What Blood Sugar Level Requires Insulin

What Are The Different Types Of Insulin

The key to transitioning to insulin is knowing your options. Some people taking insulin need to use both a basal and a prandial insulin each day, while others may only need to use basal insulin. Learn about your options here.

• Basal insulins are designed to be injected once or twice daily to provide a constant background level of insulin throughout the day. Basal insulins help keep blood sugars at a consistent level when you are not eating and through the night but cannot cover carbohydrates eaten for meals or snacks or glucose spikes after meals.

• Some people use other medications, like GLP-1 agonists, to help cover mealtimes. GLP-1/basal combination treatments for people with type 2 diabetes combine basal insulin with GLP-1 agonist medication in one daily injection. This combination can effectively lower glucose levels while reducing weight gain and risk of hypoglycemia . Learn more here.

What Happens If My Blood Glucose Level Becomes Too Low

Sometimes blood glucose levels drop below where they should be, which is called hypoglycemia. For most people with diabetes, the blood glucose level is too low when it is below 70 mg/dL.

Hypoglycemia can be life threatening and needs to be treated right away. Learn more about how to recognize and treat hypoglycemia.

What Is The Difference Between Insulin And Blood Sugar

September 2, 2021 Posted by Dr.Samanthi

The key differencebetween insulin and blood sugar is that insulin is a peptide hormone made by the beta cells of pancreatic islets, while blood sugar is the glucose found in the blood.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the blood sugar or glucose level in the blood is too high. Blood glucose is the primary source of energy to the cells of the body. It comes mainly from the food we eat. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas. This hormone helps glucose from the food to get into the cells of the body to be used for energy. When our body fails to make sufficient amount of insulin, blood glucose level increases, causing diabetes. Therefore, insulin and blood sugar are two important factors to control diabetes in patients.

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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.

Avoid Eating Large Meals

Jess Craven/Stocksy

One way to keep carbs under control is by eating in moderation. I always tell my patients to spread their food out over the day, Weisenberger says. Dont eat small meals to save up for a big dinner. Feeding your body throughout the day helps regulate your blood sugar levels and prevents highs and lows, Crandall Snyder says.

Both Weisenberger and Crandall Snyder say to keep an eye on carbs, even while snacking. Classically, less than 15 g of carbs per snack is a good standard approach, Crandall Snyder says. Thats about whats found in 1 cup of fruit, she says.

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Putting It All Together

Now that you know the how and why behind insulin dosing, lets consider how you may calculate your insulin needs.

Youll usually give yourself an insulin dose around your meals since thats when you take in carbohydrates. You also will typically check your blood sugar to see if youre meeting your premeal target dose.

To calculate your insulin needs:

You may find that if you generally eat about the same amount of carbohydrates each day, you may be able to consistently inject the same amounts of insulin outside of special occasions. It takes time to find out how your body best responds to insulin.

What Blood Sugar Level Is Too High For Gestational Diabetes

If your blood sugar levels are at or above any of the following ranges, they will most likely diagnose you with gestational diabetes: a level of glucose in the blood when fasting that is more than or equivalent to 92 milligrams per deciliter .A glucose level in the blood after one hour that is more than or equivalent to 180 mg/dL.A glucose level in the blood after two hours that is more than or equivalent to 153 mg/dL.

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What Are The Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar

Symptoms of a dangerously high level can include feeling shaky or lightheaded and having blurred vision. You may also have trouble breathing or feel like youre going into shock if the situation gets worse quickly. Emergency treatment as soon as possible involves calling 911, placing an IV in the arm , and administering insulin intravenously until glucose levels drop below 200mg/dL. In non-emergency situations, there are a few things you can try to quickly and safely lower your blood sugar.

Why Do I Need To Take Insulin

All people who have type 1 diabetes and some people who have type 2 diabetes need to take insulin to help control their blood sugar levels. The goal of taking insulin is to keep your blood sugar level in a normal range as much as possible. Keeping blood sugar in check helps you stay healthy. Insulin cant be taken by mouth. It is usually taken by injection . It can also be taken using an insulin pen or an insulin pump.

