What Can Happen When Your Sugar Is Too High

What High Blood Sugar Feels Like

The symptoms can include:

• Breath that smells like fruit

These are symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis . Your body burns glucose for energy. When your cells donât get enough of it, they burn fat. That produces chemicals called ketones. When these build up, your blood becomes more acid-like. This can be life-threatening if itâs not treated.

You Have Noticeably Blurry Vision And Frequent Headaches

You may notice that your vision isnt as clear as it used to be and that things may appear a bit blurry. High blood sugar levels can lead to swollen lenses in your eye from fluid leaking in, according to the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. This changes the shape of the lens, which makes it unable to properly focus, causing blurred vision. You may also find yourself struggling at work, having difficulty driving, and suffering from frequent headaches, Emanuele notes.

What If It Goes Untreated

Hyperglycemia can be a serious problem if you dont treat it, so its important to treat as soon as you detect it. If you fail to treat hyperglycemia, a condition called ketoacidosis could occur. Ketoacidosis develops when your body doesnt have enough insulin. Without insulin, your body cant use glucose for fuel, so your body breaks down fats to use for energy.

When your body breaks down fats, waste products called ketones are produced. Your body cannot tolerate large amounts of ketones and will try to get rid of them through the urine. Unfortunately, the body cannot release all the ketones and they build up in your blood, which can lead to ketoacidosis.

Ketoacidosis is life-threatening and needs immediate treatment. Symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath

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Correcting High Blood Sugar Levels With Insulin

If you take insulin, one way to reduce blood sugar is to inject insulin.

However, be careful as insulin can take 4 hours or longer to be fully absorbed, so you need to make sure you take into account how much insulin you may already have in your body that is yet to be absorbed by the blood. Insulin that is yet to be absorbed by the blood is called active insulin.

If you decide to correct with insulin, watch you dont over correct as this can lead to hypoglycemia and can be dangerous, particularly so before bed.

Headaches And Difficulty Concentrating

Acute hyperglycemia can cause headaches and difficulty concentrating in a fashion similar to polyphagia in which starving cells send out hunger signals because they cant access the glucose circulating in the blood.

Your brain is the biggest glucose hog around. If you dont believe it, consider that while the brain represents about 2 percent of your body weight, it devours fully 25 percent of the glucose you consume. And when brain cells have difficulty getting the fuel they need, they function poorly. This can cause problems with thinking, reasoning, and remembering, difficulty staying focused on tasks, and headaches.

Chronic high blood glucose can also lead to headaches, but by a different route. These headaches are often related to various types of nerve damage. Examples include occipital neuropathy, or damage to the optic nerve from elevated glucose levels, and a variety of diabetic mononeuropathies, which can affect specific cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, or nerve roots all of which can lead to headaches of varying intensities.

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How To Better Control Blood Sugar

Those with diabetes can avoid dysglycemia by following a few simple tips:

• Test it. Set up a schedule for testing your blood sugar and stick to it.
• Log it. Keep a written record of your blood sugar or use your meter or your phone to save your readings.
• Watch for trends. Be aware of your blood sugar trends, and pay attention to when your levels go up or down.
• Establish routines. Your blood sugar will be more stable if you have routines for eating and exercising.
• Know your symptoms. Learn how you feel when your blood sugar is low and when it is high.

Risk Factors For Prediabetes And Diabetes

You have prediabetes if your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to trigger a diagnosis of diabetes. The risk factors for prediabetes and diabetes are the same.

Risk factors include:

Lifestyle factors. Being overweight is a major risk factor for diabetes, especially if your waist size is large. If you smoke, eat an unhealthy diet, or have an inactive lifestyle, your risk goes up.

Demographic factors. If you are over 45, your diabetes risk goes up. Your risk is also greater if you have a close family member with diabetes. Although it’s unknown exactly why, certain people â including those who are Black, Hispanic, Asian-American, or American Indian â are also at a higher risk for developing diabetes.

Related conditions. You have a greater chance of getting diabetes if you have sleep apnea, a condition in which you repeatedly stop breathing while sleeping. Women who had diabetes while pregnant are at an increased risk. So are women with a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome.

