I’ve been intermittent fasting to varying degrees for several years and have recently ramped it up to 18 - 20 hours per day. I did that partly because I hit a plateau with my weight and could not lose the last fifteen pounds of “covid weight”(i.e., at home too much, not as active, had a few months of alcohol every night…etc.)…although now I’m wondering if it really is from that. Just had blood sugar done and it’s at the very tipy-top end of normal range, 99mg/dL, which has me a little alarmed. As I look back through my records I’m seeing that it’s been there before, and mostly over 90 for the last 8 years–when, even before this current situation I was having to be pretty careful to keep weight down and never really got it where I’d like. (Of course, this was in my 50s, I’m 60 now, and of course things do change.) So…now I’m seeing a few things online suggesting that, especially if you’re stressed (as I am a fair amount these days), IF-induced cortisol elevation could cause this, and other problems. I’ll talk to my doc on Monday, but just wondering if anyone else has had this experience. If so, I’d love to hear.
The good news is that you’re still in that normal range. I’m younger but I’ve had some recent blood tests after fasting for 16 hours in the 90’s and I’m fairly fit. Honestly, I wouldn’t read too much into it until you talk to your doctor about your total health.
One thing you could try would be some longer fasting. If you go 48 or 72 hours your blood sugar should come down to the 80’s and maybe even higher 70’s. This can also help your insulin sensitivity quite a bit. I bought an inexpensive glucose test kit and it has helped me understand where I am with my blood sugar and insulin sensitivity during fasting.
It’s a normal response to have blood glucose read high even when fasting. It means your hormones are trying to self regulate the drop in blood glucose by signaling the liver to produce more glucose. So then the pancreas will release insulin causing a blood glucose reading to be higher than expected. It’s a feedback loop.