Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Blood Sugar Test
The HbA1c Test measures the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood. When glucose builds up in the blood, it binds to a protein called hemoglobin. Testing your hemoglobin A1c level is a great way to gain insight into your body’s ability to metabolize glucose. The Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test measures the percentage of A1c hemoglobin proteins that have glucose attached. The higher your blood glucose is on average, the more glucose there is attached to the hemoglobin A1c protein. Your HbA1c level correlates to and reflects your average blood glucose over the past 3 months. A healthy HbA1c is below 5.7% and above 5.7% indicates chronic elevated glucose and warrants a discussion with a healthcare provider. The pancreas secretes insulin when you consume carbohydrates and sends excess glucose to the liver as glycogen. The pancreases also produces glucagon, which actually raises blood sugar when necessary. You need both glycogen and GlycoMode Daily Support glucagon to keep blood sugar levels balanced.
What Happens When Blood Sugar Levels are High? Glucose is the primary sugar found in your blood. It is also your body’s main source of energy. However, when there is too much in your blood over a period of time it can damage blood vessels, tissues and organs and potentially lead to serious health issues like diabetes, heart disease and cognitive disorders, as well as vision and nerve problems. Some signs of high blood sugar include frequent urination, increased hunger and thirst, fatigue, blurred vision, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, and unexplained weight loss. What Happens When Blood Sugar Levels are Low? Low blood sugar is also called hypoglycemia and it often happens to diabetics who have taken too much insulin, causing their blood sugar level to drop. This typically requires quick treatment with sugary drinks like orange juice or honey or candy. In severe cases, someone will require a shot of glucagon to bring the level back up.
Some of the signs of low blood sugar are an irregular or fast heartbeat, fatigue, sweating, irritability, and tingling or numbness on the lips, tongue and cheeks. In severe cases, blood sugar supplement hypoglycemia can also cause confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures and blurred vision. Why Test Your HbA1c? Balancing blood sugar levels in the body is a delicate task. Periodically making sure your blood sugar is within normal range can help stave off more serious health issues down the road such as diabetes, heart disease, cognitive issues, and kidney problems. There are many factors that can affect blood glucose levels, primarily diet and lifestyle, but also medical conditions and medications. It is important to be aware if you have certain medical conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, thyroid conditions, iron deficiency, chronic liver disease, or sleep disorders that may affect your body’s ability to metabolize glucose. Further, some medications and supplements may affect glucose levels such as antiretrovirals, sulfa antibiotics, high doses of certain vitamins, aspirin, or chronic opioid use.
It is important to discuss your medications and medical history along with your test results with a healthcare provider. The HbA1c test represents your blood sugar level over a period of 2-3 months. However, there are other tests that measure blood sugar at a single point in time, such as the glucose tolerance test, fasting blood sugar test and random blood sugar test. For most people, blood sugar can be managed with diet and lifestyle modifications, as well as medications. However, Type I diabetics are excluded from this category as there is no cure and they will require lifetime management of their blood sugar levels with insulin. These are typically high in calories, very tasty, and subject to overconsumption. Reducing or eliminating these types of foods will remove added sugar from your diet and in turn will help your body normalize blood sugar levels. Stress causes your body to release the hormone cortisol, whose main function is to increase glucose output from your liver. Over time, this can lead to elevated blood sugar. People who consistently get less than 7 hours are more likely to have elevated Hba1c along with people who get poor quality sleep. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.