Friday, March 22, 2024

How High Blood Sugar Is Dangerous

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When To Call The Doctor

The dangers of high blood-sugar

If signs of low blood sugar do not improve after you have eaten a snack that contains sugar, have someone drive you to the emergency room or call 911 or the local emergency number. Do not drive when your blood sugar is low.

Get medical help right away for a person with low blood sugar if the person is not alert or cannot be woken up as this is a medical emergency.

Low Blood Sugar In People Who Aren’t Diabetic Isn’t Common But Can Happen

Alyssa Wilson, RD with Signos tells us, “Low blood sugar in a non-diabetic is not common and typically not very dangerous. Our liver stores glucose and can also make glucose so it is always at the ready to keep our resting blood glucose levels sufficiently stable. When your blood sugar does drop due to one of the reasons listed above, typically the liver comes to the rescue quickly so that it is not a dangerous situation. There are some exceptions, such as with certain medications, or liver or kidney dysfunction. If you know you may be predisposed to low blood sugar, you may need to eat a snack such as a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts or a banana with nut butter.

It’s important to remember that in the non-diabetic community, it is not typically an emergency to raise the glucose level quickly so drinking juice or eating a hard candy is not always necessary and may even lead to the glucose roller coaster effect and more frequent low blood sugars.

One example of low blood sugar in a non-diabetic is reactive hypoglycemia. This occurs when your body notices a high or fast-rising blood sugar level, and releases more insulin than necessary to counteract it. This results in a dip below your baseline. This type of low blood sugar is typically accompanied by symptoms such as sweating, nausea, shakiness, dizziness, or rapid heart rate. A doctor can diagnose this condition using a Mixed Meal Tolerance Test .

Beato Health Coach Madhuparna Pramanick Shares Her Expertise On Maintaining A Normal Blood Sugar Level And The Repercussions Of Low Or High Blood Sugar Levels

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Diabetes management is not an impossible task. You can keep your blood sugar levels under control in several ways. One can avoid exacerbating the issue and lead a healthy and happy life by making the necessary lifestyle and dietary modifications. However, there are instances when no matter how hard you try to keep your blood sugar levels normal, they wind up being too high or too low. Let us try to comprehend what high and low blood sugar levels are, as well as their potential consequences and treatments.

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How Does Blood Sugar Rise:

Blood sugar rises as a result of food, especially carbohydrates, being eaten, broken down, and absorbed into the system. Whenever carbohydrates are eaten they are in complex forms that need to be broken down into simpler more easily usable forms. After they have been broken down they are absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to cells around the body. The more carbohydrates that are eaten at once, especially ones that digest extremely quickly, the higher your blood sugar will go.

This is especially true whenever you eat carbohydrates in isolation. If you do not eat carbohydrates without any fat or protein you will have a massive spike in blood sugar, leading to a massive spike of insulin, and then a rapid and significant dip in blood sugar leading to hypoglycemia and what we talked about above.

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What Is A Dangerous Blood Sugar Reading

What are dangerous blood sugar levels?

The American Diabetes Association recommends fasting blood glucose between 80-130 mg/dL and postprandial blood sugar of no more than 180 mg/dL as healthy targets for people with diabetes.

When you check your blood sugar using a glucometer, a reading of 70 mg/dL or below indicates hypoglycaemia, or low blood glucose.

On the other end of the spectrum, hyperglycaemia occurs when the level of glucose in your blood is too high. According to the World Health Organisation, fasting blood sugar greater than 126 mg/dL , and postprandial blood sugar exceeding 200 mg/dL indicates hyperglycaemia.

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How To Support Healthy Blood Sugar Levels Naturally:

Eating carbohydrates in a balance with the other macronutrients will prevent these rapid shifts in blood sugar levels so you don’t feel like you are on a rollercoaster every time you eat carbohydrates. The key here is balance. Eating carbohydrates in a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio to protein is the best recommendation for helping to support healthy blood sugar levels when you eat.

Exercise is an important part of supporting healthy blood sugar levels. Exercise has been shown to help increase insulin sensitivity and support healthy blood sugar levels even in people withtype 2 diabetes. The best exercise is the exercise you are going to stick to, whether that is resistance training, martial arts, or swimming. Although some forms of exercise are better than others on paper, the best exercise is the one you enjoy the most and will make part of your life.

Sleep is another important area that is typically overlooked when it comes to supporting healthy blood sugar levels. Just one night of poor sleep can begin sending you in an insulin resistant direction. Making sure that you get a good restful 7-9 hours of sleep each night can ensure you are supporting healthy insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation.

