Thursday, March 28, 2024

Signs Of Blood Sugar Too High

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Risk Factors For Prediabetes And Diabetes

7 Alarming Signs Your Blood Sugar Is Too High

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 its 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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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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Broccoli Or Broccoli Sprouts

Sulforaphane is a sulfur-containing compound naturally found in cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli and broccoli sprouts. Sulforaphane can help lower blood sugar by increasing glucose uptake from the bloodstream by regulating signaling proteins that control liver cells and their response to insulin.

Liver cells produce ceramides, fatty lipid molecules that can cause insulin resistance. Sulforaphane has been shown to block an enzyme involved in the synthesis of ceramides. By inhibiting this gene, sulforaphane can decrease ceramide levels and improve insulin sensitivity by decreasing insulin resistance. When insulin sensitivity is increased, the body has an improved ability to release insulin when blood sugar is high to bring levels back down.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli also contain glucosinolates, sulfur, and nitrogen compounds that can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce glucose levels in the blood.

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How Is It Treated

If you have diabetes and notice any of the early signs of high blood sugar, test your blood sugar and call the doctor. They may ask you for the results of several readings. They could recommend the following changes:

Drink more water. Water helps remove excess sugar from your blood through urine, and it helps you avoid dehydration.

Exercise more. Working out can help lower your blood sugar. But under certain conditions, it can make blood sugar go even higher. Ask your doctor what kind of exercise is right for you.

Caution: If you have type 1 diabetes and your blood sugar is high, you need to check your urine for ketones. When you have ketones, do NOT exercise. If you have type 2 diabetes and your blood sugar is high, you must also be sure that you have no ketones in your urine and that you are well-hydrated. Then your doctor might give you the OK to exercise with caution as long as you feel up to it.

Change your eating habits. You may need to meet with a dietitian to change the amount and types of foods you eat.

Switch medications. Your doctor may change the amount, timing, or type of diabetes medications you take. Donât make changes without talking to them first.

If you have type 1 diabetes and your blood sugar is more than 250 mg/dL, your doctor may want you to test your urine or blood for ketones.

If You Regularly Have High Blood Sugar Levels

11 Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar That Is Really Worrying ~ Healthcopia

Having high blood sugar levels regularly is not something you should live with. This is because in the long-term it can increase your risk of developing diabetes complications, such as neuropathy and retinopathy.

If you notice that your blood sugar levels are often high, you should contact your diabetes healthcare team. They will review your treatment and provide you with advice on how to get your blood sugar levels back within your target range. This advice may include increasing your medication.

In the video below, Lynsey talks to Khalida about feeling anxious after getting a high blood sugar level reading. If youre finding it hard to deal with similar feelings, weve got information on emotional health that you may find helpful.

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Tingling Numbness Or Pain In The Hands Or Feet

High blood sugar levels can affect blood circulation and damage the bodys nerves. In people with type 2 diabetes, this can lead to pain or a sensation of tingling or numbness in the hands and feet.

This condition is known as neuropathy, and it can worsen over time and lead to more serious complications if a person does not get treatment for their diabetes.

Different Types Of Diabetes

Diabetes is characterised by the bodys inability to use glucose. There are different types of diabetes including:

  • Type I diabetes due to a lack of insulin
  • Type 2 diabetes due to a complex mix of insulin not working properly and insufficient insulin
  • Gestational diabetes a form of diabetes that some women develop during their pregnancy. Pregnancy blocks the action of insulin and can bring out a tendency to diabetes. Mothers with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of developing diabetes in subsequent pregnancies and in later life.

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Diabetes Sign: Youre Exhausted

Fatigue is a classic side effect of dehydration. So if youre peeing more often and are thirstier than usual, you might find yourself feeling weirdly wiped out, explains Elizabeth Halprin, M.D., clinical director of adult diabetes at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

You might feel zonked even if youre still going to bed and waking up at your usual time. Getting up multiple times throughout the nightsay, if you need to pee interrupts your sleep, too, Dr. Halprin says. As a result, you end up getting less snooze time than you think.

