What’s going on?

[Sadsac@21]

I tested my blood when I got up this morning (7.30am), like I do every day it was slightly higher than normal at 8.1. I have since worked out for 40 minutes with a kettlebell and a session of Pilates, again as I do every day. I then walked to the shop and back which isn’t far about a 15 minute walk.
I have now just tested my blood again to see after a 14 hour fast what it is and my readings have gone up to 8.7. What’s going on? My numbers usually come way down to around 6.

 

[Melgar]

With T2 raised blood sugars are usually related to what you have eaten, however stress or the body is fighting an illness can bump up your blood sugars . Those are most common reasons for raised blood sugars. Do you regularly fast? I personally find fasting raises my blood sugars, but I'm not a person who usually fasts, I exercise. It could be that your liver is compensating for lack of food by producing glucose. I'm going to tag @ianf0ster as I believe he fasts so he may have some answers.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Sadsac@21 As Melgar said above, apart from food, there are many reasons for a higher Blood Glucose reading- about 40 of them. They include infection, injury, stress, lack of sleep, medications such as Steroid and statins, vigorous exersise .....

Fasting doesn't always reduce Blood Glucose, since at any time your liver may 'decide' that you need more energy and dump some glucose into your bloodstream. This happens mostly when your body is used to running at a high BG level since that will 'feel' normal and just like with weight your body likes to keep your Blood glucose stable (even if that is too high and is giving you diabetic symptoms.

The liver is also responsible for a thig called either Foot On The Floor or Dawn Phenomenon, this happens in many people including non-diabetics. The liver tries to be helpful by giving you a boost of glucose in your blood in the morning so that you have enough energy to go and hunt/gather your breakfast like our hunter/gatherer ancestors.

Personally, I mostly ignore small non-food related rises in BG because there is little, I can do about them. However for many people a very small non-carb snack can stop FOTF or DP in it's tracks because you have taken in some food and the liver is now satisfied you will now be OK for the rest of the day. This could be an egg, around 10 to 15gm of cheese, some ham or bacon, or a few nuts (but true nuts - not peanuts or cashews).

 

[KennyA]

If you've not eaten anything then something is having an impact on your liver which has decided to produce some glucose. That's assuming the readings are correct - 8.1 and 8.7 are so close together they would be covered by normal (and acceptable) meter error.

As to what that something might be - it could be one of a huge number of things. That's one of the reasons I don't ever pay too much attention to any single fingerprick reading. If you start to see a definite pattern, that could be another story.