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Managing Diabetes With Insulin

Injections of insulin can help manage both types of diabetes. The injected insulin acts as a replacement for, or a supplement to, your bodys natural insulin.

People living with type 1 diabetes cant make insulin, so they must inject insulin to control their blood glucose levels.

Many people living with type 2 diabetes can manage their blood glucose levels with lifestyle changes and oral medication. However, if these treatments dont help control glucose levels, people living with type 2 diabetes may also need supplemental insulin.

Too Much Insulin Or Not Enough

High morning blood glucose levels before breakfast can be a puzzle. If you haven’t eaten, why did your blood glucose level go up? There are two common reasons for high before-breakfast blood glucose levels. One relates to hormones that are released in the early part of sleep . The other is from taking too little insulin in the evening. To see which one is the cause, set your alarm to self-monitor around 2 or 3 a.m. for several nights and discuss the results with your health care provider.

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The Dynamic Duo: Partners In Crime

The scope of the havoc on health, as a result of unbalanced insulin and blood sugar levels, can only be underestimated as the clinical community has not realized its full potential on the magnitude debilitating disorders. Low or high blood sugar and insulin levels are associated with medical conditions like:

• cancer
• mental health
• acanthosis nigricans

Treatment For High Blood Sugar Levels

For those with high blood sugar levels, it is vital to keep track of your blood sugars at home on a daily basis. This can be done with a glucose meter. These test monitors are often provided to diabetic patients so that they can manage their blood sugar levels at home everyday. They are available to purchase online if you are non-diabetic but wish to check on your levels regularly for safety.

Diabetic patients can be prescribed medications to help with insulin levels when their blood sugar is high. Those with type 1 diabetes will be prescribed medication which needs to be taken several times daily. This type of diabetes has no cure but can be managed with the right medication.

Those with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes can treat their high blood sugar with a change in diet or exercise. A healthier balanced diet is usually advised and sometimes, insulin medication is also prescribed if the blood sugar level becomes abnormally higher than the high reading for diabetic patients.

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How Can I Treat Low Blood Sugar

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.

Carry supplies for treating low blood sugar with you. If you feel shaky, sweaty, or very hungry or have other symptoms, check your blood sugar. Even if you dont have symptoms but think you may have low blood sugar, check it. If your blood sugar is lower than 70 mg/dL, do one of the following immediately:

• Take four glucose tablets.
• Drink four ounces of fruit juice.
• Drink four ounces of regular soda, not diet soda.
• Eat four pieces of hard candy.

Wait for 15 minutes and then check your blood sugar again. Do one of the above treatments again until your blood sugar is 70 mg/dL or above and eat a snack if your next meal is an hour or more away. If you have problems with low blood sugar, ask your doctor if your treatment plan needs to be changed.

What Special Dietary Instructions Should I Follow

Be sure to follow all exercise and dietary recommendations made by your doctor or dietitian. It is important to eat a healthy diet and to eat about the same amounts of the same kinds of foods at about the same times every day. Skipping or delaying meals or changing the amount or kind of food you eat can cause problems with your blood sugar control.

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Start With These Tips To Lower Blood Sugar Levels

To help you get started on filling your plate with more blood sugar friendly foods that will help lower your blood sugar, start by removing refined sugar, refined grains, and most processed foods from your diet. Processed foods all contain chemicals and refined ingredients that our bodies dont recognize as real nutrients, so our cells never really get what they need and we feel hungry all the time as a result. This also leads to blood sugar swings and spikes that cause insulin to work less efficiently.

What helps insulin work best so that blood sugar stays in a stable place are foods that pack dense amounts of nutrition and contain amino acids , fiber , and healthy fats from real food.

Lets check out some foods that can help lower blood sugar levels by offering us these nutritional benefits, shall we?

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What Types Of Healthcare Professionals Might Be Part Of My Diabetes Treatment Team

Most people with diabetes see their primary healthcare provider first. Your provider might refer you to an endocrinologist/pediatric endocrinologist, a physician who specializes in diabetes care. Other members of your healthcare team may include an ophthalmologist , nephrologist , cardiologist , podiatrist , neurologist , gastroenterologist , registered dietician, nurse practitioners/physician assistants, diabetes educator, pharmacist, personal trainer, social worker, mental health professional, transplant team and others.

