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Which is better, fast spike or slow build up

Ruth B

Ruth B

Well-Known Member
Messages
447
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Having spent the last few days reading the forum and experimenting with the BS monitor it has started me wondering which was the better option.

I noticed that certain meals meant I peaked quickly an hour or so after eating but then it started to reduce, where as other meals would lead to a slow increase peaking about 3 hours but normally with a lower peak level after eating which meant that they would not have dropped as far as I would have liked before the next meal.

I have been trying to eat regular meals and avoid snacking so I don't want to keep delaying my meals until the sugar levels have gone down but I am trying to get my overall readings down as well.

I am not really sure how fast I should react both the increase in sugar, and how quickly it should go down again. I don't count the carbs too much as I am partially sighted and getting the packets under a CCTV magnifier to read them tends to get very frustrating very quickly. I should also mention that I am Type 2 and on Metformin only at the moment.
 
In my opinion lower peaks are best since it is the higher ones that cause the damage. Managing your meals is what the meter is all about. I don't have your numbers and I can't manage your meals for you but the options you have are smaller meals, lower GI meals and/or little and often.

Good luck with it.
 
Agreed, I prefer any spikes to be low and wide (if necessary) rather than short and tall.
 
At the moment I seem to be reaching a peak of between 9 and 10 up to 3 hours after a meal. Taking at the normal 2 hours might read 8 to 8.5 so not seeming too bad, it is only when I take a later one, not having eaten anything else do I find it has risen further. I am still trying to work out what effects me badly and what I can manage in small quantities. A small mash potato topped meat pie with lots of veg only saw it go up to 8.5 max.

After a nice big bowl of fresh pasta it reached 13 after 2 hours, so that is now off the menu.
 
My nurse told me to look for rises like a hump back bridge rather than a mountain peak. Slowly up, slowly down but never too high. My opinion is if it stays high by 3 hours but hasn't reached much above 8 at any time, I don't worry. If it went up to 9 or above at 2 hours but came back down again straight away, I would worry more. I've personally never been able to find any science or official advice about this other than the general "7.8 or 8.5 at 2 hours" and would dearly love to know.
 
I think we are all different as to what levels we want to be. I only test before a meal and after 2 hours and usually it is in the 6's sometimes low 7's so I am happy with that but I do not know what it peaks at
 
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