Living a healthy lifestyle can be quite overwhelming: You should get enough sleep, but not too much. You should drink at least 2.5 liters of water a day and avoid alcohol. You should exercise enough, but don't overdo it. You should be sociable, but don't forget to take care of yourself too...
When you're trying to get the best out of yourself, monitoring and stabilizing your blood sugar levels probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind, is it?
Why should you worry about blood sugar levels if you don't have diabetes?
You may have only heard of blood sugar and its effects in the context of diabetes mellitus, a disease that impairs the ability to regulate blood sugar levels.
But fortunately, blood sugar levels, once considered purely an indicator of metabolic disorders, have now gained significance—even in healthy people.
" Controlling blood sugar levels is a necessity for all those suffering from diabetes or prediabetes. But even for (supposedly) healthy individuals, measuring blood sugar is a helpful and, above all, reliable tool for improving overall health before long-term problems arise."
By collecting real-time data with a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device, you'll gain detailed insights into how your body responds to your lifestyle and know when it's time to make changes.
Disease prevention is just one of the many benefits of continuous blood glucose monitoring. So take a look at the top 12 short- and long-term benefits of stable blood sugar.
Stable blood sugar levels: 6 short-term benefits you need to know
1: Goodbye inner restlessness and nervousness!
After a long day at work, you're too tired (or maybe a little too lazy...) to cook a fresh, healthy meal. So you reach for various snacks high in sugar. Suddenly, you're energized and psyched. But before you've even finished watching the latest episode of "Grey's Anatomy," the rush of energy has vanished. Exhaustion hits you full force. You feel depressed, restless, anxious, and hungry.
What you experienced at this moment is the so-called "sugar high": The foods you ate caused a rapid rise in your blood sugar level, followed by an equally sharp drop. [1]
If this scenario sounds familiar to you, you should reduce sugar in the future to stabilize your blood sugar levels.
2: Reduce brain fog
How often do you drink a third (or fourth…) cup of coffee in the hope that you can finally concentrate on work?
The good news first: It's probably not a lack of willpower that's holding you back from concentrating.
And now the bad news: Your blood sugar level may be on a constant glucose roller coaster.
Acute and chronically unstable blood sugar levels often lead to reduced cognitive performance, [2] which makes it difficult to complete tasks.
Get rid of brain fog quickly: Keep your blood sugar levels stable by switching your diet to whole foods and say goodbye to too much coffee.
3: More energy
You slept eight hours but are still tired during the day, especially after every meal?
There may be something wrong with your energy levels and your blood sugar levels may be the culprit.
For example, if you don't respond well to certain types of carbohydrates, this can lead to radical spikes and falls in your blood sugar, leaving you feeling extremely tired and sleepy.
Even if it's difficult, try eliminating or replacing some of your favorite sugary snacks.
Access in the future:
- nuts
- seeds
- Yogurt with berries
By replacing sugary snacks with the foods mentioned above, you can observe whether your energy levels remain consistent throughout the day once your blood sugar levels have stabilized.
4: Bye, bye, cravings!
A bag of chips here, a chocolate bar there… Do you love to snack, even after you've just eaten a whole meal?
If this is the case, you should reconsider your eating habits.
Let's face it. While snacking may seem like a perfectly normal thing, it could disrupt your natural blood sugar flow and lead to even more cravings.
If you keep your blood sugar levels stable by eating lower-glycemic foods like whole grains, vegetables, or legumes, you'll feel full for much longer. [3] Then you can also treat yourself to a sweet snack between meals without worrying about a blood sugar crash.
5: Better fat burning
If counting calories to lose weight doesn't work for you, we would like to tell you something important:
Your body is much more complex than you think.
When blood sugar levels rise in your body, insulin follows to reduce the glucose in the blood and transport it to the cells. In addition to regulating blood sugar levels, insulin is an important hormone involved in fat storage and weight gain. A consistently high insulin level inhibits the breakdown of fat cells for energy and promotes their storage in the body.
Even if you strictly adhere to your daily calorie needs, a diet rich in simple sugars can lead to chronically high blood sugar levels and constant insulin production.
Staying within a healthy blood sugar range (normal values: 80–110 mg/dL) gives your body time to lower insulin to a level that allows you to burn fat for energy between meals.
The result: weight loss, a better metabolism, and no more calorie counting.
6: No more headaches or migraines
Headaches are especially frustrating when you've seemingly tried everything to get rid of them.
The causes of throbbing pain in the neck, face and head vary widely and remain a mystery to science, especially when it comes to migraines.
A recent study found elevated blood sugar levels in migraine patients. This suggests that blood sugar fluctuations may contribute to migraine attacks. Further research is needed to clarify whether these elevated levels are directly related to migraines or merely a stress response to the throbbing pain.
But even if science isn't quite as advanced as we'd like, it's definitely worth trying to take a few deep breaths to get rid of the acute headache and thus stabilize your blood sugar level.