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How Do I Check My Blood Glucose Level Why Is This Important

Checking your blood glucose level is important because the results help guide decisions about what to eat, your physical activity and any needed medication and insulin adjustments or additions.

The most common way to check your blood glucose level is with a blood glucose meter. With this test, you prick the side of your finger, apply the drop of blood to a test strip, insert the strip into the meter and the meter will show your glucose level at that moment in time. Your healthcare provider will tell you how often youll need to check your glucose level.

Example #: Carbohydrate Coverage At A Meal

First, you have to calculate the carbohydrate coverage insulin dose using this formula:

CHO insulin dose = Total grams of CHO in the meal ÷ grams of CHO disposed by 1 unit of insulin .

For Example #1, assume:

• You are going to eat 60 grams of carbohydrate for lunch
• Your Insulin: CHO ratio is 1:10

To get the CHO insulin dose, plug the numbers into the formula:

CHO insulin dose =

• The carbohydrate coverage dose is 6 units of rapid acting insulin.
• The high blood sugar correction dose is 2 units of rapid acting insulin.

Now, add the two doses together to calculate your total meal dose.

Carbohydrate coverage dose + high sugar correction dose = 8 units total meal dose!

The total lunch insulin dose is 8 units of rapid acting insulin.

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Is 160 Blood Sugar High In Pregnancy

A blood sugar level of 160 is considered abnormal during any of the three trimesters of pregnancy.You need to carry out an OGTT for 0 hours, 1 hours, and 2 hours using 75 grams of glucose, in addition to a HbA1c test.If your OGTT result is 0 hours and 92 minutes or more, 1 hour and 180 minutes or more, or 2 hours and 153 minutes or more.If any of the readings come back abnormal, you will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes .

Can You Raise Blood Sugar Without Food

Two products glucose gel and chewable glucose tablets are also effective at quickly raising blood sugar. Theyre available without a prescription and are recommended for people who experience frequent episodes of low blood sugar.

If youve had severe low blood sugar symptoms in the past, speak with your doctor about whether a glucagon kit is right for you. Glucagon is a hormone that triggers your liver to release glucose into the bloodstream.

These kits are only available by prescription. Theyre used to raise your blood sugar when youre not able to eat or drink, such as in a state of unconsciousness. Therefore, someone else, like a friend or family member, typically administers this medication for you.

An episode of low blood sugar that necessitates assistance from another person is by definition severe hypoglycemia. The kits come with a syringe and needle that can be used to inject glucagon into your arm, thigh, or buttocks.

Be sure to ask your doctor when and how to use a glucagon kit. Also, let your family and friends know how to use it and how to recognize a hypoglycemic emergency.

There are many different factors that can cause a dip in your blood sugar levels. Here are some of the most common causes.

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The Ada Guidelines For Blood Glucose Control Are:

*Hemoglobin is a measure of your average blood glucose control over the previous 3 months. Think of the A1c as a long-term blood glucose measure that changes very gradually.

Of course, these are general standards for everyone with diabetes both type 1 as well as type 2. Ask your diabetes team for personalized goals and blood sugar monitoring schedules.

For example:

When you have type 1 diabetes you are treated with insulin replacement therapy. The goal is to replace the insulin in the right amount and at the right time. Sometimes, more insulin than needed is taken and this will cause hypoglycemia.

To minimize this risk, many providers will recommend that individuals treated with insulin target a pre-meal blood sugar of 90-130 mg/dl and post meal blood sugar of less than 180 mg/dl.

Also, if you are experiencing a lot of hypoglycemia or have hypoglycemic unawareness your provider may suggest you target higher blood sugar levels.

In contrast, pregnant women or women thinking about getting pregnant will have lower blood glucose targets.

GET SMART ABOUT YOUR BLOOD SUGAR. CHECK IT REGULARLY!