How Do I Check For Ketones

There are two ways to check for ketones:

Steps to check for urine ketones:

  • Gather the supplies
  • Urine ketone strips
  • Small paper cup to pee in
  • Timer or watch with a second hand
  • Unscrew the lid and take 1 strip out of the bottle.
  • Screw the lid back on right away to keep them fresh.
  • Step 8 Do not touch the test end of the strip.
    • Dip the test end of the strip into the cup of fresh urine.
    • Take it out right away.
    • Remove extra urine by drawing it along the rim of the cup.
    • Exactly 15 seconds after dipping it in the urine, compare the ketone strip with the color chart on the bottle of ketone strips.
    • If you have ketones, follow these instructions.

    Ketone strip storage

    • Keep ketone strips at room temperature between 59° and 86° F. Keep them out of direct sunlight.
    • Step 8 After opening the first time, write the date on the bottle.
    • Always put the lid back on right away after opening.
    • Do not keep them in the bathroom because the moisture could ruin the strips.
    • Throw the ketone strips away 6 months after first opening if they are not gone.
    • Do not use them after the expiration date. Call your pharmacy for a refill.

    Steps to check for blood ketones:

    • Gather the supplies:
  • Wash and dry your hands.
  • Take the blood ketone strip out of the foil wrapper.
  • Put a test strip into meter and it will turn on.
  • Use a small needle, called a lancet, to poke your finger. Get a drop of blood on your fingertip.
  • In a few seconds, your blood ketone reading will show on the screen of the meter.
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    Tips For Avoiding High And Low Blood Sugars

    Walking the tightrope of a life with diabetes is not easy.

    We need to strive every day to make sure that we dont let our blood sugars go too high or too low, and that can be exhausting.

    Here are some strategies to help keep your blood sugar in balance:

    • Eat similar foods and meals that have predictable carbohydrate counts
    • Cook food at home, so you know all of the ingredients in your meal
    • Keep to a routine, and eat at the same times every day
    • Get enough sleep!
    • Double-check your insulin doses to make sure youre not taking too much, nor too little
    • If youve counted carbohydrates for a meal and dosed insulin for those carbohydrates, eat everything

    Summary Of My Weight Balancing Plan

    What Are Dangerous Blood Glucose Levels?
  • Eat three meals per day with no snacks. Make lunch bigger and relax when you eat.
  • Once this is accomplished and easy, make supper a smaller meal like a soup or salad.
  • Once this is accomplished and easy, make supper earlier , creating at least 13 hours between supper and breakfast.
  • Final step: Continue to make lunch the largest meal of the day and 37 nights a week, skip supper altogether. Drink plenty of water from lunch to breakfast the next day. Continue this for 24 weeks, working on as many no supper days as possible and comfortable.
  • Good luck balancing your blood sugar! You may miss the initial hit that a cup of coffee or candy bar gives you, but you will have newfound sustained energy and clarity of mind. Balancing our blood sugar, whether it is too high or too low, is one of the most important things we can do for our health and longevity.

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    Avoiding High Blood Sugar And Dka

    No matter how well they take care of themselves, people with diabetes will sometimes have high blood sugar levels. But the best way to avoid problems is to keep your blood sugar levels as close to your desired range as possible, which means following your diabetes management plan. Checking your blood sugar levels several times a day will let you know when your blood sugar level is high. Then you can treat it and help prevent DKA from happening.

    High blood sugar levels don’t always cause symptoms, and a person who isn’t testing regularly might be having blood sugar levels high enough to damage the body without even realizing it. Doctors may use the HbA1c test to find out if someone has been having high blood sugar levels over time, even if the person has not had obvious symptoms.

    Here are some other tips for avoiding high blood sugar levels and preventing DKA:

    • Try to eat all your meals and snacks on time and not skip any.
    • Take the right amount of insulin.
    • Check your blood sugar levels regularly and your ketone levels when your diabetes management plan recommends it.
    • Stick to your diabetes management plan.

    Managing Your Diabetes Devices

    If you are using an insulin pump, talk to your diabetes team about how to best manage hyperglycemia. In general, be sure to check your pump first. Make sure all parts are connected and working correctly. Check your bolus history and temporary basal rate. Also check your insulin to make sure it has not expired or gotten too warm.

    If you use a CGM, try not to react to it too often. You might be tempted to give another dose of insulin too soon, before the first one finishes working, which is known as stacking insulin this can cause low blood sugar .

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    The Classic Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar Are Polyuria Polydipsia And Polyphagia

    In plain English, that means excessive urination, excessive thirst, and excessive hunger. Any doctor who hears this trio of complaints will reach for a blood glucose meter. But often, the person experiencing these symptoms doesnt notice them right away. This is partly because they often creep up on a person in a gradual fashion, and partly because the signs and symptoms of high blood glucose arent well known among people who dont have diabetes or dont know they have diabetes.

