Experiencing excessive blood sugar sometimes is a part of life in case you reside with diabetes.
Nonetheless, many individuals have no idea what excessive blood sugar truly looks like, typically till glucose levels are dangerously high.
This text will discover the indicators and signs of excessive blood sugar, what it looks like when it’s excessive, and what you are able to do to shortly carry it down.
What’s a excessive blood sugar stage?
What is taken into account excessive blood sugar will fluctuate from individual to individual, however usually, any fasting blood sugar over 125 mg/dL is taken into account diabetic.
Most individuals with diabetes will start to really feel the symptoms of high blood sugar between 180-200 mg/dL.
Blood sugars over 200 mg/dL ought to be handled with insulin.
Any blood sugar over 250 mg/dL requires a urine test for ketones to rule out diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
DKA is a harmful acute complication of diabetes that may be deadly if not handled shortly.
What are the signs of excessive blood sugar?
Signs additionally might fluctuate from individual to individual.
Early signs of excessive blood sugar embrace:
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent urination
- Dry mouth
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Achy muscular tissues
- Slight adjustments to imaginative and prescient
Signs of extended excessive blood sugar embrace:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Blurry imaginative and prescient/adjustments to imaginative and prescient
- Fruity-smelling breath
- Confusion
- Weight reduction
- Flushed face
- Coma
If left untreated, extended excessive blood sugar can result in DKA, the place the physique turns into dehydrated, electrolytes develop into unbalanced, and the blood turns into acidic.
On this state, it may be very troublesome to decrease blood sugar ranges.
It requires emergency medical help to carry blood sugars down slowly and safely to keep away from issues and demise.
What are the indicators that you could have persistent excessive blood sugar?
In different circumstances, individuals with diabetes might undergo from persistent excessive blood sugar ranges.
You could have blood sugar ranges which can be outdoors of the vary of regular, however not fairly excessive sufficient to be thought of a medical emergency.
Generally persistent, moderately-high blood sugar ranges don’t have detectable signs.
This may be the case in prediabetes and even LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults), which has a slower onset.
Moreover, many individuals with kind 2 diabetes who are usually not but on insulin might battle for years with higher-than-normal blood sugar ranges.
This will not be detected in the event that they’re not regularly testing their blood sugar ranges.
Over the long run, reasonably excessive blood sugar ranges can result in diabetes issues reminiscent of blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, coronary heart assaults, and strokes.
It could even result in lower-leg amputations and untimely demise.
Preserve these indicators of persistent, moderately-high blood sugar ranges in thoughts:
- Swollen/bleeding gums
- Sluggish-healing wounds
- Yeast infections
- Dry pores and skin/blisters
- Tingling and numbness within the palms and toes
Contact your physician in case you are at excessive threat for prediabetes or diabetes and have been battling any of the aforementioned signs for 2 or extra weeks with out reduction.
It’s possible you’ll wish to be examined for diabetes, or you’ll be able to even purchase a glucometer over-the-counter at your native pharmacy and take a look at your blood sugar at residence.
What does excessive blood sugar really feel like?
Excessive blood sugar might be described as having a full-body ache, an unquenchable thirst, and a splitting headache.
Generally signs can hit shortly, whereas different signs might take longer to develop.
Some individuals develop dry eyes and simply really feel wrung out.
Individuals really feel the necessity to urinate regularly, which dehydrates them, and repeats the cycle of thirst and polyuria.
If that is left untreated for a number of weeks, individuals begin losing a few pounds quickly, and their imaginative and prescient blurs.
Some individuals develop into extraordinarily fatigued and torpid, creating flu-like signs.
Many signs will start to dissipate as soon as blood sugar levels come back down to a normal range.
Whereas your blood sugar stage is excessive, bear in mind to take insulin (in case you’re prescribed it), and keep hydrated by ingesting loads of water to assist stop dehydration.
Contact your physician in case your blood sugar doesn’t go beneath 250 mg/dL and you’ve got average to excessive ranges of ketones for a number of hours or extra, regardless of therapy.
How are you going to carry excessive blood sugar down shortly?
Taking insulin is the quickest option to carry your blood sugar down in case you have been identified with insulin-dependent diabetes. By no means take insulin if it isn’t prescribed to you.
Moreover, in case you’re experiencing insulin resistance and excessive blood sugar (as a consequence of hormonal adjustments or a fatty meal you’ve not too long ago eaten) be sure to drink loads of water.
Lastly, getting just a little train may also help decrease blood sugars quicker. Even only a 15-20 minute stroll or bike trip may also help.
Learn extra: How to Bring High Blood Sugar Down Quickly
Do all individuals really feel excessive blood sugar ranges?
No. