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ill and bs.
- Thread starter mumnpops
- Start Date
totsy
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yes it is very normal for bs to be high when unwell
kewgirl
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Hi mumnpops
Sorry to hear you have been unwell
- hope you're on the mend. 
My understanding of why blood glucose levels rise during illness/infection is as follows:
Illness/ Infection causes stress on our bodies.
When this occurs, the body needs more energy to "fight" this stressor i.e. the illness/infection which could be caused by a virus or a bacteria - the stressor could also be something like undergoing a surgical operation, dealing with a bereavement, being made redundant, moving house etc etc.
And the fact that we feel "ugh" during illness is a stressor in itself! :roll:
The body releases hormones - called "counter-regulatory hormones" which include glucagon, epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), cortisol, and growth hormone.
These hormones then tell the liver to release extra glucose to provide the body with this energy to fight the stressor.
These hormones also unfortunately inhibit the effectiveness of insulin whether its insulin being produced by our own bodies or insulin injected - this means the body becomes somewhat more insulin resistant & the cells that normally uptake the insulin become temporarily less sensitive.
As a result, blood glucose rises & overall levels become more erratic.
Depending on the extent of the illness, blood glucose might be more difficult to control for a while after the illness.
It is also very common in diabetes, regardless of what type of diabetes it is, for a period of up to 2 weeks following illness for blood glucose levels to continue to be slightly higher and somewhat erratic before settling down again.
Hope that sort of answers the question in an understandable format!
Best wishes
Txx
Sorry to hear you have been unwell
- hope you're on the mend. My understanding of why blood glucose levels rise during illness/infection is as follows:
Illness/ Infection causes stress on our bodies.
When this occurs, the body needs more energy to "fight" this stressor i.e. the illness/infection which could be caused by a virus or a bacteria - the stressor could also be something like undergoing a surgical operation, dealing with a bereavement, being made redundant, moving house etc etc.
And the fact that we feel "ugh"
during illness is a stressor in itself! :roll: The body releases hormones - called "counter-regulatory hormones" which include glucagon, epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), cortisol, and growth hormone.
These hormones then tell the liver to release extra glucose to provide the body with this energy to fight the stressor.
These hormones also unfortunately inhibit the effectiveness of insulin whether its insulin being produced by our own bodies or insulin injected - this means the body becomes somewhat more insulin resistant & the cells that normally uptake the insulin become temporarily less sensitive.
As a result, blood glucose rises & overall levels become more erratic.
Depending on the extent of the illness, blood glucose might be more difficult to control for a while after the illness.
It is also very common in diabetes, regardless of what type of diabetes it is, for a period of up to 2 weeks following illness for blood glucose levels to continue to be slightly higher and somewhat erratic before settling down again.
Hope that sort of answers the question in an understandable format!
Best wishes
Txx
IanS
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:?: Do I assume from the above that the BG levels would rise in a non diabetic person in the same manner?
If that is the case then a BG rise would be quite normal and nothing to get alarmed about.
IanS
If that is the case then a BG rise would be quite normal and nothing to get alarmed about.
IanS
cugila
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IanS.
Bg rises occur in everybody. It is how the body deals with them that matters. a non Diabetic will get back to 'normal' levels much quicker than a Diabetic.
As to whether you should get alarmed about it is dependent on what sort of rise. A rise of a few points is to be expected when unwell, however if the rise is much, much higher then you really need to seek medical attention.
Bg rises occur in everybody. It is how the body deals with them that matters. a non Diabetic will get back to 'normal' levels much quicker than a Diabetic.
As to whether you should get alarmed about it is dependent on what sort of rise. A rise of a few points is to be expected when unwell, however if the rise is much, much higher then you really need to seek medical attention.
IanS
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Ta muchly.
It is always good to know these things.
IanS
It is always good to know these things.
IanS
jenrose
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Another thing to be aware of if you are ill is dehydration as this can occur when high blood sugar is very high therefore it is wise to drink more sugar free drinks. Also having a temperature, vomitting and having diarrohea will cause dehydration too.
valattrevear
Well-Known Member
The rise in BS figures messes my averages up every time I get an infection, which is about every 6 weeks! :x Makes me feel just like your avatar IanS :lol: :lol:
Val
Val
