What Happens When Blood Sugar Is High

Headaches And Difficulty Concentrating

Acute hyperglycemia can cause headaches and difficulty concentrating in a fashion similar to polyphagia in which starving cells send out hunger signals because they cant access the glucose circulating in the blood.

Your brain is the biggest glucose hog around. If you dont believe it, consider that while the brain represents about 2 percent of your body weight, it devours fully 25 percent of the glucose you consume. And when brain cells have difficulty getting the fuel they need, they function poorly. This can cause problems with thinking, reasoning, and remembering, difficulty staying focused on tasks, and headaches.

Chronic high blood glucose can also lead to headaches, but by a different route. These headaches are often related to various types of nerve damage. Examples include occipital neuropathy, or damage to the optic nerve from elevated glucose levels, and a variety of diabetic mononeuropathies, which can affect specific cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, or nerve roots all of which can lead to headaches of varying intensities.

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

• Pancreatic diseases such as pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and cystic fibrosis.
• Certain medications .
• Gestational diabetes, which happens in 4% of pregnancies, and is due to decreased insulin sensitivity.
• Surgery or trauma.

The Blood Sugar Level Regulation Mechanism

When you eat rice, bread, or any other typical food high in carbohydrates, it is digested by the stomach and small intestine, where it is absorbed into the blood as glucose. Figure 1 shows how it is absorbed into the body.

When glucose enters the bloodstream, insulin facilitates its uptake into the body’s cells. When an excess of glucose is ingested, insulin over secretion occurs. Insulin increases the biosynthesis of fat and suppresses its breakdown. Thus, it becomes easier for fat to accumulate in body tissues.

Blood sugar level will not drop if the sugar in the blood is not properly processed due to, for example, too little insulin being secreted, or resistance to the action of insulin. If blood sugar levels have not decreased several hours after eating on a regular basis, this indicates a susceptibility to diabetes. To avoid this and stay healthy, we should eat types of foods that will not cause a sudden, extreme rise in blood sugar levels.

What is BMI?

What is a healthy blood sugar level

• Fasting blood sugar level 99mg/dL
• Postprandial blood sugar level 7.8mmol/L

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Youre Developing Blisters Dryness Or Other Skin Changes

Small pieces of extra skin, called skin tags, may form in the creases of skin, especially if you have diabetes and youre trying to find ways to manage your weight, notes the ADA. Dark, thick areas of soft skin may form on the back of the neck or hands, armpits, face, or other areas. These can be a sign of insulin resistance, Zanini says. Blisters, infections, dryness, itchiness, discolorations, and abnormalities of the skin can all be warning signs of high blood sugar. Check with your doctor if these skin changes develop.

How To Test For Ketones

You can use a urine test strip or blood ketone meter and ketone test strip to test for ketones at home. Testing either urine or blood is important, but when possible, a blood test is preferred because it gives you and your care team more precise information about your ketone levels. Because urine may have been in the bladder for some time, the results from these tests may show levels that are either higher or lower than the ketone levels that are actually circulating in your body. It is also very important to know that urine test trips degrade over time, so if you are using this method, you need to look at expiration dates carefully.

Your diabetes care team can give you specific directions about when you should check for ketones, but in general, you should check for them when your blood glucose is 240 mg/dL or higher. You should also check for ketones if you notice any of the DKA symptoms listed above or if you are sick it is possible to have ketones while your blood glucose levels are within range .

At-home urine test strips will change color to show the level of ketones in the urine. They typically report results as negative, trace, small, moderate or large. Blood ketone meters will provide a number that indicates the ketone levels. The following ranges are generally used:

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This Is Done Because Blood Pressure Is The Primary Indicator

These routine screenings check for everything from liver function to hig. When this happens, itâs called a blood clot. Most of us have experienced having our blood pressure taken, as itâs standard practice in virtually every medical providerâs office, from an optometrist to a general practitioner. Your blood needs to keep flowing through your veins and arteries. If your blood pressure is very high, your doctor may want you to start taking blood press. When youâre diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor will likely help you adopt a new health regimen to improve your diet and start exercising. Also known simply as blood sugar, blood glucose provides the fuel your body needs to power the brain, heart and muscles. For people with diabetes, routinely monitoring your blood sugar can be the key to feeling well and functioning normally. Left untreated, high blood sugar can be life threatening, leading to a diabetic coma. When you go for your yearly physical and sometimes when you have a regular doctorâs appointment, your healthcare provider may order certain tests, such as blood tests. A beginnerâs guide to fear, fatigue, and the fraternity of boxing d. When it comes to maintaining your health, your blood glucose level is one of the most important readings in your body. The blood clots that form at the site of an injury usually break down after th.

Can High Levels And Dka Be Prevented

These two problems dont sound like much fun, so youre probably wondering how to prevent them. The solution is to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible, which means following your diabetes management plan. Checking your blood sugar levels several times a day will let you and your parents know when your blood sugar level is high. Then you can treat it and help prevent DKA from happening.