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What Is High Blood Sugar

10 Alarming Signs Your Blood Sugar Is Too High

High blood sugar occurs when theres a buildup of excess glucose in the bloodstream. This is more often a concern for someone with diabetes than it is for someone without it. Our bodies are typically pretty great at keeping our blood sugar in perfect balance, Deena Adimoolam, M.D., assistant professor of endocrinology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, tells SELF. But in some situations, like when a person has diabetes, high blood sugar can happen.

Blood sugar is measured in milligrams per deciliter , and a fasting blood sugar of greater than 125 mg/dL is considered hyperglycemic, the Cleveland Clinic says. A person can also be considered to have hyperglycemia if their blood glucose level is higher than 180 mg/dL one to two hours after eating, the Cleveland Clinic says.

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What Is Too High For Blood Sugar

Diabetes, a common high blood sugar condition, can affect anyone millions of people affected with this metabolic syndrome in the United States. So what is too high blood sugar, when the level is considered as diabetes? And what are safe blood sugar level ranges for non-diabetics and diabetics?

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High Blood Sugar And Covid

Diabetes has been shown to be a major risk factor for serious cases of COVID-19studies show high blood sugar levels are correlated with worse health outcomes. “One main takeaway from this work is that the association between diabetes and COVID-19 outcomes is largely mediated by high inflammation in the body, as assessed by suPAR levels,” says Alexi Vasbinder, PhD, RN. “According to the study, participants with diabetes had 20.7% higher suPAR levels than those without diabetes. However, the impact of hyperglycemia is independent of inflammation which means no matter what a patient’s suPAR levels indicate, having high blood sugar levels or high insulin doses will also result in more serious COVID-19 illness.”

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What Causes Hyperglycemia In People With Diabetes

  • The dose of insulin or oral diabetes medication that you are taking is not the most helpful dose for your needs.
  • Your body isnt using your natural insulin effectively .
  • The amount of carbohydrates you are eating or drinking is not balanced with the amount of insulin your body is able to make or the amount of insulin you inject.
  • You are less active than usual.
  • Physical stress is affecting you.
  • Emotional stress is affecting you.
  • You are taking steroids for another condition.
  • The dawn phenomenon is affecting you.

Other possible causes

Causes Of High Blood Sugar

11 Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar That Is Really Worrying ~ Healthcopia

Common causes of high blood sugar in people with diabetes include:

  • eating too much sugary or starchy food
  • being less active than usual
  • missing doses of diabetes medicine

You can also get high blood sugar if your diabetes medicine is not working well, you’re taking certain medicines or you recently had an operation.

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Diabetes Sign: You Have Weird Patches On Your Skin

Too-high blood sugar levels can damage your blood vessels, including the blood vessels that sit directly under your skin, explains Dr. Fuhrman. That damage can lead to shiny or scaly reddish brown patches on your skinespecially on your lower legs. The patches are usually itchy, and they can even be painful.

You might also notice dark, velvety patches in the folds of your skinparticularly in the armpits, groin, or neck. Excess blood sugar can cause your skin cells to reproduce faster than normal. The new cells have more pigment, which can lead to dark patches, Dr. Fuhrman says. They patches probably wont hurt, but they might itch or even smell bad.

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You Feel Hunger And Sugar Cravings

People with high blood glucose are likely to experience hunger and sugar cravings. This can occur despite regular food intake and snacking and is not necessarily related to stress or emotional eating. In the setting of high blood glucose levels, especially if levels are high in a sustained manner, a person may develop insulin resistance. Insulin is critical in glucose regulation and when the body tissues do not respond to insulin well , the glucose is not able to effectively enter cells and the body perceives that glucose is not available.

The body responds to this by creating signals which activate hunger centers in the brain and increase appetite . If a person with high blood sugar feels increased hunger they may eat food and again because the glucose doesn’t enter cells, the hunger signals continue.

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The Dangers Of Low Blood Glucose

At some time, most people with diabetes experience the sweating and shakiness that occurs when blood glucose levels fall below 70 mg/dl a condition known as hypoglycemia. The average person with type 1 diabetes may experience symptoms of low blood glucose up to two times a week. However, not all are aware that these symptoms can rapidly progress to seizures, coma and even death if hypoglycemia is severe. Though hypoglycemia can be common and occur repeatedly in some people with diabetes, symptoms of low blood glucose should always be taken seriously. People with diabetes and their families, friends or coworkers should be prepared to act quickly and responsibly at the earliest signs of low blood glucose.

