Exactly what is blood sugar level?
A person’s blood sugar level (also referred to as serum glucose level or plasma glucose level) is essentially the level of glucose (sugar) within their blood at any given time.
Exactly why is glucose critical?
Glucose (also referred to as dextrose) is a simple sugar that is generated by the human body from the carbs that individuals consume. It is crucial for a range of imperative physiological processes. Notably, it’s very important since it gives energy to our body tissues, nervous system and the brain.
Glucose is transferred from the intestinal tract or liver to cells through the bloodstream, and is made available for cell absorption by way of the hormone insulin, made by the pancreas.
Glucose that is not directly used as a source of energy by brain cells, intestinal cells and red blood cells is transferred to the liver, adipose tissue and muscle cells, where it’s taken in and stored as glycogen. This glycogen can be converted back to glucose and returned to the bloodstream whenever insulin is low or absent.
How is blood sugar level measured?
Blood sugar is usually measured in molecular count, the unit for which is mmol/L (millimoles per liter). Furthermore, it is oftentimes measured as a weight in grams, the unit for which is mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).
So what is a healthy or typical blood sugar level?
In general, the body maintains its blood glucose level at a reference range of between 3.6 and 5.8 mmol/L (or 64.8 and 104.4 mg/dL).
The mean standard blood glucose level in people is around 4 mmol/L (or 72 mg/dL), although the level not surprisingly fluctuates throughout the day. As perhaps you might suspect, glucose levels are almost always lowest early in the day, prior to the first meal of the day and spike after eating for one to two hours by a couple of milliMolar. However, when it comes to diabetes sufferers, blood sugar varies more extensively – see further below.
Just how does blood sugar / glucose levels affect your health and well-being?
As outlined above, glucose offers a person’s body with the power that it must have to carry out essential biological functions. Not enough sugar / glucose (a low blood sugar level) or too much sugar / glucose (a high blood sugar level) may result in significant medical problems and blood sugar levels outside of the normal range could very well be a signal of an underlying ailment.
Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia
A constantly high blood sugar level is called hyperglycemia, whilst low levels are known as hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia is a potentially fatal condition. Indicators include listlessness, impaired mental functioning, irritability, trembling, twitching, lack of strength in arm and leg muscles, pale skin tone, perspiration, paranoid or hostile demeanour and loss of consciousness. In rare cases, brain damage is a possibility.
By contrast, hyperglycemia usually involves suppressed appetite in the initial stages, with longer term health issues including heart related illnesses, diabetes and eye, kidney, and nerve damage.
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is characterised by persistent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels) either because the person’s body fails to manufacture sufficient insulin, or for the reason that cells fail to respond to the insulin which is produced. It happens to be the most prevalent disease associated with malfunction in blood sugar regulation.
For all those with diabetes, it’s particularly significant to hold blood sugar levels within standard ranges, otherwise considerable health complications can arise. For instance, nephropathy (kidney disease), neuropathy (nerve disease), retinopathy (eye disease) and cardiovascular diseases (heart diseases).
Insulin resistance
Insulin resistance (a symptom of polycystic ovarian syndrome) is another instance of a medical condition where blood sugar levels are important. In this case, the body doesn’t recognise the consumption of sugars and carbohydrates and this means that it continues to pump out insulin which isn’t needed. If this continues for a prolonged time period, the pancreas can pack up and stop producing insulin altogether. If proper care is not taken by those who have this condition to ensure a healthy diet and balanced blood sugar levels, it has the potential eventually trigger type two diabetes.
What else can influence blood sugar levels?
Several factors can affect someone’s blood sugar level. As an example, it can be temporarily elevated as a result of extreme stress (such as trauma, stroke, myocardial infarction, surgery or disease) or on account of drug / medication use, which can cause glucose levels to rise or decline.
Alcohol intake additionally triggers an initial spike in blood sugar, but afterwards tends to cause levels to drop.
Maintaining your blood sugar level in check
Making positive and healthy lifestyle choices (and, if required, modifications) is an excellent first step in keeping your blood sugar levels in control. For example, taking regular exercise and (if need be) slimming down in a smart and healthy way.
Dietary adjustments, specifically, can be very helpful in keeping blood sugar levels within normal ranges. For people with restricted diets (such as diabetics), it can often be a problem to ensure an optimum intake of nutrients and vitamins on a daily basis. Lots of people find that top quality, nutrients-fortified meal replacement powders / shakes can help with this.
MEALtime is a liquid meal / meal replacement powder that’s rich in quality protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, nutritious herbs and psyllium husks. On top of that, it’s appropriate for diabetics and others trying to maintain healthy, stable blood sugar levels because the only sugars included are those found naturally in the ingredient fruits.
MEALtime is a fast and simple way to fuel up on the go. Not only does this meal replacement / protein shake contain an array of important vitamins and minerals, but it also has important amino acids, ginseng and aloe vera for energy!
Naturally, prior to altering your eating habits or taking health supplements, always be sure to consult your doctor or qualified health practitioner (particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on medications).