How to Know if Your Blood Sugar is Stable
Maintaining your blood sugar is SO SO important for your overall health. I can’t stress it enough. A stable blood sugar helps you maintain a healthy weight, maintain healthy cholesterol levels, reduces your risk of diabetes, regulates your glucose levels, and so many more functions in the body.
But how do you know your blood sugar is stable without a glucometer? without testing your blood directly? Most people who get “hangry” can attest to how it feels when their blood sugar gets unstable. Here are some noticeable signs that you can be aware of and pay attention to, to clue you in on the state of your blood sugar.
1. What is the state of inflammation in your body?
You’re probably thinking…” really Lara?! How am I supposed to know if I’m inflamed?” Well, do you get regular headaches, muscle aches, GI problems, rashes, UTIs, brain fog? These are all signs of inflammation in the body.
Your blood sugar often spikes in response to the excess release of cortisol (the stress hormone) by your body. Excess cortisol and therefore excess blood sugar can cause inflammation. If you do not suffer from any kind of body inflammation (this would be rare, but fantastic), your blood sugar level is probably stable.
2. What is the state of your skin?
Acne is a form of inflammation. When your body suffers from an injury or illness, it tries to protect itself and return to homeostasis; the same is true when your diet is not healthy. If you consume a lot of sugar (&/or dairy for some like myself), your body will react in the form of inflammation. Acne is an inflammatory response to poor microbiome health, which is often a result of unstable blood sugar and other GI insult.
3. Do you feel energized?
Again, excess sugar triggers the release of cortisol in your body. Among other effects, this can lead to increased fatigue and brain fog. When your blood sugar is not stable, you may feel sluggish and unmotivated. If you are enjoying high levels of energy and are not easily tired by physical activity, you most likely have a healthy blood sugar level.
4. Do you crave sugar often or even all the time?
Insatiable sugar cravings are a sign of an unstable blood sugar levels. Occasional cravings are normal; stress and nutrition variability triggering cravings is going to happen at some point. But, if satisfying that initial craving keeps you consuming more and more sugar, there is a good chance your blood sugar is not stable and something more systemic and metabolically complicated may be going on.
5. Do you drop weight easily?
When your blood sugar level is stable, it is a lot easier to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. An unstable blood sugar makes it nearly impossible because of the nature and function of insulin in the body. Insulin, the hormone that grabs the glucose from the blood, causes weight gain when the cells absorb more glucose than is being burned and the body converts this into fat for storage. If your blood sugar is constantly spiking then your body is also constantly pumping out insulin, which is going to promote more fat storage, which usually turns into abdominal fat.
6. How often and how much do you pee?
A well-functioning bladder and kidneys are a sign that your blood sugar is stable. People with unstable blood sugar levels, those with prediabetes & full-blown diabetes, often suffer from polyuria, which is an excessive volume of urine excretion. This is a volume & frequency that does not correlate with drinking tons of water. Urinating more than 2.5-3 liters a day is considered excessive. If you’ve been told by your doctor that you are prediabetic, paying attention to how much you pee is a good way to monitor your kidney health. One of the most devastating irreversible effects of uncontrolled diabetes is kidney damage.
7. Are you thirsty all the time?
People with stable blood sugar levels are able to easily quench their thirst after drinking water. Many people who have unstable blood sugar feel thirsty all the time and are not able to quench their thirst even after drinking water. This is called polydipsia and is another cardinal sign and symptom of diabetes. Diabetes causes polydipsia because your blood sugar levels get too high and make you feel thirsty, regardless of how much water you drink.
8. Do you have brain fog?
Another symptom of unstable blood sugar is brain fog when your brain suddenly becomes fatigued and it becomes hard for you to focus or concentrate. Blood sugar that is too low or too high means your brain’s neurons are not receiving the energy they need to function, which often causes brain fog. Healthy blood sugar levels can help promote sharp and extended periods of focus.
If you are feeling called to take the next step, contact me to set up a clarity call. Together we will discuss your healing journey, and make an action plan to get you to your goal.
If one-on-one coaching isn’t your thing, but you are ready to make a change, I have a super easy & approachable 14 day course, that will help you create healthy habits, and rid your body of toxicity and inflammation in a safe and natural way. For the price of 1 meal at a restaurant, you can start changing your life, step-by-step at your own pace over a 2 week period. Check out the 14 Days to Vibrant Health Course here.
Namaste,
- Dr. Lara
P.S.
Don’t forget! Join me on my Facebook page,facebook.com/drlaramay, as well as Instagram & Twitter @drlaramay. Also, be sure to tune in to my podcast on your favorite platform, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean or Anchor.Fm @Light Body Radio to get all the juicy info coming your way in an easily digestible format. I look forward to hearing your feedback, comments, and suggestions.
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