Blood sugar is a common term heard every where today. Well, what is blood sugar? It is increased level of sugar glucose in the blood and the type of food consumed plays a significant role in maintaining blood sugar level. There are food stuffs which can reduce the blood sugar level whereas there are also some which can raise it. Similarly, it also depends on the time of day. Remember the normal blood sugar level should range between 70 and 150 mg and when the level reduces or increases and this can even cause a threat to your life.
Low blood sugar level: Hypoglycemia is a condition where your blood sugar level is below 70mg and it is followed by symptoms like lack of energy, focus and irritability. Sometimes, the person can also lose his/her consciousness.
High blood sugar level: If blood sugar level reaches above 150mg, it leads to hyperglycemic and the risk of being affected by diabetes is more which can even gradually affect your eyes, kidneys and other vital organs.
Tests to check blood sugar level:
Fasting blood sugar test:
It evaluates the glucose level after fasting for eight hours and if the result shows a blood fall between 70mg and 99mg, then the person is considered to be having normal blood sugar level.
2 hour postprandial blood glucose test:
It evaluates the sugar level exactly two hours after eating. Again if the result shows between 70mg and 99mg, the person is considered to have normal blood sugar level.
Random blood glucose test:
It tests the blood sugar level all the day regardless of the food you take, the activity you do, your exercise or sleep. Here, the result should be between 70mg and 135mg.
Glucose tolerance test:
In this case the person drinks a liquid which has glucose in it. It tests the reaction seen in the blood soon after the consumption of high amount of sugar.
How to maintain blood sugar level?
First and foremost you need to stop eating food containing refined carbohydrates such as pasta, sugar and white flour as it would increase the blood sugar level in the body. Next, you need to eat a lot of food which has fiber content. Remember, fiber slows the absorption of glucose into the blood from your food. You should also drink a lot of water as it can help in flushing out toxins from your body thereby keeping you hydrated. Try to lose weight if you are overweight as reducing excess fat can help in attaining the normal blood sugar level. For this, you need to do exercise regularly which can also improve the functioning of your heart, mood and overall health. Always try to intake more of foods that digests slowly, such as apples, pears, oranges, zucchini, peas, oatmeal, granola and barley. Avoiding soft drinks which contains more of carbohydrates and sugar is also advisable.
Having low or high blood sugar level is not a big issue as long as you are confident enough to maintain it by managing your life style and food habits