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Why Am I Having Lows

If you are experiencing low blood sugar and youre not sure why, bring a record of blood sugar, insulin, exercise and food data to a health care provider. Together, you can review all your data to figure out the cause of the lows.

The more information you can give your health care provider, the better they can work with you to understand whats causing the lows. Your provider may be able to help prevent low blood sugar by adjusting the timing of insulin dosing, exercise and meals or snacks. Changing insulin doses or the types of food you eat may also do the trick.

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Managing Blood Sugar Levels

must check their blood sugar levels daily with a glucose meter. This device takes a drop of blood, usually from a finger, and displays the sugar level within a few seconds.

People with type 1 diabetes will need to take insulin as their doctor recommends, usually several times a day.

Those with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes may need to change their diet and exercise habits. They may also need to take oral medications or insulin.

Various strategies hyperglycemia.

People should:

• Check their blood sugar levels as their doctor advises and take the correct amount of insulin if they have type 1 diabetes.
• Speak with a doctor or dietitian about which foods to eat or avoid, how much to eat, and how often.
• Take precautions to avoid infections, for example, through regular handwashing, as illness, such as a cold, can trigger an increase in blood sugar levels.
• Plan their food intake and exercise to balance blood sugar levels.
• Minimize stress as far as possible, for example, through exercise, getting enough sleep, and stress-reducing activities such as meditation or yoga.

Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can occur when a person:

• has certain medical conditions
• does a lot of exercise
• skips meals or eats too little

It can also be a side effect of diabetes medicines. Taking too much insulin can result in low blood sugar levels.

Symptoms of low blood sugar may include:

• feeling weak or shaky
• fast heart rate, or palpitations

• consult doctor regularly

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How To Manage A Blood Sugar Spike

The best way to manage high blood sugar is to check your blood sugar and take your medication as instructed. If you frequently experience blood sugar spikes, your doctor may change your medication routine.

You can also lower your blood sugar by exercising. However, if your blood sugar level is repeatedly above 240 mg/dL , check your urine for ketones using a test kit.

If you do have ketones, do not exercise. In this case, exercising may make your blood sugar levels go even higher.

If you think you may have DKA, you can test your urine for ketones using a test kit. If ketones are high, call a doctor and seek emergency medical attention immediately.

Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome

This mostly affects elderly people. As glucose builds up in your blood, your body tries to get rid of it through your urine.

At first, you pee a lot. Over time, you pee less, but when you do, itâs very dark. This condition can lead to dehydration, coma, and death.

Get medical help right away if you have any of these warning signs:

• Blood sugar level over 600 mg/dL
• Extreme thirst that may later go away
• Warm, dry skin that doesnât sweat
• Fever over 101 F
• Weakness on one side of your body

You can avoid many of these problems by keeping your blood sugar under control. Follow your doctorâs advice about diet and exercise, take your medicine, keep up with your doctor visits, and check your levels often.

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What Is A Normal Blood Sugar Level

According to the American Diabetes Association, a normal fasting blood sugar is less than 100 mg/dL.

A fasting blood sugar reading of 100-125 mg/dL indicates prediabetes, and a reading above 125 indicates diabetes.

If you test your blood sugar two hours after eating or drinking something containing sugar instead , the numbers to look for are:

You can learn more in the in-depth article: What Are Normal Blood Sugar Levels?

Increase Your Fiber Intake

High fiber is key to the foods that lower blood sugar, so increasing your soluble fiber intake will help you lower your blood sugar. Focus on eating foods that stabilize blood sugar such as unrefined carbohydrates like whole grain bread or pasta, sweet potatoes, legumes, lentils, nuts, and non-starchy vegetables.

Another perk? High fiber foods can help you feel fuller. That can help you avoid overeating or craving foods that can negatively affect your blood sugar. Men should aim for 30 to 38 grams daily, and women 21 to 25 grams daily, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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High Blood Glucose: Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia means that you have too much blood glucose. It happens when your blood glucose level is around 200 mg/dL or higher. Hyperglycemia can happen if you miss taking your diabetes medications, eat too much or do not get enough exercise. Sometimes, the medications you take for other problems cause high blood glucose.

