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WHAT IS CONSIDERED A SPIKE IN BLOOD SUGAR

just_undiscovered_

just_undiscovered_

Well-Known Member
Messages
238
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Crowds, bright lights, shopping, arrogance, reality TV shows..
Hello, sorry if my question seems a bit silly but what exactly is having a spike in your blood sugar mean. I gather that it's to do with your BS going up, but how much is up? A typical day BS readings for me was:
Fasting BS 5.7
Before breakfast 5.7, 2 hrs after 6.4
Before lunch 5.7, 2hrs after 7.8
Before dinner 6.0, 2hrs after 6.8
Before bed 6.0
So from the above, does the rise of 21mmol(?) for lunch means that I had a spike? Or does a spike mean going above 8.5?
All I've been concentrating on is not going above 8.5, or if I can help it 7.8 And what is a good mmol rise, 2, 4, 10?
Oh confused one
 
Depends what you ate but those figs are pretty good
 
There is no definition of a spike that I know of and it really just means that your sugar level went up and went down again. On a graph it's far more likely to look like a bump than a spike. Each person sets a target level that they would like to stay below. Some use the official figure of 8.5 and some set more stringent targets for themselves. It's more a question of whether or not the "spike" exceeds the limit you have set for yourself. If it does then examine what you ate or drank to cause it and try not to do it again.
 
Your figures look good to me. A spike to me means a rise of 3.5 or more
 
A 'spike' just refers to the shape it forms when you put the numbers on a graph. Typically, after eating, your BG would rise in response to the food, then drop quite quickly, giving you a little peak in the graph, the so called spike. You will often read here phrases like "I can't eat potatoes, they spike me" and this just refers to the fact that the peak/rise after eating it taller/greater than they'd like. So you will find that some foods will cause a greater rise than others and we all have our personal thresholds as to what is acceptable to us and what foods give the lowest or optimal spikes.

Your numbers look very good to me and I can only wish I had such good numbers. My personal spikes at the moment are about 8 or 9, no matter what I eat, as my diabetes has gone bonkers until I find a new insulin regime that works. When I have good control, I'd typically rise about the same amount as you've demonstrated.
 
A spike is a level above your own bg target range (that's my own interpretation anyway).
 
just_undiscovered_ said:
Hello, sorry if my question seems a bit silly but what exactly is having a spike in your blood sugar mean. I gather that it's to do with your BS going up, but how much is up? A typical day BS readings for me was:
Fasting BS 5.7
Before breakfast 5.7, 2 hrs after 6.4
Before lunch 5.7, 2hrs after 7.8
Before dinner 6.0, 2hrs after 6.8
Before bed 6.0
So from the above, does the rise of 21mmol(?) for lunch means that I had a spike? Or does a spike mean going above 8.5?
All I've been concentrating on is not going above 8.5, or if I can help it 7.8 And what is a good mmol rise, 2, 4, 10?
Oh confused one
Click to expand...
No worries with those results they are all well within the recommended levels
 
Thanks so much guys for the information, it has cleared up quite a few things for me. The first was that reading of 5.7 to 7.8, I was reading it as rising 21 (stupid me) but it's 2.1. Don't know why I went from decimals to numbers Which makes sense of what @ally1 said about her level.. I was thinking, what is she taking about and it's now all fallen into place. @Mike D am on a low carb regime and sticking to 84grams a day (and the weight is slowly dropping off)
Typical breakfast a slice of whole grain toast and 2 boiled or scrambled eggs seems to work for me. For lunch a pitta bread with a slice of roast beef, again this seems to work. Dinner would be either 70grams of brown rice or I've also tried couscous and it all works for me. I eat apple, papaya (small portion) passion fruit, pears, and I've had half of a boiled (not fried) plantain and all of this keeps me in the limit it seems. Where I've gone over the edge from a 6.2 to a 9.7 I now know it was some sweet potato(too much of it) as I've had a smaller portion of it and was ok. So I'm still learning lots.. So great to have this website with such information, it's a blessing. I have my next HBA1c test at the end of this month, so I'm really hoping to see a fall from my diagnosis of 9.8%
 
To simplify a spike - its when your blood sugar levels rises in number(s)
ABOVE an acceptable level is the concern .
 
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