For those of you confused about what blood sugar levels means, it is nothing more than the popular way of saying ‘glucose in the blood.’ Glucose is a simple sugar, and is the chief energy supply for all living organisms. So it’s very important.
Now, I’m not here to try to win scientific prizes for in depth analysis, nor do I truly believe a minute breakdown of the exact scientific processes are necessary – even if I did know them inside out – but what is important is knowing on a practical level what blood sugar levels mean, and why it is important you keep them at normal levels.
High blood sugar levels
Have you ever eaten an absolute ton of sugary foods before, and maybe experienced lethargy, a headache, a feeling of being flushed or dizzy? Well, that’s the result of too much sugar. It’s a condition which Type 2 diabetes sufferers find themselves dealing with – even when they watch their sugar levels. It’s known as hyperglycaemia. Persistently high blood sugar levels can have all sorts of serious medial problems, such as blindness and heart issues.
Low blood sugar levels
Those who suffer from type 1 diabetes need to carry with them insulin shots and glucose tablets to prevent their blood sugar levels from dropping suddenly. Low blood sugar can be very dangerous for the average person, but fatal to a diabetes type 1 sufferer.
When blood sugar levels are extremely low, dizziness and headache can ensue, tiredness can become overwhelming, the brain shuts down leading to unconsciousness, coma, and if not treated, death.
Of course, the chances of that happening to a person without diabetes are slim, but, the effects of low blood sugar levels can be felt by any human.
Blood sugar levels after training
After training, you are likely to experience low blood sugar levels. This is simply because the bodies chief energy supply (glucose) has been severely depleted. Remember, this not only affects the muscles, but the brain, so it’s important during this time to get into your system plenty of complex carbohydrates to normalize your blood sugar levels.
Now, a diabetic will carry with them glucose tablets because it can be a matter of life and death and they need to normalize blood sugars within minutes. But, to a regular person, taking in a lot of sugar isn’t necessary as it causes an insulin spike, and doing this over the long term can cause Type 2 diabetes through insulin resistance.
So, we stick to complex carbs, which are assimilated into the system slower and more steadily and don’t cause an insulin spike – but do normalize blood sugar levels relatively quickly.
If you’ve ever felt extremely tired – sleepy, even – after a training session, then this is more often than not the result of low blood sugar, which is why after eating you begin to feel as if your system has been recharged. Welcome to the world of glucose!