Symptoms of hyperglycemia include:

• Having blurry vision
• Having to urinate often

If you have these symptoms, check your blood glucose right away. If its too high, follow these steps:

• Check your blood glucose every four hours. If your level does not go down after two checks or your symptoms get worse, call a member of your diabetes team.
• Drink water or other sugar-free liquids, such as diet soda or Crystal Light.
• You may need to take an extra dose of insulin. Your diabetes educator talks with you more about this.

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S To Normal Blood Sugars

So as you can see having very high blood sugar can have some serious consequences and even go unnoticed. And just like other areas of your life you are fully capable of getting back on track.

Heres what to do when your blood sugar is high in 7 simple steps:

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This Is Done Because Blood Pressure Is The Primary Indicator

These routine screenings check for everything from liver function to hig. When this happens, itâs called a blood clot. Most of us have experienced having our blood pressure taken, as itâs standard practice in virtually every medical providerâs office, from an optometrist to a general practitioner. Your blood needs to keep flowing through your veins and arteries. If your blood pressure is very high, your doctor may want you to start taking blood press. When youâre diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor will likely help you adopt a new health regimen to improve your diet and start exercising. Also known simply as blood sugar, blood glucose provides the fuel your body needs to power the brain, heart and muscles. For people with diabetes, routinely monitoring your blood sugar can be the key to feeling well and functioning normally. Left untreated, high blood sugar can be life threatening, leading to a diabetic coma. When you go for your yearly physical and sometimes when you have a regular doctorâs appointment, your healthcare provider may order certain tests, such as blood tests. A beginnerâs guide to fear, fatigue, and the fraternity of boxing d. When it comes to maintaining your health, your blood glucose level is one of the most important readings in your body. The blood clots that form at the site of an injury usually break down after th.

What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Dka

The symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis usually don’t develop all at once they usually come on slowly over several hours. People who have DKA may:

• feel really tired
• feel really thirsty or pee way more than usual
• have a dry mouth and signs of dehydration

These symptoms are caused by the high blood sugar levels that usually happen before someone develops DKA. If the person doesn’t get treatment, these signs of DKA can happen:

• unconsciousness

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Youre Thirsty And Moody

Did you know that thirst is one of the signs of high blood sugar? If your body starts to dehydrate due to the increased blood glucose levels in your system, its going to signal for you to drink more water. This can mean feeling thirsty, even if youve just had a full bottle of water. Along with this sudden increased thirst, those who suffer from high blood sugar often feel grumpy or irritable.

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Test Before You Eat And Two Hours After

This will tell you how well your medication is controlling your blood sugar. It will also shed light on what food is boosting your sugar too highand thus should be avoided. You should consult your health-care provider to develop a plan that works for you, says Donna Rice, immediate past president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, who notes that the frequency and time of day you test will depend on how controlled your blood glucose is.

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Symptoms Of Low Blood Sugar

How you react to low blood sugar may not be the same as how someone else with low blood sugar reacts. Its important to know your signs. Common symptoms may include:

If youve had low blood sugar without feeling or noticing symptoms , you may need to check your blood sugar more often to see if its low and treat it. Driving with low blood sugar can be dangerous, so be sure to check your blood sugar before you get behind the wheel.

You may not have any symptoms when your blood sugar is low . If you dont have symptoms, it will be harder to treat your low blood sugar early. This increases your risk of having severe lows and can be dangerous. This is more likely to happen if you:

• Have had diabetes for more than 5-10 years.
• Frequently have low blood sugar.
• Take certain medicines, such as beta blockers for high blood pressure.

If you meet one or more of the above and you have hypoglycemia unawareness, you may need to check your blood sugar more often to see if its low. This is very important to do before driving or being physically active.

Being Extra Thirsty And Having To Urinate More Than Usual

This is a common but not-so-obvious sign of blood sugar that is too high: feeling really thirsty and needing to drink more than usual. Excessive urination, known as polyuria, occurs when glucose builds up in your blood, and your kidneys begin working harder to get rid of the extra glucose, says Zanini. If your kidneys cant keep up and adjust blood sugar so that it returns to a normal level, the excess sugar is flushed out of your body through urine, she adds. You may become dehydrated and get dizzy.

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