How to Test Your Blood Sugar Levels at Home to Help Manage Endo

Last week we discussed signs and symptoms of dysregulated blood sugar levels. Now, if you were concerned, I recommended speaking to your GP, however, often if you’re not pre-diabetic or diabetic, they’re not very concerned about your levels, and won’t really spend the time to get them under control.

So, today, I wanted to share how to take your own glucose readings, so you can see what your blood sugar levels are doing over the day, and so you can tweak your meals to better suit your blood sugar needs.

Read more.

Show notes

Reference ranges info and tools

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html#google_vignette

https://www.levels.com/blog/what-should-my-glucose-levels-be-ultimate-guide

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/tests/blood-sugar

Helpful resources

https://endometriosis.net/living/diet-sugar

https://endometriosis.net/living/how-to-balance-your-blood-sugar-levels-to-reduce-endo-symptoms

https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endo-blood-sugar-gargi-parikh

https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/glycemic-index-load-endo

https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endo-and-pms-the-key-to-reducing-mood-swings-anxiety-and-low-moods-in-your-luteal-phase

https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/non-food-blood-sugar-management

https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/reduce-fatigue-endometriosis-symptoms-and-oestrogen-dominance

https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endo-carbs-blood-sugar

Endo and blood sugar research

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10967113/

https://eurjmedres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40001-023-01280-7

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8609862/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-35236-y

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378512223004115

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37673102/

If using a CGM

A few things to be aware of –

• Your blood sugar may see erratic or very high within the first 24 hours of wearing a CGM, this is normally an adjustment period so don’t worry about that.

• Blood sugar levels tend to spike with exercise, stress and hot showers/baths. Don’t worry about exercise or showers, your body will regulate itself, but you may want to work on your stress if it’s influencing your blood sugar levels a lot!

• Your blood sugar will likely be more erratic in your luteal phase, so you may need to put some extra support in place.

• Your blood sugar levels are likely to be higher after a bad night’s sleep, so you’ll need to put more support in.

• Sleeping on the arm with yoru CGM can create inaccurate results, so if anything seems unsual in the night, try sleeping on another side. However, be aware we can have dips and peaks at night too.

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