Post Time: 2025-07-26
Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is crucial for optimal health, and understanding what your ideal range should be can seem daunting. The American Diabetes Association recommends that the following ranges are considered normal:
- Fasting plasma glucose (FPG): Less than 100 mg/dL
- Postprandial (after meal) plasma glucose: Less than 180 mg/dL
However, these numbers can vary depending on individual factors such as age, sex, and medical history. It's essential to work with your healthcare provider to determine what specific range is right for you.
Monitoring Your Blood Sugar Levels
To ensure that your blood sugar levels are within a healthy range, it's crucial to monitor them regularly. This can be done using a glucometer or continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system at home. These devices measure the amount of glucose in your blood and provide valuable insights into how different foods, activities, and medications impact your blood sugar levels.
When monitoring your blood sugar levels, it's essential to pay attention not just to the numbers but also to any patterns or trends that may emerge over time. For example, if you notice that your postprandial glucose levels tend to spike after consuming high-carbohydrate meals, you can adjust your diet accordingly by incorporating more fiber-rich foods and healthy fats.
Understanding the Causes of Blood Sugar Fluctuations
Blood sugar fluctuations are a natural response to changes in insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance is a condition where your body's cells become less responsive to insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels. This can be caused by factors such as genetics, obesity, physical inactivity, and certain medications.
To combat insulin resistance and maintain healthy blood sugar levels, it's essential to focus on lifestyle modifications rather than relying solely on medication or supplements. Regular exercise, a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats can help improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.
Maintaining Healthy Blood Sugar Levels Through Lifestyle Choices
While genetics play a significant role in determining your blood sugar range, lifestyle choices such as exercise and diet can have a profound impact on maintaining healthy levels. Regular physical activity has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, while certain foods like omega-3 rich fatty fish may help lower triglycerides.
Additionally, managing stress through relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation is also crucial for maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Chronic stress activates the body's fight-or-flight response, releasing cortisol and adrenaline that can contribute to blood sugar spikes.
The Role of Diet in Regulating Blood Sugar Levels
Diet plays a significant role in regulating blood sugar levels, and incorporating fiber-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into your diet is essential for maintaining healthy glucose levels. Fiber helps slow down the absorption of carbohydrates, preventing sudden spikes in blood sugar levels.
In contrast to fiber, processed foods can exacerbate blood sugar fluctuations by disrupting insulin sensitivity. Regularly consuming high-glycemic index (GI) foods like white bread, sugary drinks, and sweets can increase your risk of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.
Maximizing Physical Activity for Better Blood Sugar Management
Regular physical activity has been shown to have a profound impact on maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Exercise stimulates insulin sensitivity by increasing the body's ability to use glucose from the bloodstream as fuel, reducing reliance on external sources of energy.
However, timing is crucial when it comes to exercise and its impact on blood sugar regulation. Postprandial exercises tend to be more effective at lowering post-meal glucose spikes than pre-prandial or fasting activities.
Managing Stress for Optimal Blood Sugar Regulation
Chronic stress activates the body's fight-or-flight response, releasing cortisol and adrenaline that can disrupt insulin sensitivity. Cortisol promotes gluconeogenesis – the process by which your liver converts stored energy into new sugar molecules – leading to elevated blood glucose levels.
While it may seem counterintuitive, incorporating relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation into your daily routine can help mitigate stress-related disruptions in blood sugar regulation.
Find out why you’re feeling lightheaded on keto and discover an easy fix! 0:00 Introduction: What causes you to feel lightheaded on keto and intermittent fasting? 0:26 Preventing lightheadedness on keto 1:05 Lightheadedness without the keto diet 1:22 Thanks for watching! In this video, we're going to talk about what’s causing you to feel lightheaded on keto. If you feel lightheaded while doing keto and intermittent fasting, you are typically dealing with low blood volume or low blood pressure. If you’ve recently switched to keto from a high-carb diet, your body was previously retaining fluid. Your body will get rid of the fluid, but will also get rid of important electrolytes in the process. To prevent feeling lightheaded, you need to replenish your electrolytes. Try drinking water with sea salt. This can help increase your blood volume fairly quickly to eliminate feelings of lightheadedness. Don’t forget to increase your intake of the other electrolytes as well. Drinking water without electrolytes can make you feel even worse because it further dilutes the electrolytes in your body. If you're dealing with lightheadedness and you’re not on a ketogenic diet, this could be a sign of weak adrenals, anemia, or low blood sugar. Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio: Dr. Berg, age 58, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media. Follow Me On Social Media: Facebook: Instagram: Anchor: TikTok: Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that 105 blood sugar after eating degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as 6.7 a1c average blood sugar a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not blood sugar normal ranges create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. #keto #ketodiet #weightloss #ketolifestyle Thanks for watching! I hope this explains why you might be feeling lightheaded when starting a keto diet. I’ll see you in the next video.