To test for diabetes or monitor a person’s diabetes, a physician orders a fasting blood sugar levels test.

This test is done early in the morning before you eat anything, 8 to 12 hours after you have had your last meal of the day, without eating or drinking anything else other than water.

On average a person will have a blood sugar levels of 70 to 99 mg/dL.

If the level is above 100mg/dL, that is an indication of an impaired glucose metabolism.

The following are the factors that are known to affect blood sugar levels:

Food Intake

Foods that you eat within 8 hours to your test will most often elevate your fasting blood sugar levels. Once you eat and the food gets digested, it is normal for your blood to have higher levels of blood sugar for a while.

Alcoholic beverages, on the other hand, cause a drop in blood sugar levels, even when taken on the night before the test.

Medication

Some medication increases your blood sugar levels while others lower it. If you are under medications that include aspirin, certain antidepressants, birth control pills, anti seizure drugs, and even diuretics, will increase the sugar levels in your blood.

Other medications such as insulin, oral hypoglycemic agents, acetaminophen, blood sugar supplements, and anabolic steroids will lower your blood sugar levels.

Exercise

Exercise will either decrease or increase the levels of glucose in your blood. When a person exercises, insulin becomes more efficient and lowers the glucose levels in their blood. That effect lasts long after they have stopped exercising.

For example, a one-hour of exercising in the afternoon will have an effect on the blood sugar levels the next morning when you take the test.

Exercises can raise your blood sugar level temporarily by causing the release of adrenaline. The same goes other activities that cause excitement just before you take the test.

Physical Conditions

Some diseases and medical conditions will also have a profound effect on fasting blood sugar levels. These diseases and conditions include liver disease, thyroid gland disorders, and pancreas disorders.

A person who has undergone or experienced events such a major surgery, heart attack, injured in an automobile accident, or even suffered acute or severe trauma will have blood sugar levels that way above 100mg/dL, even when fasting.

Diabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT)

Patients with diabetes or other glucose metabolism disorders experience elevated blood sugar levels even when fasting. Gestational diabetes is an abnormal glucose metabolism that pregnant women experience.

Almost in all cases gets naturally resolved after giving birth.

According to the American Diabetes Association, if you have fasting blood sugar levels of 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL, then you might be having either Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) or you are in pre-diabetes stages. For those with fasting blood sugar levels that exceed 125 mg/dL, that is an indication that they have diabetes.

Some methods can, however, be used to control diabetes and bring blood sugars down over time in a person who gets diagnosed with IGT or diabetes. They include weight loss, blood sugar supplements, proper diet, and exercises.