Short-term benefits like these are great, but if you want to tackle this topic long-term, read on!
Stable blood sugar levels: 6 long-term benefits you need to know
1: Improved metabolism
We've already touched on this a little bit above in point 5, but fat burning is only a small part of the bigger puzzle that can help you lose weight and, more importantly, control it.
If you can keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range of 80-110 mg/dL, your body will learn how to produce and process energy based on physical activity and food intake.
This results in your body tapping into the right fuel source (called "metabolic flexibility" (MF) [4] ) when needed. This provides a higher energy supply for your daily needs, whether you are resting or exercising.
2: Balance hormones
Hormonal imbalance is often viewed as a female phenomenon. But this isn't true: Whether man or woman, anyone can suffer from a hormonal imbalance. Uncontrolled fluctuations in blood sugar levels are often the primary cause.
The hormones insulin and glucagon, which are responsible for regulating blood sugar levels, are part of a much larger structure called the endocrine system (hormone system).
When your insulin levels are chronically high, a chain reaction occurs, creating a “hormonal battlefield” that can affect fertility in both men and women.
That's why a balanced hormonal relationship is really important.
3: Less inflammation
Inflammation itself isn't a bad thing. When your body fights an infection or tries to heal a cut on your finger, it's a natural defense mechanism that causes pain, swelling, and even fever.
However, inflammation should only be temporary. Chronically high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance (i.e., cells no longer respond appropriately to the hormone insulin [5] ) can promote inflammation. [6] This puts the immune system on constant alert, even though there is, in reality, nothing to fight except one's own body.
In summary, keeping your blood sugar levels within a healthy range can help reduce inflammation in the long term and prevent further complications such as diabetes.
4: Slower aging and senescence
Instead of investing a lot of money in expensive skincare products, you should invest money in healthy foods, a good sunscreen with a high SPF, and a CGM device.
Research suggests that elevated blood sugar levels and glucose fluctuations contribute to the "accelerated aging process."
The main signs of skin aging include changes in moisture content, loss of thickness and flexibility, the appearance of wrinkles, and abnormal pigmentation.
Severe increases in blood sugar levels can lead to increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and glycation, a mechanism that acts as an "aging accelerator." All of these factors are associated with increased skin aging and senescence (the process by which cells irreversibly stop dividing and enter a state of permanent growth arrest without dying). [7],[8]
Keep an eye on your blood sugar levels to maintain a fresh and healthy complexion.
5: Improved cholesterol levels
It is a common misconception that only foods high in saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels. The effects of consistently high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance are just as serious. [9],[10]
Controlling sugar consumption and thus maintaining balanced blood sugar and insulin levels contributes to improving cholesterol metabolism and preventing later coronary heart disease.
6: Lower risk of chronic diseases
A cardiovascular disease such as arteriosclerosis (also known as “hardening of the arteries”) is just one of many dangerous diseases that can be associated with chronically unstable blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. [11]
Obesity, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and even Alzheimer's and cancer are linked to high blood sugar levels.
Keeping your blood sugar levels within a healthy range will significantly reduce your risk of chronic diseases.
After all this information about blood sugar levels, you're probably wondering:
"What does stable even mean? And how do I know I'm in the so-called healthy range?"
Here are 3 simple steps that can help you answer these questions:
Step 1: Get a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device
A continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device is the most reliable and readily available way to measure your blood sugar. You can see your progress or any changes.
Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the data
As mentioned above, it is completely normal for blood sugar levels to fluctuate throughout the day and night.
Diet, exercise, sleep, and even stress can affect your blood sugar. But as long as blood sugar peaks aren't too high and troughs aren't too low, the careful cycle continues without causing harm to your body.
To truly utilize the data collected by your continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device, let's first take a closer look at the "healthy range" of blood sugar.
Normal blood sugar values:
Blood sugar is measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). A value between 80 and 110 mg/dl is considered normal and stable.
If you frequently notice drastic spikes above 160 mg/dL or drops below 60 mg/dL in your HELLO INSIDE app, please try slowly incorporating some new habits into your lifestyle. The app will give you immediate feedback on whether your changes are having an effect.
Step 3: Learn how to keep your blood sugar levels stable
Once you've familiarized yourself with your continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device, you'll quickly realize that the 12 benefits of stabilizing your blood sugar levels in the short and long term are within your grasp.
Whether you choose the quick fix or the long-lasting effect, here are some tips on how to stabilize your blood sugar levels
- Consume only a few refined carbohydrates or avoid them altogether
- Combine fat, protein and carbohydrates
- Eat fiber-rich foods
- Control portions and timing (learn more about intermittent fasting)
- Get enough sleep
- Reduce stress
- Exercise regularly and do sports
You can try each of these tips, link them directly to your CGM data, and learn what actually works for your blood sugar levels and what doesn't. Ready?
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