Smoking and Other Factors

That Affect Blood Sugar

• Although smoking does not change the concentration of

blood sugar after smoking, it causes hyperglycemia and

there is an increase of nicotine intoxication signs after

smoking. This is a serious medical problem for people

with diabetes that leads to a significant rise of the blood

pressure and pulse rate and it can decrease the skin

temperature of fingers as well as the toes.

• High blood sugar happens when the body has too little

insulin or when insulin can’t be used properly in the

body. Therefore your body can’t use glucose for fuel. It

will begin breaking fats to use for energy instead,

producing ketones which can build up in blood and lead

to more complications.

Smoking

HOW SMOKING AFFECT BLOOD SUGAR

The information that smoking is bad for us is everywhere, it is damaging everyone’s health in many ways.

Research shows that nicotine raises blood sugar

levels and this explains higher risks of diabetes

complications such as eye and kidney diseases. It is

the specific reason that blood sugar levels are higher

in smokers.

It is more deadly to people with diabetes because it adds to cardiovascular disease, but It is important for everybody to stop smoking.

• Nicotine is the specific reason that blood sugar

levels are higher in smokers. It is important for

everybody to stop smoking.

• It is more important to limit the use of nicotine

replacement products like nicotine patches during

smoking cessation. This is very crucial for smokers

to know because it is not just cigarette smoke alone

that is harmful. Therefore if

you think you can just use

a nicotine replacement product

indefinitely, there's still a risk,

and there are more chances of

getting complications. But there

is no risk if you can use them

for a short period of

time to quit smoking.

Physical activity

Physical activity can lead to

altering blood glucose levels: It can affect insulin sensitivity for up

to 48 hours - which can lead to lower

blood sugars over this time.

Getting less exercise than usual

raises blood sugar and Getting more

exercise than usual lowers blood

sugar.

Sugar levels can initially

rise following a short burst of activity.

If you usually are active most days,

not doing activity could lead to

higher blood sugars than usual

Meals

Extra helpings or snacks, especially those high in

carbohydrates raises blood sugar and skipped meals or

snacks lowers blood sugar. Foods with carbohydrates, have the most effect on your blood sugar

levels.

Protein usually has only a small effect on your blood sugar levels.

Foods with fat slow down how fast the stomach empties and this can

make blood sugar a little lower soon after meals and a little higher

longer after meals.

Medications

Taking different medications and some health

conditions can affect blood glucose levels: Skipping doses of insulin or other diabetes medication and

making changes in medications raises blood sugar.

Some medications

you take may affect

your sugar levels

and missing out

some medications

or injections at irregular

times can also lead to

fluctuating sugar levels.

Conditions

For women, your

menstrual cycle can

influence your sugar levels

Pregnancy can affect

blood glucose level range

targets

Stress

Positive stress (like wedding) and

negative stress (like death in the family)

or any other stress such as fear, anxiety,

or anger and physical stress like injury,

pain, or surgery can raise blood sugar.

There are several ways stress may affect

your blood sugar levels, it can do so by

releasing stress hormones in the body

which can shoot your blood glucose

levels up and out of your desired range.

Alcoholic Beverages

Drinking more alcohol than usual lowers blood sugar levels. They can

affect sugar levels up to several hours after stopping drinking.

Sickness

Having a cold, the flu,

infection, or other illness

can trigger blood sugar.

This is because

hormones produced to

combat illness cause

blood sugar to rise.

• Instead of using nicotine patches during smoking cessation,

you can visit quit smoking hypnotherapy for a permanent and

successful change of your smoking habit. Nicotine found in

cigarette smoke is an addictive substance which is the main culprit

responsible for high blood sugar level in smokers.

• It is well known that those constantly high blood sugar levels, in turn

increase the risk of serious diabetes complications such as heart

attack, stroke, kidney failure and nerve damages. So if you are a

smoker, you should be concerned about quitting.

Conclusion

Most people are surprised to know that even protein

and carbohydrates can trigger blood sugar levels.

But they do it to less extend and proteins do it slower

than carbohydrates. Both are important to be

included in diets. But it is important to Keep tracking

the carbohydrates and proteins you eat to manage

your blood sugar, especially Carbohydrates, they

have the greatest impact on your blood sugar after

meals, and your blood sugar level can go too high

when you eat more carbohydrates than your body

can use.