Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar In Diabetics

Easy Breakfast Ideas For Type 2 Diabetes

Make breakfast a no-brainer. These simple ideas will help keep your blood sugar steady and get you on with your day in no time.

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For many people, breakfast is the most neglected meal of the day. But if you have type 2 diabetes, breakfast is a must, and eating this meal can have real benefits for your health. Breakfast is especially important for someone who has diabetes, because it helps control blood sugar for the rest of the day, says Rahaf Al Bochi, RDN, CDCES, an Atlanta-based spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the owner of Olive Tree Nutrition.

, agrees that its a crucial meal when youre managing diabetes. Its important for people with diabetes to keep in mind that the first meal of the day sets the tone for how theyll feel as the day progresses, says Stefanski, also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a certified diabetes care and education specialist in York, Pennsylvania.

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On the other hand, choosing a breakfast that isnt balanced wont do your blood sugar any favors. As an example, a sugary cereal paired with a plant milk or coffee with a lot of sugar has very little protein or fat, and blood sugar will immediately begin rising, says Stefanski.

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Signs & Symptoms Of Hyperglycemia

The symptoms of hyperglycemia are similar to those that happen when someone is diagnosed with diabetes, such as:

• Frequent urination: The kidneys respond to high levels of glucose in the bloodstream by flushing out the extra glucose in urine . A child with diabetes who has hyperglycemia may need to pee more often and in larger volumes.
• Extreme thirst: Kids with hyperglycemia who lose a lot of fluid from urinating often become very thirsty and may drink a lot in an attempt to prevent dehydration.
• Weight loss despite increased appetite: Without enough insulin to help the body use glucose, the body breaks down muscle and stored fat in an attempt to provide fuel to hungry cells.
• Fatigue: Because the body canât use glucose for energy properly, kids with hyperglycemia may be unusually tired.

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Planning For Sick Days

Your body releases stress hormones when you are sick, which can cause hyperglycemia. Keep taking your insulin and other diabetes medications, even if you are throwing up. If you have ketones and your blood sugar is above 240 mg/dL, call your doctor. They might also want you to call if:

• You have diarrhea that lasts more than 6 hours
• You are throwing up
• You have a high fever or trouble breathing
• You feel very sleepy or confused

Continue checking your blood sugar levels and keep track of the results.

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What Are Normal Blood Sugar Levels In Healthy Individuals

Blood sugar levels can either be normal, high, or low, depending on how much glucose someone has in their bloodstream. Glucose is a simple sugar thats present in the bloodstream at all times. Blood glucose levels can be measured at any time, for example, when someone fasts , before they eat, or after theyve eaten. A normal blood glucose level for adults, without diabetes, who havent eaten for at least eight hours is less than 100 mg/dL. A normal blood glucose level for adults, without diabetes, two hours after eating, is 90 to 110 mg/dL.

Many factors affect blood sugar levels throughout the day:

• Type of food consumed, how much, and when
• Physical activity
• Menstrual periods

An ideal blood sugar level for anyone without diabetes or prediabetes, regardless of age, in the morning should be less than 100 mg/dL. Remember, blood sugar levels can fluctuate throughout the day as a result of the factors previously mentioned.

You Notice Tingling And Numbness In Your Hands Or Feet

As mentioned, uncontrolled blood sugar can cause nerve damage, also known as diabetic neuropathy. What you may notice is a tingling sensation or even numbness in your hands and feet. Some people experience pain in their hands and feet as well. Though neuropathy is most common in people who have had diabetes for a long time, it can occur in anyone with poorly controlled diabetes.

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How To Prevent It

If you work to keep your blood sugar under control — follow your meal plan, exercise program, and medicine schedule — you shouldnât have to worry about hyperglycemia. You can also:

• Know your diet — count the total amounts of carbs in each meal and snack.
• Test your blood sugar regularly.
• Tell your doctor if you have repeated abnormal blood sugar readings.
• Wear medical identification to let people know you have diabetes in case of an emergency.

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Symptoms In Children And Teens

Type 2 diabetes is more likely to appear after the age of 45 years, but it can affect children and teens who:

• have excess weight

• slow healing of cuts or wounds
• numbness or tingling in hands and feet

If caregivers notice these symptoms, they should take the child to see a doctor. These are also symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Type 1 is less common but more likely to affect children and teenagers than adults. However, type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in young people than it was in the past.

Learn more here about how diabetes affects children and teens and how to spot the symptoms early.

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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.

Postoperative And Rehabilitation Care

Hyperglycemia is common postoperatively. High blood sugars postoperatively are associated with higher perioperative complications so the target blood sugars should be kept around 140-180 mg/dL. Multiple teams take care of postoperative patients during their hospital stay, thereby needing a multidisciplinary team to create and follow protocols to treat hyperglycemia and decrease perioperative and postoperative complications.

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Youre Getting Yeast Infections More Often Than Usual

Hyperglycemia may lead you to get more frequent genital yeast infections. The culprit is often a type of yeast known as Candida albicans, per the ADA. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in females the symptoms can include: vaginal itching, redness or soreness pain during sexual intercourse pain or discomfort during urination and thick, abnormal vaginal discharge. While yeast infections are common in people who dont have diabetes, having more glucose in your blood puts you at higher risk of getting them. The yeast feeds off the glucose, and if your blood sugar is high theres more glucose in the urinary tract, explains Bandukwala. Uncircumcised men with hyperglycemia are also at risk, he says.

Were also seeing this happen a little more now with patients who take SGLT-2 inhibitors, which force the body to expel more glucose through the urine, the endocrinologist adds. The FDA has added a warning to the prescribing information for SGLT-2 inhibitors about a far more rare and potentially fatal genital condition, known as necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum, or Fourniers gangrene .

