From the moment you wake up, your blood glucose responds to everything you do – your food, your movement and even how you feel. Here is what you might see change throughout the day.
Mornings – off to a steady start
At the start of the day, your glucose gets moving too, thanks to the hormones that help you wake up, getting ready to fuel your body for the day.
What you eat for breakfast has a big impact: some foods, such as processed cereal or a muffin, might make glucose rise quickly, while other foods, such as rolled oats or wholegrain toast with peanut butter or egg, are more likely to keep the rise gentle and calm.
Your midday levels
What happens throughout the day depends on things like physical activity and the food you eat. Stress, illness and medications can also change the tone.
If you sit for hours, glucose tends to hang around in the blood for longer. But when you get up — perhaps for a short walk after lunch, a few chores, or even a little dancing — your muscles will use glucose for energy, which will bring blood glucose levels down. Longer or more intense physical activity can have a longer-lasting impact, making our cells more sensitive to drawing in glucose.
Movement of any kind is important for overall health and even small bursts of movement through the day can make a big difference. Even a quick walk after meals or standing up more often helps keep glucose steady and the body feeling better.
Your glucose levels in the evening
By evening, your glucose has already been through a few ups and downs, which is totally normal. Dinner is another factor that can change the balance, particularly if you’re tired or craving comfort food.
Carbohydrates, such as potatoes, pasta, long-grain rice, legumes or wholemeal bread, can provide some great long-lasting energy, while adding fibre from veggies, lean proteins and healthy fats to our meals can slow the absorption of glucose from carbohydrates and keep glucose from spiking too far above your target range.
A short walk or some light movement after dinner can also make a big difference, as it helps the body use up the extra glucose instead of storing it.
Think of it as giving your day a calm ending instead of a sudden jump before bedtime.
Your glucose at the end of the day
If you’re living with diabetes, you’ll know that sometimes, by the end of the day, your glucose readings are in range, while on others they are higher or lower than your target range.
Having this information can give you valuable feedback and help you understand what worked well and what might work better. It can also be a sign that things aren’t quite right and perhaps it’s time to get in touch with your healthcare team.
How Diabetes WA can support you
Living with diabetes isn’t about getting everything right – it’s about noticing what works for you and building on it.
Sometimes we find we need more help with keeping our glucose levels in target. This may include medications and health professional support.
Diabetes educators, dietitians and exercise physiologists are all part of your diabetes care team. They can help you better understand the things that influence your glucose levels. They can also help you to set goals and action plans to make small changes that can help keep your glucose levels within your target range.
Here at Diabetes WA we offer a range of services to help you manage your diabetes.
Call our free Helpline on 1300 001 880, make an appointment at the Diabetes WA clinic or visit our Programs and Education page to find the support you need.