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    What Is A Dangerous Blood Sugar Reading And What Should You Do About It

    Pin on Diabetes

    How high is high and how low is low find out so that next time you know how to handle an emergency.

    Your blood sugar levels dont stay constant throughout the day. They vary, rising and falling before and after you have a meal, exercise, or take your medication. People who do not have diabetes dont feel the difference very much, as their variations remain within a certain range. But if you have diabetes, you may unexpectedly experience blood glucose levels that are acutely higher or lower than usual, which can be dangerous.It is important for you to be able to recognise the symptoms of high blood sugar hyperglycaemia, and low blood sugar hypoglycaemia, and know how to treat them quickly before they can lead to disastrous complications. The best way to do this is to frequently self-monitor blood glucose levels with a glucometer.

    According to Dr Ketan K Mehta, Consulting Physician, CardioPulmonologist & Diabetologist at Health Harmony, Mumbai, Blood sugar levels are a marker of diabetes complications. Too high or too low levels of blood sugar values are detrimental. An important aspect of managing diabetes is self-monitoring of blood sugar levels. But do more than only monitoring blood sugar levels. Go the extra mile and usesmartphone app-based programmes to keep track of your blood sugar levels and learn to get them under control by managing your diet, activity levels and weight.

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    Setting The Stage For High Blood Sugar

    High blood sugar is the defining characteristic of all types of diabetes. It happens when the body can no longer maintain a normal blood glucose level, either because the pancreas is no longer making enough insulin, or because the bodys cells have become so resistant to insulin that the pancreas cannot keep up, and glucose is accumulating in the bloodstream rather than being moved into the cells.

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    Does Everyone Have Symptoms From Hypoglycemia

    Some people dont have symptoms or dont notice them. Healthcare providers call that situation hypoglycemia unawareness. People with such a challenge arent aware when they need to do something about their blood sugar. Theyre then more likely to have severe episodes and need medical help. People with hypoglycemia unawareness should check their blood sugar more often.

    Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome : When Hyperglycemia Becomes Severe For People With Type 2 Diabetes

    High Blood Sugar Symptoms – 10 Dangers of High Blood Sugar

    Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome is very rare, but you should be aware of it and know how to handle it if it occurs.

    HHNS is when your blood glucose level goes way too highyou become extremely hyperglycemic. HHNS affects people with type 2 diabetes.

    HHNS is most likely to occur when you’re sick, and elderly people are most likely to develop it.

    It starts when your blood glucose level starts to climb: when that happens, your body will try to get rid of all the excess glucose through frequent urination. That dehydrates your body, and you’ll become very thirsty.

    Unfortunately, when you’re sick, it’s sometimes more difficult to rehydrate your body. For example, it might be difficult to keep fluids down.

    When you don’t rehydrate your body, the blood glucose level continues to climb, and it can eventually go so high that it could send you into a coma.

    To avoid hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome, you should keep close watch on your blood glucose level when you’re sick .

    Talk to your health care professional about having a sick-day plan to follow that will help you avoid HHNS.

    You should also be able to quickly recognize the signs and symptoms of HHNS, which include:

    • Extremely high blood glucose level

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    Preventing A Low Blood Sugar Level

    If you have diabetes, you can reduce your chance of getting a low blood sugar level if you:

    • Check your blood sugar level regularly and be aware of the symptoms of a low blood sugar level so you can treat it quickly.
    • Use a continuous glucose monitor or flash monitor to see how your blood sugar levels are changing. Ask your diabetes care team about getting a monitor if you do not already have one.
    • Always carry a sugary snack or drink with you, such as glucose tablets, a carton of fruit juice or some sweets. If you have a glucagon injection kit, always keep it with you.
    • Do not skip meals.
    • Be careful when drinking alcohol. Do not drink large amounts, check your blood sugar level regularly, and eat a carbohydrate snack afterwards.
    • Be careful when exercising eating a carbohydrate snack before exercise can help to reduce the risk of a hypo. If you take some types of diabetes medicine, your doctor may recommend you take a lower dose before or after doing intense exercise.
    • Have a carbohydrate snack, such as toast, if your blood sugar level drops too low while youre asleep .

    If you keep getting a low blood sugar level, talk to your diabetes care team about things you can do to help prevent it.

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    What Causes Hyperglycemia

    A number of things can cause hyperglycemia:

    • If you have type 1, you may not have given yourself enough insulin.
    • If you have type 2, your body may have enough insulin, but it is not as effective as it should be.
    • You ate more than planned or exercised less than planned.
    • You have stress from an illness, such as a cold or flu.
    • You have other stress, such as family conflicts or school or dating problems.
    • You may have experienced the dawn phenomenon .

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