Is High Blood Sugar Bad

Do You Think You Cant Afford Healthy Food

The No. 1 thing I often hear is its just too costly to eat healthy with diabetes, Nunlee-Bland says. But she says there are ways to follow a balanced diet on a budget.

For example:

• Eat dried beans for protein and fiber
• Choose frozen or canned fruits and vegetables
• Buy in-season produce
• Plan your meals ahead of time

Prep meals on the weekends, Nunlee-Brand suggests. That helps keep you on track for the week ahead.

You dont have to give up all your favorite foods. Ask a dietitian for tips. They can help you plan your meals so you can enjoy some of the things that you like to eat, she says.

How Do I Treat Hyperglycemia

You can often lower your blood glucose level by exercising. However, if your blood glucose is above 240 mg/dl, check your urine for ketones. If you have ketones, do not exercise.

Exercising when ketones are present may make your blood glucose level go even higher. You’ll need to work with your doctor to find the safest way for you to lower your blood glucose level.

Cutting down on the amount of food you eat might also help. Work with your dietitian to make changes in your meal plan. If exercise and changes in your diet don’t work, your doctor may change the amount of your medication or insulin or possibly the timing of when you take it.

What Are Risk Factors For Hyperglycemia

Major risk factors for hyperglycemia are:

• You have a family history of type 2 diabetes.
• You are African American, Native American, Hispanic or Asian American.
• You are overweight.
• You have high blood pressure or cholesterol.
• You have polycystic ovarian syndrome .
• You have a history of gestational diabetes.

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The Danger Of Low Blood Sugar

Low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, can become a lot more dangerous more quickly. Hypoglycemia, if left untreated, can quickly result in diabetic coma and death.

Low blood sugars will not lead to permanent complications in most cases but cause frequent, short-term complications in the form of being physically unable to function when experiencing a low. They require fast-acting glucose as treatment.

Symptoms of low blood sugar can hit different people at different times, and some people may not feel their low blood sugars at all , which can be very dangerous.

Continuous glucose monitoring systems and diabetes alert dogs can help people detect their lows earlier, before they become extremely dangerous.

Hypo unawareness occurs in about 40% of people with type 1 diabetes, and less frequently in people with type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, one study showed that the average person with type 1 diabetes experiences two episodes of low blood sugar per week!

Low blood sugars can happen for many reasons, all of which result from too much insulin in the bloodstream and not enough glucose for the body to function properly.

Reasons can be anything from taking too much insulin for food, to accidentally over-bolusing with an insulin pump, to not finishing a meal, to drinking alcohol in excess, or even after physical exertion and exercise while not reducing basal insulin settings appropriately.

Are High Levels Of Blood Sugar Dangerous

Yes, high blood sugar levels can be dangerous. Although high blood sugar levels commonly produce symptoms of excessive urination, excessive thirst and hunger, and weight loss, over time these high blood sugar levels can cause

• lower-extremity paresthesias and/or loss of feeling,

Low blood sugar levels begin at 70 mg/dL or less.

• People with diabetes who take too much medication or take their usual amount but then eat less or exercise more than usual can develop hypoglycemia. Although much rarer, hypoglycemia may develop in some people without diabetes when they take someone elses medication, have excessive alcohol consumption, or have hepatitis or a rare tumor of the pancreas .
• The treatment for hypoglycemia is oral glucose intake (15.0 grams of sugar, for example, 1 tablespoon of sugar, honey, corn syrup, or IV fluids containing glucose. Rechecking your blood sugar levels in about 15 minutes after the treatment is advised.

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What Causes High Blood Sugar Levels

Managing diabetes is like a three-way balancing act because you have to watch:

All three need to be balanced. If any one of these is off, blood sugar levels can be too. In general, higher than normal blood glucose levels can be caused by:

• not taking your diabetes medicine when you’re supposed to or not taking the right amounts
• not following the meal plan
• not getting enough exercise
• having an illness, like the flu
• taking other kinds of medicines that affect how your diabetes medicines work

A single high blood sugar reading usually isn’t cause for alarm it happens to everyone with diabetes from time to time. But if you have high blood sugar levels a lot, let your parents and your diabetes health care team know. Insulin or meal plans may need adjusting, or you may have an equipment issue, like an insulin pump that isn’t working right. Whatever the case, make sure you get help so you can get your blood sugar levels back under control.

