What Number Is Too High For Blood Sugar

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:

• abdominal pain
• unconsciousness

Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome

This mostly affects elderly people. As glucose builds up in your blood, your body tries to get rid of it through your urine.

At first, you pee a lot. Over time, you pee less, but when you do, itâs very dark. This condition can lead to dehydration, coma, and death.

Get medical help right away if you have any of these warning signs:

• Blood sugar level over 600 mg/dL
• Extreme thirst that may later go away
• Warm, dry skin that doesnât sweat
• Fever over 101 F

Surprising Things That Can Spike Your Blood Sugar

When you first found out you had diabetes, you tested your blood sugar often to understand how food, activity, stress, and illness could affect your blood sugar levels. By now, youve got it figured out for the most part. But thenbam! Something makes your blood sugar zoom up. You try to adjust it with food or activity or insulin, and it dips really low. Youre on a rollercoaster no one with diabetes wants to ride.

Do you know all of these blood sugar triggers?

Knowledge is power! Look out for these surprising triggers that can send your blood sugar soaring:

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What High Blood Sugar Feels Like

The symptoms can include:

• Breath that smells like fruit
• Confusion

These are symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis . Your body burns glucose for energy. When your cells donât get enough of it, they burn fat. That produces chemicals called ketones. When these build up, your blood becomes more acid-like. This can be life-threatening if itâs not treated.

Why Your Blood Sugar Level May Be Low

If blood sugar drops below 70 mg/dL, it is below normal levels. This can be caused by a variety of factors, such as:

• Not eating enough or missing a meal or snack
• Reducing the amount of carbohydrates you normally eat
• Alcohol consumption especially if youre drinking on an empty stomach
• Taking too much insulin or oral diabetes medication based on carbohydrates or activity levels
• Increased physical activity
• Side effects from medications

If you have diabetes, keep your blood glucose meter and sources of fast-acting glucose close by in case your blood sugar drops. This is especially important for people with hypoglycemia unawareness, which is a condition that causes symptoms of low blood sugar to go unnoticed.

Eating balanced meals and snacks at regular times throughout the day is a big part of maintaining normal blood glucose levels. Check out our article on meal planning for diabetes to better understand the three macronutrients where calories come from and which have the biggest effect on blood sugar.

Meal Planning for Diabetes: How to Optimize Your Diet >

Everyone will respond differently to certain factors, which is why its important to have individualized target glucose levels. To help you reach your target blood glucose goals, work with your healthcare provider to discuss modifications to your diet, physical activity, or medications, and alert them of other factors like a recent illness or stressful event.

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What Are The Dangerously High Blood Sugar Levels

Normally, in a diabetic, blood sugar levels will always stay high. During stress, more sugar is added to your blood, which then, turn to become dangerous.

This is because your body will find it hard to bring them normal again.

Furthermore, persistent high blood glucose level will cause many problems to all your body cells.

NORMAL or DANGEROUS & nbsp& #160Type Your Blood sugar Level: & nbsp& #160

What Are The Dangerous Levels For Blood Sugar What Is A Dangerously High Blood Sugar Level How Low A Blood Glucose Reading Is Dangerous

I understand that all the above questions are huge problems for the diabetic mind and health. Dont worry. Relax.

Remember: stress is your enemy in your fight against diabetes. Why?

During stress, your body produces some hormones that increase the blood sugar levels, and at the same time, they inhibit the insulin function.

As a consequence, youll have high blood sugar levels, which will help you face your stress situation.

On the other hand, these levels can reach the highest peak , and then, they are considered as dangerous high blood glucose level.

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How Can I Prevent Low Blood Sugar

Your best bet is to practice good diabetes management and learn to detect hypoglycemia so you can treat it earlybefore it gets worse.

Monitoring blood sugar, with either a meter or a CGM, is the tried and true method for preventing hypoglycemia. Studies consistently show that the more a person checks blood sugar, the lower his or her risk of hypoglycemia. This is because you can see when blood sugar levels are dropping and can treat it before it gets too low.

If you can, check often!

• Check before and after meals.
• Check before and after exercise .
• Check before bed.
• After intense exercise, also check in the middle of the night.
• Check more if things around you change such as, a new insulin routine, a different work schedule, an increase in physical activity, or travel across time zones.

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.

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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.

Maintain A Healthy Weight

Losing weight helps control blood sugar levels. Being overweight is linked to increased incidents of diabetes and greater occurrences of insulin resistance.

Studies show that reducing weight by even only 7 percent can reduce the chances of developing diabetes by 58 percent.

It is important to note that a person does not need to achieve ideal body weight to benefit from losing 1020 pounds and keeping it off. Doing so will also improve cholesterol, reduce the risk of complications, and improve a persons general sense of well-being.

Eating a healthful diet full of fruits and vegetables and getting enough exercise can help a person lose weight or maintain their currently healthy weight.

