Blood Sugar Spikes: Cause and Effects
A blood sugar spike is a rapid increase in blood sugar levels, often brought on when eating too much food containing carbohydrates. When you eat food containing carbohydrates, your body breaks down the carbohydrates into a simple sugar called glucose. Glucose then enters your bloodstream. When the amount of glucose in your blood rises, it sends a signal to your pancreas to release a hormone called insulin. Insulin’s job is to act like a key to unlock the doors of different cells in your body. This allows glucose to leave the bloodstream and enter the cells to be used for energy or be stored for later use. Without insulin, glucose stays in the bloodstream, causing blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels to rise too high. This can lead to serious health problems. Symptoms of a blood sugar spike vary from person to person and may include blurry vision, dry mouth, fatigue, headache, increased thirst, and frequent urination. Sometimes, blood sugar spike symptoms are subtle...