What affects my blood glucose levels if I have diabetes?

Blood glucose levels change throughout the day. This is true for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes:

• Food pushes the blood glucose level up.

• Insulin or an oral diabetes medication brings it down.

• Stress drives it up.

• Exercise can bring it down.

• Illness makes it rise.

Diet, activity, stress, and overall general health all affect blood glucose levels. Everyone with diabetes responds somewhat differently to each of these. It would be wonderful if there was a magic formula to tell you how to arrive at the right blood glucose level. Instead, you’ll need to discover how each of these factors affects your blood glucose level. Knowing how much to eat, how much to exercise, and how much insulin or medication to take is not always easy. You are likely to feel frustrated at times. Look to your health care team for support. They can also help you learn to understand the meaning of your self-monitoring results and what to do about them.