Can Drinking A Lot Of Water Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels

Although feeling very thirsty is a symptom of a hyper, drinking a lot of water will not bring your blood sugar levels down. It will only help to reduce your risk of dehydration.

Its important that you take your diabetes medication to bring your blood sugar levels down. If you have consistently high blood sugar levels, you will need to follow the advice below and speak to your diabetes healthcare team.

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What Are Normal Blood Sugar Levels

They’re less than 100 mg/dL after not eating for at least 8 hours. And they’re less than 140 mg/dL 2 hours after eating.

During the day, levels tend to be at their lowest just before meals. For most people without diabetes, blood sugar levels before meals hover around 70 to 80 mg/dL. For some people, 60 is normal for others, 90.

What’s a low sugar level? It varies widely, too. Many people’s glucose won’t ever fall below 60, even with prolonged fasting. When you diet or fast, the liver keeps your levels normal by turning fat and muscle into sugar. A few people’s levels may fall somewhat lower.

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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High Blood Sugar Causes

You may be thinking that hyperglycemia can happen just from eating a super-sugary food, but its not really as simple as that. Sure, eating a lot of sugar or carbs can elevate your blood sugar level, but thats typically when your pancreas kicks into gear and creates insulin to move that glucose into cells throughout the body.

But when someone has diabetes, this finely tuned system gets thrown out of whack. In type 2 diabeteswhich accounts for 90% to 95% of diabetes in adults, according to the CDCthe body either cant make enough insulin or cant utilize insulin well, according to the NIDDK. If someone has prediabetes, their blood glucose will be higher than normal but not quite in the type 2 diabetes range yet, per the NIDDK. And in type 1 diabetes, the body does not make insulin or makes very little.

In any case, the result is extra sugar hanging around the bloodstream, making you feel like total crap in the short term and putting your health at risk in the long term.

What To Do About High Blood Sugar

This was a situation that could have been totally avoided had he just done something about it. That means three things:

Lets go into some more detail here.

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

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

Problem : High Fibrogen

This leads to our second reason why high blood sugar is bad for you: high fibrogen.

When your blood glucose is high, youre going to have high levels of fibrogen. Thats what gives you something called sticky blood. When your blood is sticky, you can get a bunch of problems, including:

• Clots in the arteries, which can create a stroke
• Hardening of the arteries
• High blood pressure because your arteries are losing elasticity
• Loss of vision because your retina is destroyed

From there, you can also develop cirrhosis of the liver, fatty liver, and even vision loss.

I had this guy come in one day, and I had him lay on the table so I could check him. He told me that his hands and his legs were completely dead every time he laid flat. In fact, he said that they were so numb he couldnt even feel them.

But he wasnt too concerned about this symptom because, when he sat up, he could just tap his extremities and they would come back to life.

So I asked him about his diet. It turns out that he was eating a huge stack of pancakes every morning with an entire glass of syrup. And that was just his breakfast.

The point here is that he was consuming massive amounts of sugar every single day. As a result, his blood glucose levels were elevated and he was prediabetic. The problem, though, is that he wasnt even interested in changing his diet or addressing this blood sugar issue – he just wanted some relief in his back.

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What Is Blood Glucose Monitoring

People use blood glucose monitoring to regularly test glucose levels in the blood.

It is an essential part of effective diabetes control. Many people with diabetes must check several times each day to plan for activities and meals, as well as scheduling doses of medication or insulin.

A person can test their blood glucose levels with a glucometer. They usually come with lancets, or tiny needles, as well as test strips and a logbook to record results.

Put Your Shoes By The Door

Make it easy to slip them on, so you arenât tempted to go outside barefoot. Make sure your slippers or house shoes are handy, too. Even indoors, you need to protect your feet. Before you put your shoes on, check to make sure thereâs nothing in them that you arenât expecting, like a pebble that could nick your skin. You can also change shoes during the day to relieve pressure spots on your feet.

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The Danger Of High Blood Sugar

Having a high blood sugar means there is too much sugar in the blood because the body is lacking in insulin. This can happen for many reasons, including not taking enough insulin exogenously, too little exercise, eating too much, or even stress, hormonal changes, or lack of sleep.