What Is A Blood Sugar Spike

A blood sugar spike happens when glucose builds up in the bloodstream and your blood sugar levels increase. This may happen after eating.

Its important to know the early symptoms of high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Early testing and treatment can help prevent more severe symptoms.

Early signs of high blood sugar can include:

• feeling thirsty
• having a very dry mouth
• urinating frequently
• having blurred vision

If you suspect that you have high blood sugar, you can perform a finger stick to check your level.

Exercising and drinking water after eating, particularly if youve consumed a lot of starchy carbs, can help lower your blood sugar.

You can also use an insulin injection, but be careful to only use this method while closely following the recommendation of a doctor regarding your dose. If used improperly, insulin can cause hypoglycemia .

If your blood sugar stays elevated for too long, you may develop diabetic ketoacidosis.

If high blood sugar levels go untreated for too long, glucose will build up in your bloodstream and your cells will be starved for fuel. Your cells will use fat for fuel instead.

When your cells use fat instead of glucose, the process produces a byproduct called ketones:

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Reflect On The Amount Of Sugar In Your Diet

Hyperglycemia occurs when there is too much glucose in the blood.

• Low carb in type 1 diabetes improves glucose level variability, new study shows

Therefore, one way of reducing your blood glucose levels is reflecting on where sugar may be consumed in the diet. Think about any refined and processed foods that may be in your diet as these are often high in sugar. This can be achieved through a low carbohydrate diet.

How Do You Treat Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia treatment involves medication to lower blood glucose levels. Doctors prescribe various oral medicines to accomplish this in people with . Insulin is necessary for people with and sometimes for people with type 2 diabetes.

When blood sugar levels are dangerously high, treatment in the hospital is necessary. Doctors use IV fluids, electrolytes and insulin to safely lower blood glucose to a normal range.

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How Can I Pay For Tests And Diabetes Supplies

Medicareexternal icon, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans pay for the A1C test and fasting blood sugar test as well as some diabetes supplies. Check your plan or ask your health care team for help finding low-cost or free supplies, and see How to Save Money on Diabetes Care for more resources.

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.

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How Is Diabetes Diagnosed

The fasting blood glucose test is the preferred way to diagnose diabetes. It is easy to perform and convenient. After the person has fasted overnight , a single sample of blood is drawn and sent to the laboratory for analysis. This can also be done accurately in a doctors office using a glucose meter.

• Normal fasting plasma glucose levels are less than 100 milligrams per deciliter .
• Fasting plasma glucose levels of more than 126 mg/dl on two or more tests on different days indicate diabetes.
• A random blood glucose test can also be used to diagnose diabetes. A blood glucose level of 200 mg/dl or higher indicates diabetes.

When fasting blood glucose stays above 100mg/dl, but in the range of 100-126mg/dl, this is known as impaired fasting glucose . While patients with IFG or prediabetes do not have the diagnosis of diabetes, this condition carries with it its own risks and concerns, and is addressed elsewhere.

The oral glucose tolerance test

For the test to give reliable results:

• The person must be in good health .
• The person should be normally active , and
• The person should not be taking medicines that could affect the blood glucose.
• The morning of the test, the person should not smoke or drink coffee.

Evaluating the results of the oral glucose tolerance test

Glucose tolerance tests may lead to one of the following diagnoses:

People Who Are Frail Or Have Medical Problems

In older people, hypoglycemia may be less obvious than in younger people. Confusion caused by hypoglycemia may be mistaken for dementia Dementia Dementia is a slow, progressive decline in mental function including memory, thinking, judgment, and the ability to learn. Typically, symptoms include memory loss, problems using language and read more or the sedative effect of medications. Also, people who have difficulty communicating and symptoms that read more or as a result of dementia) may not be able to let anyone know they are having symptoms.

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Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes symptoms often take several years to develop. Some people dont notice any symptoms at all. Type 2 diabetes usually starts when youre an adult, though more and more children and teens are developing it. Because symptoms are hard to spot, its important to know the risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Make sure to visit your doctor if you have any of them.

Mushroom Freezer Breakfast Burritos

Natalie Rizzo

Craving a breakfast burrito? Youre in luck. Not only is this a.m. favorite simple to whip up, but it has all the makings of a diabetes-friendly breakfast. This mushroom breakfast burrito is full of protein and fiber, two nutrients that contribute to blood sugar control, says Natalie Rizzo, RDN, of Nutrition a la Natalie, in New York City.

Youll get 20 g of protein from the eggs and cheese, says Rizzo, plus the recipe has 4 g of fiber. The mushrooms provide you with other nutrients, like vitamin D and B vitamins, per Rizzo and the USDA. According to the NIH, vitamin D helps regulate mood, promotes bone health, and may even boost immunity. Meanwhile, B vitamins have a variety of functions, from helping generate red blood cells and form brain and nerve cells, to protecting the heart and supporting healthy pregnancies, notes Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The combination of eggs, mushrooms, and goat cheese creates a savory, umami taste that will make you crave this breakfast burrito every day, Rizzo says.

The best part? Make a batch ahead of time and stick them in the freezer for a quick microwaveable healthy breakfast on the go, she says. Each burrito has 28 g of carbs.

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What Does High Blood Sugar Feels Like

• You may be wondering what having high blood sugar feels like. You may find the following:
• You feel thirstier than usual
• You may need to urinate more frequently
• You have an increased appetite and feel hungrier
• Your vision becomes blurrier
• Your hands and feet may start to tingle
• You might also feel more tired than usual, get infections on your skin, or notice that cuts and sores take a long time to heal.

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

• 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:

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