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Blood sugar spike

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woodywhippet61

Well-Known Member
Messages
488
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I've tried searching for this but am just getting mentions of it rather than a definition I just need a straight answer. What is a blood sugar spike? Lots of you mention it but what exactly is it.
 
It's when your blood glucose elevates as a result of what you have eaten/being stressed/ill etc. Happens to everyone diabetic or not. So if you checked your blood sugar then ate something sugary or carby and then checked your blood sugar a couple of hours later your reading would be higher as your body tries to clear the excess sugar. In non diabetic people it returns to 'normal' quicker than in someone with diabetes.

Not just connected with food, if you are stressed or in pain this too will cause your numbers to spike. Hope that helps :)
 
If blood sugar rises by .5 is that a sugar spike? A sugar spike is often mentioned as something that is a problem but it's just a normal reaction? If it can't be avoided then why is it a problem?
 
woodywhippet61 said:
If blood sugar rises by .5 is that a sugar spike? A sugar spike is often mentioned as something that is a problem but it's just a normal reaction? If it can't be avoided then why is it a problem?
Click to expand...
0.5 is a rise 6 is a spike.. if you go from 4 to 10 after eating something it's not good for you if you go from 4 to 4.5 then it's ok.
 
I think we all have our own definition of what is a spike.
Personally, I think of one as something which pushes me outside the acceptable range of BG (for a type 1, this is above 7mmol/l) for a longer than an hour.
It took me a while to work out this timing bit ... but easier with a CGM or Libre. In my mind, one high finger prick reading of 8 may or may not indicate a spike. It may be ananomoly; it may be a fall from something higher; it may be the start of a rise; it may be a plateau.
As an engineer, I think,of spikes as a short sharp rise for a short period on a graph ... the sort of thing you would see on a voltage graph if your house got hit by lightning.
As someone with diabetes, a spike is a prolonged high.

Just my way of interpreting it though.
 
There are spikes and there are bumps. To me, bumps are fine. I regard a spike as a rise that takes me above my target range, and as we all have different target ranges, the height of the spikes will differ from person to person. What is important is the variability of our levels 24/7. The less the deviation from the average, the better.
 
I like to look at the rise in BS cased by a particular food in context
In my way of looking at things, a 'spike' is when the rise in BS caused by eating a food 'spikes' my levels unacceptably out of range
With a food that caused a 3.5mmol or so elevation in BS that rise would be fine if my starting BS was 5 or under but if I was starting from a 6 or over the same 3 .5 point raise would be a spike - whether that 'spike' is acceptable or not would depend on the overall pattern of my sugars. When my BS is in a phase when It needs more aggressive management, I am concious of my pre meal BS starting point when deciding what to eat
 
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