Blood Sugar Calculator

Understanding Blood Sugar: What It Means for Your Health

Blood sugar, often called glucose, plays a crucial role in how our bodies function. It’s the primary sugar found in our blood and is sourced from the food we eat. Glucose is vital because it fuels our muscles, organs, and nervous system, providing the energy we need to go about our daily lives. The process of regulating blood sugar is complex and involves several key players in our body: the small intestine, liver, and pancreas. These organs work together to manage how glucose is absorbed, stored, and produced.

When you consume carbohydrates, your body breaks them down, and glucose is released into your bloodstream. At this point, your pancreas steps in to keep things balanced. It releases insulin, a hormone that ensures glucose is delivered to your cells for energy or stored in the liver as glycogen for future use. But it’s not just about insulin—your pancreas also produces another hormone called glucagon, which does the opposite of insulin. When your blood sugar drops, glucagon tells the liver to convert stored glycogen back into glucose to raise blood sugar levels, ensuring your body has enough energy when it needs it. This process is known as glycogenolysis.

Your liver also acts as a backup system for the brain and other essential organs, producing ketones when necessary, which helps burn fat for energy. Plus, the liver can convert other compounds, like amino acids and fats, into glucose when you're running low.

What’s a Healthy Blood Sugar Range?

The levels of glucose in your blood naturally fluctuate throughout the day, but for most people, a normal fasting blood sugar level (after at least 8 hours of not eating) is below 100 mg/dL. Two hours after a meal, it’s usually below 140 mg/dL. Blood sugar tends to be at its lowest just before you eat. For most healthy individuals, blood sugar before meals ranges between 70 to 80 mg/dL, although this can vary—some people sit comfortably around 90, while others may have levels as low as 60.

But what about low blood sugar? While many people never drop below 60, even with prolonged fasting, others might experience slightly lower levels. Your liver works to keep things steady by converting fat and muscle into glucose when food intake is low or you're fasting.

How Does Our Body Produce Glucose?

The primary source of glucose comes from carbohydrates found in foods like fruits, bread, and potatoes. When you eat, food travels from your mouth to your stomach via the oesophagus. Once in the stomach, it's broken down into smaller parts by enzymes and acids, which release glucose. This glucose then moves to your intestines, where it's absorbed and enters your bloodstream. Once glucose is in your system, insulin ensures that it reaches your cells, where it’s either used for energy or stored.

Understanding Blood Sugar Levels

Blood sugar levels, also referred to as blood glucose levels, measure the amount of glucose in your bloodstream at any given time. These levels fluctuate throughout the day based on what you eat, your activity levels, and your overall health. For individuals with diabetes, however, these fluctuations are more pronounced and need to be carefully managed.

Regularly checking your blood sugar is essential, especially if you take medications like insulin or sulphonylureas. Monitoring your levels helps you understand when to adjust your medication, when to eat, or even when to take a short walk to bring your blood sugar down. Maintaining stable blood sugar levels helps you stay healthy and prevents complications that could affect critical areas like your feet and eyes. Over time, high blood sugar can damage your blood vessels, making it harder for blood to circulate around your body, leading to serious issues like vision loss or even amputation.

Blood Glucose Levels and Diabetes: What’s the Connection?

After a meal, your blood sugar typically rises as glucose enters your bloodstream. Then, insulin gets to work, transporting that glucose into your cells, where it’s used for energy. A few hours after eating, your blood sugar should return to a normal range—typically below 100 mg/dL. This is your fasting blood sugar level.

There are two main types of diabetes that affect how your body manages insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the body doesn’t produce enough insulin because the immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas responsible for making it. On the other hand, people with type 2 diabetes have a different problem—their bodies don’t respond to insulin as they should. This means the pancreas has to work overtime to produce more insulin, and over time, it becomes damaged and can no longer produce the insulin your body needs.

What Factors Affect Blood Sugar Levels?

Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels can be tricky, even for those without diabetes. Various factors influence your blood sugar levels, often without you realising it. Understanding these factors is key to better managing your health, especially if you have diabetes.

Diet plays a massive role. You need to know how different foods affect your blood sugar, not just in terms of what you eat, but also how much and in what combinations. Certain foods cause a rapid spike in glucose, while others are digested more slowly, resulting in a gradual increase.

Medications are another significant factor. If you have diabetes, insulin and other medications are designed to lower your blood sugar levels. However, the effectiveness of these drugs depends on when and how much you take them. Medications for other conditions can also impact your blood sugar, so it’s important to monitor levels closely if you’re on any other treatments.

Illness can also raise blood sugar. When you’re sick, your body produces stress hormones to help fight off the infection, but these hormones can cause a spike in glucose. Changes in your eating habits or routine when you're under the weather can make managing diabetes more challenging.

Hormones can also wreak havoc on blood sugar levels, particularly in women. During the week leading up to and during menstruation, hormone fluctuations can cause blood sugar to spike or dip, making it harder to control levels.

Stress is another major factor. When you're stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol, which can cause your blood sugar to rise. Plus, stress can make it harder to stick to your regular diabetes management routine, leading to further complications.