Some diabetes patients are very vexed that, although they undoubtedly make great efforts to strictly control diet, take relevant drugs at the required time/dose and regularly take exercise, blood glucose level still fluctuates just like the weather in the spring. Really, the fluctuation of blood glucose level is influenced by many factors. However, it is more difficult for diabetes patients to seek for reasons by themselves. Today, some factors prone to be neglected are summarized as follows.

Before you become very vexed, you can first check these factors to find the reasons for fluctuation of blood glucose level and thus give symptomatic treatment!

1. Diet

When many food or too single food is taken, the blood glucose level will fluctuate.

The former is very understandable. When many foods are taken, many substances are naturally converted into glucose, and thus high postprandial blood glucose is prone to occur.

The latter is not apprehensible for many people. For example, if only rice is taken, postprandial blood glucose will be very high, and hypoglycemia also occurs before the completion of meal. If diet structure is adjusted in certain degree (such as proper addition of lean meats, increase of green vegetables and addition of bean into rice), postprandial blood glucose will be controlled very well.

Therefore, postprandial blood glucose may become high after too many food or too single food is taken.

2. Dehydration

    When body fluid lacks, blood glucose will rise, because glucose concentration in blood circulation rises. As conventional method, drinking 8 glasses of water a day is suitable for most diabetes patients, but more water is still required when the diabetes patients are of larger body form or greater exercise amount.

3. Drugs

The blood glucose can be disturbed by some drugs. For example, the rise of blood glucose level is caused by the drugs such as hormones, contraceptives, some anti-depressants, anti-psychotic drugs and some diuretics.

Therefore, before the administration of any new drug, conditions of blood glucose should be told, and doctors or pharmacists should be consulted.

4. Time Period

Hyperglycemia after waking up in the morning may be diabetes mellitus dawn phenomenon. At 3:00~4:00 a.m., growth hormone and other hormones are released to arouse human body; human sensitivity to insulin is attenuated by these hormones to cause a hyperglycemia at dawn.

However, if excessive insulin or drugs for controlling blood glucose are taken at previous night or if insufficient food is taken at the previous night, hypoglycemia may occur in the next morning.

5. Menstrual cycle

    The blood glucose in females may fluctuate due to the change of hormones over premenstrual period. Therefore, if blood glucose level of female diabetes patients rises continuously within one week before the menstruation, intake amount of carbohydrates should be reduced, or more exercises should be taken.

6. Insufficient sleep

    Insufficient sleep is not only harmful for emotion, but also troublesome for blood glucose. In a Dutch study, as compared with those of sufficient sleep, insulin sensitivity dropped by 20% when only 4 hours of sleep were allowed for the patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

7. Weather

In extreme weather (either scorching or extremely frigid weather), the controlling of blood glucose will be influenced.

In scorching summer, blood glucose level will rise in some diabetes patients, but may drop in other diabetes patients (especially those using insulin). Therefore, in scorching weather, diabetes patients should not go out, and the change of blood glucose level should be closely monitored.

8. Travel

During the travel period, people may imperceptibly take more foods, beverages and do more activities. Blood glucose level is influenced by these factors.

Moreover, the change of work and rest will disarrange the administration schedule, disturb the diet/sleep habit, and influence the controlling of blood glucose. Therefore, during the travel period, the change of blood glucose level should be frequently monitored by diabetes patients.

9. Caffeine

    Caffeine in beverage will increase human response to carbohydrates and thus cause a rise of postprandial blood glucose. As shown by studies of American Duke University, after the intake of 500 mg caffeine (equivalent to 3~5 cups of coffee), blood glucose level rose by 7.5% a day in average in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

10. Details of blood glucose measurement

    Before the measurement of blood glucose, hands must be washed (especially after the food is touched), otherwise a false alarm may be raised, because current blood glucose meter is very sensitive and the sugar stained onto skin will contaminate the blood sample. As shown by a certain study, the measured value of blood glucose was at least 10% higher in 88% of participants stripping the banana peel or slicing the apple than that in those washing hands. Inaccurate measurement of blood glucose is even caused by lotion and skin cream.