How Can I Prevent Low Blood Glucose

16 Signs Of High Blood Sugar Levels That You Need To Know

All people with diabetes:

  • If you experience low blood glucose often, ask your doctor if setting a higher goal for your A1C level may be appropriate.
  • Ask your doctor to look at the test results from your home blood glucose monitor. These results reveal how often you have low blood glucose and when these episodes occur. Your doctor will look for patterns to see if low glucose happens after exercise or at certain times of day, for example.
  • If you’ve had low blood glucose in the past, consider wearing a medical alert bracelet so that others will know that you have diabetes in the event of an emergency.
  • Keep a fast-acting carbohydrate in your bag, desk drawer, car and other places for easy access. Good options include hard candy, fruit juice or glucose paste or tablets, which can be purchased at most pharmacies.
  • Ask your doctor for an emergency glucagon kit. This kit contains a fast- acting medication that can be injected in case of loss of consciousness because of low blood glucose. Keep one kit at home and one at work or school.
  • Monitor your blood glucose regularly so that low levels can be corrected before symptoms progress.

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A Few Final Notes On Keeping Blood Sugar Stable

Taking an active, intentional approach to your blood sugar levels is crucial to your quality of life and overall health, ONeill says. Avoiding too-high or too-low blood sugar levels will help you avoid adverse symptoms and health complications, and staying within your target range can enable you to feel your best and do whatever you want to do in life, she says.

Test your blood sugar regularly, listen to your body, and dont ever hesitate to reach out to your doctor.

Additional reporting by Karen Appold.

What Are Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar

When blood sugar levels are high, most people will feel thirsty and feel a need to urinate more often.

Symptoms of high blood sugar include:

  • Increased thirst
  • Adjust the amount of insulin used or the timing of when its taken
  • Surgery, for cases that do not respond to medications
  • Bariatric surgery to promote weight loss in obese patients
  • Artificial pancreas, to replace the use of insulin injections and pumps and the need for manual testing of glucose levels
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    Diabetes Sign: Youre Crazy Thirsty

    Peeing more often means that your body is getting rid of more water than usual, which puts you at risk for dehydration, says Dr. Furhman.

    That can leave you feeling thirsty and cotton-mouthed, even if it seems like youre drinking the same amount of water as always. Plus, since youre drinking more, that will also make you pee more, too.

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    Signs That May Indicate You Are At Risk For Diabetes

    7 Sneaky Signs Your Blood Sugar May Be Too High â Healthy Habits

    **This article is a repost of an earlier written article. We are reposting because we believe the information is valuable and pertinent to many.**

    According to the CDC, over 9% of Americans are living with diabetes. This illness is becoming increasingly common, with 1.5 million Americans being diagnosed with diabetes every year.

    There are some serious complications that can come with having high blood sugar such as heart failure and stroke. However, diabetes can be managed with prescription medication, diet, and exercise to help you live a normal, healthy life.

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    Microvascular Damage Of Eyes Kidneys Toes Etc

    Microvascular damage is defined as damage to small blood vessels, and its a common consequence of high blood sugar. Evidence confirms that acute hyperglycemia causes microvascular damage and leads to poor functional recovery, especially in patients who have sustained myocardial infarction.

    For example, numbers show that more than 661,000 Americans have kidney failure, but high blood pressure and diabetes are the most common risk factors for this serious health problem. Almost half of the patients with chronic kidney disease have diabetes. This isnt such a surprise if we bear in mind that poor glycemic control is associated with microvascular disease development.

    High blood sugar damages nerves and interferes with their ability to send signals, which causes diabetic neuropathy. Damage of this kind usually affects eyes, kidneys, toes, and other parts of a patients body.

    Youre Hungrier Than Usual But Losing Weight

    Many people with uncontrolled high blood sugar find that theyre hungrier than usual, which signals a symptom called polyphagia, MedlinePlus notes. And although youre eating more, you may be losing weight for no apparent reason if your blood sugar levels are too high, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Since your body is not getting energy from the preferred source, glucose, it has to turn to muscle and fat, Zanini explains. When your body starts breaking down muscle and fat for energy, you experience unintentional and unhealthy weight loss. In addition to these changes in weight and appetite, you may notice weakness in your muscles and experience more frequent falls, Emanuele adds.

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