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Habits That Spike Your Blood Sugar: What to Stop Doing Now
Hello. I hope you are spending a lively, smiling day.
You’ve probably heard that “a rapid rise in blood sugar is bad for you,” but in fact it is also very important not to let your blood sugar run too high day to day. If your blood sugar stays high, arteriosclerosis and strain on your organs increase, and the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease rises in the future. And when blood sugar shoots up all at once, your body can’t cope well, and even in the short term it can harm your health.
So why does blood sugar rise too much? And how can you control it? Here are the key points!
What makes blood sugar high?
The main causes of routinely high blood sugar are these.
A high-sugar diet
Eating a lot of carbohydrates such as rice, bread and noodles makes blood sugar rise easily. Refined white rice and white bread in particular digest quickly and make blood sugar jump.
Lack of exercise
If you don’t move, your body can’t burn blood sugar as energy and it stays in your blood. People who do a lot of desk work tend to have higher blood sugar.
An irregular eating rhythm
Going a long time without eating makes blood sugar rise sharply at the next meal. If your fasting stretches are too long, your body finds it harder to regulate blood sugar, so be careful.
Stress and lack of sleep
When stress builds, hormones that raise blood sugar (such as cortisol) are released. Lack of sleep is another factor that raises blood sugar easily.
The risks of a sudden blood-sugar spike
Not letting your blood sugar run high day to day is important, but a “sudden spike” in particular puts extra strain on your body. Why?
Excess insulin secretion
When blood sugar rises suddenly, your body releases a large amount of insulin to bring it down. As a result, your blood sugar then drops sharply, causing strong hunger, sleepiness and poor concentration. This is called a “blood sugar spike.”
Progression of arteriosclerosis
Blood sugar that jumps suddenly damages your blood vessels and advances arteriosclerosis. If this continues, the risk of heart attack and stroke rises.
More body fat
When blood sugar spikes, the extra sugar is more easily stored as fat. A sudden rise in blood sugar can therefore also lead to obesity.
How to keep your blood sugar steady
So how can you avoid letting your blood sugar run too high or rise too suddenly?
Tweak your meals
- When you eat carbohydrates, pair them with fiber (vegetables, seaweed, mushrooms)
- Choose brown rice over refined white rice, and whole-wheat bread over white bread
- Chew well, and start your meal with vegetables or protein
Add moderate exercise
- Even a light walk after a meal helps hold back a sudden blood-sugar rise
- Make strength training a habit and your body burns blood sugar more easily. Building muscle also raises your basal metabolism and helps control blood sugar
Set your daily habits in order
- Eat three meals a day on a regular schedule
- Make time to relax so stress doesn’t build up. Stress can prompt the release of blood-sugar-raising hormones such as cortisol
- Aim for good-quality sleep (seven hours or more is ideal)
Summary
It’s important not to let your blood sugar run too high day to day, but “raising it suddenly” in particular carries a big risk. A few small changes to what you eat and how you exercise make blood sugar easier to control.
At Orange Fitness, we also support steadying your blood sugar through exercise! Let’s work together toward a healthy body.
Today is the youngest day of your life. Have a wonderful day!
Orange Fitness is a semi-personal gym in Kai City, Yamanashi. Learn how coaching works, see our plans and pricing, or book a trial or tour. You are welcome to just look around.