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What Makes Your Glucose Levels High?

Many of life's daily activities affect blood glucose levels, even for non-diabetics. For example, meals influence blood sugar levels for at least two hours after eating. High blood glucose levels cause diabetes and can damage the body over time.

  1. Function

    • The pancreas secretes insulin to tell your body to absorb the glucose in the bloodstream. When this process works correctly, blood sugar levels remain normal.

    Definition

    • If your blood glucose level is too high, it is a condition called hyperglycemia.

    Problems

    • Those with a damaged pancreas often don't produce enough insulin to avoid high blood sugar. Also, the cells of pre-diabetics and diabetics may not respond as well to insulin, which is a condition called insulin resistance.

    Causes

    • Stress, illness, excess food consumption, excess sugar in the diet and too little exercise contribute to high blood glucose levels.

    Symptoms

    • Symptoms of high blood glucose levels include thirst and frequent urination. If you have these symptoms and suspect hyperglycemia, test your blood sugar with a glucose meter to see if your blood sugar levels are high.

    Prevention

    • Steps that help reverse high glucose levels over time include more exercise, weight loss and less sugar in the diet.

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