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If You Regularly Have High Blood Sugar Levels

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.

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.

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American Diabetes Association Diet Plan Food Recommendation

The following foods are considered to be most helpful for diabetics:

• All kinds of beans green and black beans, pinto beans and navy beans. Beans are full of protein and energy. One half cup of beans contains equal protein to that in an ounce of meat.
• Berries raspberries, blueberries and strawberries are full of antioxidants, vitamins and fibers.
• Whole grains avoid flours that are processed too much and instead go for the less processed forms like whole wheat and whole grain options.

Tomatoes are good antioxidants and are very versatile since you can simply eat them as they are, peel or slice them, and even add them as toppings in your food. These are rich in iron, Vitamin C and E, and are good for your heart as well.

The bottom-line.

Monitoring your blood sugar levels alongside exercise and diet can help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Other strategies that can help prevent high blood sugar include:

• taking the amount of insulin prescribed by your doctor if you have type 1 diabetes,

High Blood Sugar Prevention

• Learn about managing diabetes.
• Work with a certified diabetes educator. This person will have a CDE certification and may work in a diabetes education center or hospital.
• Check blood sugar as directed by a CDE and doctor or nurse.
• Know the symptoms and act quickly before blood sugars get out of control.
• Follow a diabetes diet plan. Adjust the plan as needed.
• Take medications for diabetes as directed by your healthcare professional.
• Exercise daily.

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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.

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:

• Being sweaty

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Fasting Plasma Glucose Test

A fasting plasma glucose test is taken after at least eight hours of fasting and is therefore usually taken in the morning.

The NICE guidelines regard a fasting plasma glucose result of 5.5 to 6.9 mmol/l as putting someone at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly when accompanied by other risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

Eating Too Much Sugar Causes Diabetes

It’s a myth that simply eating too much sugar causes diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is genetic, and it is unknown what triggers the disease, while type 2 diabetes is a combination of genetics and lifestyle. Where sugar enters the equation is that being overweight is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, and a diet high in calories and sugar can contribute to weight gain. Research has shown that drinking sugary drinks is linked to developing type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages including regular soda, fruit punch, fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, sweet tea, and other sugary drinks, to help prevent diabetes. Sugary drinks such as these raise blood sugar and can contain several hundred calories per serving!

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Which Is More Common

Type 2 diabetes makes up about 90% of cases of all diabetes, making it far more common than type 1 diabetes. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States as of 2013, with 75,578 death certificates listing it as the underlying cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control .

High Blood Sugar Treatment

• Medication change: High blood sugars may be a sign that the person with diabetes needs to take medication, to change medications, or to change the way it is given .
• Other illness: Other illnesses need to be diagnosed and treated if an illness is causing high blood sugar levels. Infection or illness may need to be treated in the hospital, where health professionals can adjust the plan of care.
• Other Medications: A number of medications are available to help control blood sugar levels for people with type 2 diabetes. Insulin is also prescribed for people with diabetes .

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Focus On Eating The Correct Diet For Diabetics

The correct diet for a diabetic is low sugar items and items with high dietary fiber. This should be discussed with your doctor as he can give you the best information.

Avoid foods that are high in fat and refrain from consuming alcohol, because alcohol stays in the bloodstream and its action mimics that of blood sugar. Youre going to need to cut down on the salt intake as well.

What Are The Symptoms Of Hyperglycemia

Its especially important to know the early signs of hyperglycemia if you have type 1 diabetes. If hyperglycemia is left untreated in people with type 1 diabetes, it can develop into ketoacidosis, where ketones, which are toxic acids, build up in the blood. This condition is an emergency situation that can lead to coma or death.

Early symptoms of hyperglycemia include:

• High blood sugar.

• Unusual fruity smell on the breath.
• Deep labored breathing or hyperventilation.
• Rapid heartbeat.

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How Are High Blood Sugar Levels Treated

To treat high blood sugar, it helps to know what is causing it. You might need to take more insulin or diabetes pills because youre growing and eating more food, or you might need to get more exercise each day.

Having high blood sugar levels every once in a while isnt a big deal. It happens to everyone with diabetes from time to time. But if your blood sugar levels are high a lot, your diabetes health care team will have to help you figure out how to get them back to a healthy level.

High Blood Sugar Symptoms: Causes Signs And Taking Control

If youve had diabetes for any length of time at all, youve probably seen lists of the signs and symptoms of high blood sugar dozens of times. Doctors and diabetes educators hand them out. Hundreds of websites reprint them. Most diabetes books list them. You likely know some of the items on the list by heart: thirst, frequent urination, blurry vision, slow healing of cuts, and more.

But have you ever stopped to wonder why these symptoms occur? How does high blood sugar cause frequent urination, make your vision go blurry, or cause all of those other things to happen? Here are some answers to explain whats going on in your body when you have high blood sugar.

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