High blood sugar is dangerous, but its important to remember that high blood sugar is mostly dangerous over prolonged periods of time .

This means that, for the most part, your blood sugar at diagnosis will not cause long-term complications, and the spike you saw last week from eating an ice cream sundae wont impact you over the long term.

But chronic, prolonged high blood sugars will cause diabetes complications in most people.

What Is Diabetic Ketoacidosis

When the body doesn’t have enough insulin, glucose stays in the blood and can’t get into the body’s cells to be used for energy. This can happen, for example, when someone skips doses of insulin or when the need for insulin suddenly increases and the doses are not adjusted.

When the body can’t use glucose for fuel, it starts to use fat. When this happens, chemicals called ketones are released into the blood. Some of these ketones, like extra glucose, pass out of the body through the urine.

High levels of ketones in the blood can be a problem because they cause the blood to become acidic. Too much acid in the blood throws off the body’s chemical balance and causes the symptoms listed below. In people with diabetes, this problem is called diabetic , or DKA. DKA is a very serious condition that can lead to coma or death if it’s not treated. The good news, though, is that it’s preventable and can be treated.

DKA happens more often in people with type 1 diabetes, but can sometimes also happen to those with type 2 diabetes.

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What Causes Blood Sugar To Be High

Many things can cause high blood sugar , including being sick, being stressed, eating more than planned, and not giving yourself enough insulin. Over time, high blood sugar can lead to long-term, serious health problems. Symptoms of high blood sugar include:

• Feeling very tired.
• Having blurry vision.
• Needing to urinate more often.

If you get sick, your blood sugar can be hard to manage. You may not be able to eat or drink as much as usual, which can affect blood sugar levels. If youre ill and your blood sugar is 240 mg/dL or above, use an over-the-counter ketone test kit to check your urine for ketones and call your doctor if your ketones are high. High ketones can be an early sign of diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a medical emergency and needs to be treated immediately.

Carbohydrates And Blood Sugar

When people eat a food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which enters the blood.

• As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage.
• As cells absorb blood sugar, levels in the bloodstream begin to fall.
• When this happens, the pancreas start making glucagon, a hormone that signals the liver to start releasing stored sugar.
• This interplay of insulin and glucagon ensure that cells throughout the body, and especially in the brain, have a steady supply of blood sugar.

Carbohydrate metabolism is important in the development of type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body cant make enough insulin or cant properly use the insulin it makes.

• Type 2 diabetes usually develops gradually over a number of years, beginning when muscle and other cells stop responding to insulin. This condition, known as insulin resistance, causes blood sugar and insulin levels to stay high long after eating. Over time, the heavy demands made on the insulin-making cells wears them out, and insulin production eventually stops.

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Causes Related To Lifestyle

Physical inactivity

Exercising prompts your body to burn more energy than usual, and, as a result, consume more glucose. Maintaining a low level of physical activity, on the other hand, means more glucose will remain in the bloodstream. This raises your overall blood glucose values in the process.

Exercise also makes our body more insulin sensitive, which means we will require less insulin for the rest of the day to control glucose levels.

Stress

Part of the bodyâs fight-or-flight response to stress is to produce additional glucose. Another facet of that response is an increase in the hormone cortisol. High cortisol can reduce the bodyâs sensitivity to insulin. As a result, blood glucose levels may also increase.

Poor sleep

A lack of quality sleep can inhibit how much insulin your body can release. It can also cause the production of cortisol, which makes it harder for insulin to work. When your bodyâs insulin cannot properly metabolize the glucose in your blood, the glucose remains there and your glucose levels rise.

How Is Hyperglycaemia Treated

If you experience hyperglycaemia regularly, speak to your doctor or diabetes care team. You may need to change your treatment or lifestyle to keep your blood glucose levels within a healthy range.

You may be advised to:

• adjust the foods you eat eg, avoid foods such as cakes or sugary drinks
• drink plenty of sugar-free fluids to help keep you well hydrated
• exercise more often even gentle, regular exercise such as walking can lower your blood sugar level
• if you use insulin, adjust your dose your healthcare team can give you specific advice about how to do this.

You may also be advised to monitor your blood glucose level more closely or test your blood or urine for substances called ketones .

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