If your parent has diabetes, he is used to checking his blood sugar levels throughout the day to ensure his levels are where they are supposed to be. Doing this helps your parent understand how food, exercise, stress, and even illness can affect his blood sugar levels. He might have been given a thorough report from the doctor indicating which foods he should eat and which ones he should stay away from.
One great way to ensure your parent keeps his blood sugar at a safe level is to have a senior home care provider encourage activity and even prepare healthy meals. What your parent might not know is that there are sometimes other factors that can affect his blood sugar levels. Let’s look at some surprising triggers that can increase blood sugar levels.
- A restless night. Not getting enough sleep can cause blood sugar levels to rise. And if your parent suffers from insomnia or inability to sleep well, it could raise his blood sugar levels.
- Later in the day. The later the day gets, the more difficult it can be to control blood sugar levels.
- Skipping breakfast. Skipping this important meal in the morning can wreak havoc on blood sugar levels both after dinner and lunch. While some people aren’t early morning eaters, have your senior home care provider help your parent purchase small items he can enjoy for breakfast each day to keep his levels normal.
- Getting too much sun. If your parent has been sunburned lately, he might have trouble keeping his blood sugar levels normal. The pain associated with sunburn causes stress, and stress increases blood sugar levels. Be prepared before your parent goes out in the sun to prevent this trigger.
- Artificial sweeteners. Some may cause blood sugar levels to increase, so keep it in mind if your parent uses a lot of artificial sweeteners.
- Coffee. This one may break your parent’s heart if he’s a big coffee drinker. While it doesn’t happen to all diabetics, caffeine in coffee can increase blood sugar levels. Your parent may need to look at having decaf if his blood sugar levels spike after a cup of Joe.
- Early morning. Some people naturally have a surge of hormones when they wake up each morning. For people with diabetes, it can also mean the blood sugar will spike at that time.
- Gum disease. Gum disease is a complication of diabetes and can cause blood sugar to spike. Making sure your parent is taking care of his oral health is an important part of managing his diabetes and blood sugar levels.
- Nose sprays. If your parent uses nose sprays, the chemicals in some may trigger his liver to produce more blood sugar.
- Dehydration. It’s important to stay hydrated. Less water in the body means blood sugar is more concentrated. A senior home care provider can help by providing reminders to drink his water if your parent seems to forget to stay on top of this task.
To find out if any of these things affect your parent’s blood sugar levels, check his levels both before and after to see if they are affected.
Providing exceptional Senior Home Care for seniors and families in the Northern Virginia area, including Arlington, Alexandria, McLean, Reston, Burke, Ashburn, Centreville, Springfield, Manassas, and Oakton. Call today to speak with our caring staff: (703) 272-8838.
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