sleep- Sleeping less than your normal or having super disrupted sleep will often lead to elevated readings in the morning.
-Training and exercise may need adjustment. Reducing training volume, lowering intensity, or taking more rest days may be necessary.
-Stresssssss. Excess cortisol and elevated blood sugar to hand-in-hand.
-Macronutrient balance at evening meal- Try to keep majority of meals well-rounded so there’s protein/carb/fat/fiber at every meal. Also consider shifting some more to our evening meal if we’re waking up with elevated glucose levels.
-Ensure caloric and carbohydrate intake are proportionate to activity levels (:
**Worth mentioning- we are much more concerned with trends over time than one isolated reading- so track for a few days so we can get a better idea of how our BG is fluctuating over time.