What else can you do? Wear a medical identification bracelet that says you have diabetes. Then, if you are not feeling well, whoevers helping you even if the person doesnt know you will know to call for medical help. And the doctors will be able to get you better more quickly if they know you have diabetes. These bracelets also can include your doctors phone number or a parents phone number. The quicker you get the help you need, the sooner youll be feeling better!

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MDDate reviewed: June 2013

Note: All information on KidsHealth is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.

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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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Can Sugar Cause High Blood Pressure

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Causes Of High Blood Sugar

The leading causes of high blood sugar or hyperglycemia include:

Diet: Glucose comes from food, so what you are eating causes high blood sugar. Carbohydrates are the most common culprit as they are broken down into glucose very quickly in the body. High-sugar foods, high-fat foods, and processed foods also cause blood glucose spikes and should be replaced with healthier options.

Stress: When you are stressed, more stress hormones and chemicals are released, which drives blood sugar levels up too. If the stress is only temporary, this is not a serious issue, but if you experience chronic stress or an anxiety disorder, you may experience high blood sugar levels more often.

Metabolic Syndrome: These are a collection of conditions that occur at the same time and increase your risk for type 2 diabetes. High blood pressures, excess fat around the waist, and high cholesterol or triglycerides are examples of these conditions. When these occur in the body together, your risk for diabetes increases as does your blood sugar and the risk for potential complications.

Physical Inactivity: A lack of physical activity contributes to elevated blood sugar. When you are physically active each day, insulin works more efficiently, and your blood sugar can be maintained.

What Causes High Blood Sugar

A variety of things can trigger an increase in blood sugar level in people with diabetes, including:

• missing a dose of your diabetes medicine or taking an incorrect dose
• overtreating an episode of low blood sugar
• taking certain medicines, such as steroids

Occasional episodes of hyperglycaemia can also occur in children and young adults during growth spurts.

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Great Bedtime Snacks For People Living With Diabetes

For some people, a healthy bedtime snack helps to prevent glucose swings during the night. By eating a small snack that is full of protein and healthy fats , your body may be better able to avoid an overnight high but if you take insulin, be sure to cover the carbohydrates in your snack even if it only requires a small dose of insulin.

Here are some snack ideas:

• Plain nuts or seeds try eating a small handful

• Raw vegetables, such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, or tomatoes, with a small amount of hummus or peanut butter

• Plain yogurt, and you can add berries or cinnamon

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 Do You Feel When Your Blood Sugar Is Too High

Here are some of the complaints that you may feel when your blood sugar is too high,

• Headache and body aches

• Loss of consciousness, coma or a seizure
• Difficulty in concentration

These symptoms can go on for a while till some food containing sugar is given. If this continues for long without any intake of sugar or any carbs, the condition can worsen and the blood sugar levels may further drop down, leading to complications. Very low blood sugar level can be a medical emergency too, which is why it is very important to be aware of the symptoms coming up because without an immediate treatment the patient can faint, may experience a seizure, or can even go into a coma.

Both the high and the low blood sugar level can lead to an emergency, and therefore knowledge of how do you feel when your blood sugar is too high or low is very necessary. Early you come up with a solution faster the condition can be eased and the complication can be avoided.

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How To Control Blood Sugar Level:

Maintaining blood sugar is very important in order to live a healthy and disease-free life. For diabetes patients, the doctrine of the three Ds is the best possible method to keep blood glucose under check. These three Ds are Dose, Diet and Discipline.

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Make Physical Activity Part Of Your Daily Routine

Set a goal to be more physically active. Try to work up to 30 minutes or more of physical activity on most days of the week.

Brisk walking and swimming are good ways to move more. If you are not active now, ask your health care team about the types and amounts of physical activity that are right for you. Learn more about being physically active with diabetes.

Following your meal plan and being more active can help you stay at or get to a healthy weight. If you are overweight or obese, work with your health care team to create a weight-loss plan that is right for you.

How Can I Prepare For Pregnancy If I Have Diabetes

If you have diabetes, keeping your blood glucose as close to normal as possible before and during your pregnancy is important to stay healthy and have a healthy baby. Getting checkups before and during pregnancy, following your diabetes meal plan, being physically active as your health care team advises, and taking diabetes medicines if you need to will help you manage your diabetes. Stopping smoking and taking vitamins as your doctor advises also can help you and your baby stay healthy.

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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

Why Does Exercise Sometimes Raise Blood Glucose

Exercise is essential for everyoneespecially for people with diabetes. Being active most days of the week keeps you healthy by reducing long-term health risks, improving insulin sensitivity, and enhancing mood and overall quality of life. Most of the time, working out causes blood glucose to dip. But some people, after certain types of exercise, notice that their glucose levels actually rise during or after exercise. Fear not! There are steps you can take to avoid this.

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Low Blood Glucose: Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia can occur when blood glucose drops below normal levels or drops too quickly. Your blood glucose level is too low if it is under 70 mg/dL.

Hypoglycemia can be caused by:

• A combination of these factors
• Being more active than usual
• Drinking alcohol
• Eating at the wrong time for the medications you take
• Skipping or not finishing meals or snacks
• Taking too much diabetes medication

You can have hypoglycemia without any symptoms. That makes it important to check your blood glucose levels regularly. When hypoglycemia does cause symptoms, they can include: