What is Blood Sugar?
Imagine waking up one morning, feeling a little more tired than usual. You reach for a glass of water, your throat is dry, and you notice you’re a bit more irritable than normal. Unbeknownst to you, your body is sending subtle signals that something isn’t quite right inside. This “something” is often related to a tiny but powerful molecule in your blood—glucose, commonly known as blood sugar.
Let’s step into the shoes of Adam, a young executive with a busy lifestyle. Adam loves his morning coffee paired with a sweet pastry, and his workdays are packed with meetings, often leaving him little time for proper meals. Over time, Adam notices he’s more fatigued and struggles to stay focused in the afternoons. His doctor suggests they check his blood sugar level.
But what exactly is blood sugar? In simple terms, blood sugar refers to the amount of glucose circulating in your bloodstream at any given time. Glucose comes from the food you eat—especially carbohydrates like bread, rice, and fruits. It’s the body’s main source of energy, fueling everything you do, from thinking and breathing to running and laughing.
Here’s where the story gets interesting: every time you eat, your digestive system breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is then absorbed into your bloodstream. Your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to help transport glucose from the blood into your cells, where it’s used for energy. When this process functions well, you feel energetic and alert.
However, if something disrupts this delicate balance—perhaps Adam’s repeated sugary breakfasts or chronic stress—the sugar can start to build up in the blood. High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, happens when your body doesn’t use insulin effectively or doesn’t make enough. Over time, this can lead to problems like constant fatigue, increased thirst, and eventually more serious health issues if left unchecked.
Understanding blood sugar is the first step on your journey to better wellness. Like Adam, many people have no idea their bodies are working overtime to keep things in balance. By becoming more aware of what blood sugar is and how it affects you, you’re taking the first powerful step to regaining control of your health with the help of this course.
Causes of High Blood Sugar
Let’s continue Adam’s story. After visiting his doctor and learning about blood sugar, Adam starts to reflect on his daily habits. He remembers all those late-night snacks, skipped meals, and the stress of constant work deadlines. Like many people, Adam never realized that everyday choices can quietly lead to a rise in blood sugar, even if you aren’t diagnosed with diabetes (yet).
High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, is like a hidden enemy that often creeps up without dramatic warning signs. There are several reasons why this happens, and everyone has a unique story. For Adam, skipping meals and relying on sugary foods for quick energy was a big trigger. But for others, the picture might look different.
First, let’s talk about diet. Consuming lots of refined carbohydrates (such as white bread, pastries, and sweet drinks) causes a spike in blood sugar. Your body can only handle so much sugar at once—anything extra hangs around in your bloodstream. If you’re regularly eating foods with added sugars or processed grains, your blood sugar stays high for longer than it should.
Physical inactivity is another cause. When you move your body—be it walking, cleaning, or exercising—your muscles use glucose for fuel. Without enough movement, that sugar builds up instead of being “burned off.” Adam, for example, spent long hours at his desk and rarely making time to exercise.
Stress also plays a sneaky role. When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol, which triggers the liver to produce extra glucose, just in case you need a burst of energy to “fight or flee.” For Adam, constant work stress meant his body was often flooded with these hormones, leading to persistently high blood sugar.
Some people experience high blood sugar due to certain medications, illnesses, or even hormonal changes, such as those during pregnancy or menopause. For others, underlying medical conditions like insulin resistance or Type 2 diabetes are at play.
Adam’s story is a reminder: high blood sugar doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of repeated choices—diet, lack of movement, stress, lack of rest or sleep, and sometimes genetics. But the good news is, just as these habits can contribute to high blood sugar, positive new habits (which you’ll learn throughout this course) can help you lower it and regain your health.
Symptoms of High Blood Sugar
Let’s continue Adam’s journey. As weeks passed, he began to notice subtle shifts in how his body felt. Every afternoon, a wave of fatigue would hit, making it hard to concentrate during meetings. He found himself getting thirsty more often, and restroom breaks became more frequent—sometimes even in the middle of the night. At first, Adam brushed these signs off as normal effects of a busy lifestyle, but they were, in fact, classic symptoms of high blood sugar.
High blood sugar doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Its symptoms can be gentle nudges, easily ignored, especially in the early stages. One of the most common signs is frequent thirst (polydipsia). Your body senses the excess glucose in your blood and tries to dilute it by making you drink more water. Along with this comes increased urination (polyuria), as your kidneys work overtime to flush out the extra sugar.
Fatigue is another common symptom. Even though Adam was eating enough, his body couldn’t efficiently move glucose from his blood into his cells because of insulin resistance—even mild at first. As a result, his muscles and brain didn’t get the fuel they needed, leaving him feeling tired and sluggish.
Other noticeable symptoms can include blurred vision, as the high sugar levels may temporarily affect the lenses in your eyes; slow healing of cuts or wounds; and even unexplained weight loss in some cases, as the body starts to burn fat and muscle for energy when it can’t use the sugar.
There are more subtle signs, too: irritability, dry mouth, headaches, and sometimes recurrent infections, such as gum or skin infections. Adam finally realized that his frequent colds and lingering mouth sores weren’t just bad luck—they were his body’s way of waving a red flag.
It’s easy to overlook these symptoms, especially if they’re mild at first. But by being attentive to these signals, like Adam eventually did, you can catch high blood sugar early and take action before it leads to bigger problems. Listening to your body—and knowing what to look for—is a powerful step in your wellness journey.
How Blood Sugar is Measured
After Adam started noticing the symptoms and discussed them with his doctor, he was introduced to a simple but lifesaving habit: tracking his blood sugar. At first, Adam felt nervous—would this mean needles, complicated gadgets, and confusing numbers? But soon, he discovered measuring blood sugar can be straightforward and empowering, giving him real control over his health.
Blood sugar is usually measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L), depending on where you live. The most common way to check it is with a small device called a glucometer. Adam’s doctor showed him how: Clean your fingertip, use a tiny lancet to prick your finger, place a drop of blood on a test strip, and wait for the reading to appear on the screen. Within seconds, Adam could see his current blood sugar level—a number that told an important story about what was happening inside his body.
For most people, a normal fasting blood sugar level (measured after not eating for at least 8 hours) falls between 3.9 to 5.6 mmol/L. Levels between 5.6-6.9 mmol/L indicate prediabetes, while 7 mmol/L or higher on two separate tests usually means diabetes. Adam learned that there are also tests like the HbA1c (which measures average blood sugar over 2-3 months) and the oral glucose tolerance test (measuring how the body processes sugar after a meal). (Readings are provided by WHO)
Some people like Adam prefer the routine and accountability of at-home testing, while others rely on occasional checks at their doctor’s office. For those using products like VSeries, tracking blood sugar before and after using the product can provide valuable feedback on their body’s response.
At first, Adam found it daunting to see those numbers, but over time, tracking his blood sugar became an encouraging ritual. He could see improvements as he made better choices—like swapping out his morning pastry or take a walk after work. The process gave him hope and a sense of progress, turning numbers on a screen into daily motivation.
Measuring blood sugar is more than a medical task; it’s a way to listen to your body, celebrate small victories, and spot potential issues before they grow. Whether you’re just starting out or have monitored your blood sugar for years, each reading is a step on your path to better health.
