How To Use Gabapentin? ( Neurontin, Horizant) - Doctor Explains [26c459]

Understanding Your Blood Sugar Range: A Key to Optimal Health

Maintaining a healthy blood sugar range is crucial for overall well-being. It affects everything from energy levels and mental clarity to heart health and diabetes risk. But what exactly does it mean to have a normal blood sugar range, and how can you achieve and sustain one?

The Role of Diet does high blood sugar cause hair loss in Maintaining Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

A balanced diet plays a significant role in regulating blood sugar levels. Foods that are high on the glycemic index (GI) cause a spike in blood glucose, leading to fluctuations in your sugar range. On the other hand, fiber-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables help slow down digestion and absorption of sugars into the bloodstream. This results in a more stable blood sugar level.

Research has shown that diets high in processed meat can lead to an increased risk of insulin resistance (1). Conversely, Mediterranean-style eating patterns have been associated with lower rates of developing type 2 diabetes due to their emphasis on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables (2).

The Impact of Exercise on Blood Sugar Levels

Regular physical activity is not only essential for weight management but also helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Aerobic exercises like running or cycling improve insulin sensitivity by facilitating the uptake of glucose in cells. Resistance training has a similar effect as it increases muscle mass, thereby enhancing glucose metabolism (3).

However, if you are new to exercise, it's crucial not to overdo it initially. Sudden normal blood sugar levels after eating sweets bursts of physical activity can actually lead to temporary spikes in blood sugar levels due to increased stress and adrenaline release.

The Science Behind Blood Sugar Fluctuations

Blood sugar fluctuations occur when your body either fails or struggles with converting the ingested carbohydrates into does smoking increase blood sugar levels usable energy. There are several factors that contribute to these imbalances, including inadequate insulin production (as seen in type 1 diabetes) or inefficient insulin signaling due to insulin resistance.

Stress is another significant factor affecting blood glucose levels. During periods of high anxiety or stress, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which raise blood sugar by inhibiting the uptake of glucose into cells (4).

How Sleep Impacts Blood Sugar Regulation

A well-rested brain functions optimally for balancing hunger hormones that regulate appetite as well as those influencing digestion to absorb nutrients efficiently from food consumed. Conversely, sleep deprivation can disrupt these physiological processes and increase cortisol levels.

The data is clear: even partial sleep restriction causes increased glucose production in the liver leading to higher blood sugar levels (5).

Managing Your Blood Sugar Range Through Monitoring

Regular tracking of your blood sugar range through glucometers or continuous glucose monitors is vital for maintaining healthy levels. Identifying patterns can guide dietary and lifestyle adjustments, allowing you to make proactive changes.

By acknowledging how diet affects insulin sensitivity and knowing what foods help stabilize or raise the sugar level in your body allows you better control over managing this fluctuation factor effectively.

Reducing Diabetes Risk: Maintaining a Healthy Blood Sugar Range

A well-managed blood sugar range can significantly lower an individual's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while poor management contributes to it. As seen with Mediterranean diets and regular physical activity as discussed earlier; maintaining such lifestyle choices greatly impact this likelihood factor.

In summary, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is not only a matter of controlling glucose intake from food sources but also managing underlying physiological processes involved like insulin sensitivity due mostly to our current way of living which causes resistance over time thereby necessitating management through these self-regulating factors.

In this video we will cover everything you need to know about Gabapentin, also known as Neurotin or Horizant. This video is part of a video series on mental health problems. So for more mental health related videos check out this playlist: Generic name: Gabapentin. Brand names: Neurontin or Horizant. Available as a capsule and as a tablet. How to use it? Make sure to swallow the capsule or tablet whole with half a glass of water. In addition, it is recommended to take gabapentin at fixed times. This will make it less likely that you forget a dose. Furthermore, after a few days to months your doctor will evaluate if gabapentin is sufficiently effective for you. If necessary your doctor will adapt your dose or will switch to another drug. When to use it? Gabapentin is part of a group of drugs called anti-epileptic drugs. However it can be used to treat several medical conditions, like: - Epilepsy - Neuropathic pain What is the correct dosage? The precise dose will depend on your specific indication of use, the side effect you might experience and the severity of your symptoms.Therefore always use the precise amount and frequency your doctor prescribed you. - Most commonly your doctor will slowly increase your dose, up to a maintenance dose of 900-3600mg per day divided over 3 dosages. Therefore always use the precise amount and frequency your doctor prescribed you. What are common the side-effects? - Very common (10%): somnolence, dizziness, fatigue, increased risk for viral infections and fever. - Common (1-10%): pneumonia, infections, aggression, fatigue, confusion, anxiety, depression, weight gain, appetite increase, amnesia, headache, insomnia, tremor, convulsions, altered reflexes, high blood pressure, cough, rash, itching, muscle and back pain, muscle twitching and erectile dysfunction. - Uncommon (0.1-1%): allergic reactions, high blood sugar, agitation, palpitations, swallowing disorder and oedema. - Rare (0.1%): palpitations, low blood sugar, loss of consciousness and respiratory depression. Safety: First of all be careful to combine gabapentin with alcohol. As this might increase its side effects. In addition, it can be dangerous to drive while using this drug. As it can cause you to become drowsy, sleepy and/or dizzy. If you experiencing any of these side effects then please do not drive. Furthermore, gabapentin can have interactions with other drugs your are taking. always discuss this with your prescribing doctor. Pregnancy and Lactation: There is insufficient data to conclude if gabapentin is dangerous. However it seems to be dangerous in animal studies. - Disclaimer: this video and the comments are meant purely informational! This is not medical advice! If you are looking for medical advice always contact your own doctor. - I want to give special thanks to my sponsors on Patreon: - Sebastian Houwing: Investor Literature: 1: Farmacotherapeutisch Kompas. (2021). Gabapentine. 2: Apotheek.nl (2021). Gabapentine. * The images in this video are used for educational purposes only. Most of the images and videos in this video come from Music: 1. Verified Picasso, Fish Room 2. Patrick Patrikos, Good Times 3: Patrick Patrikios, Rockville 4: Patrick Patrikios, Grut Follow me on instagram: @HOWTOMEDICATE Follow me on twitter: @HOWTOMEDICATE Support me on Patreon: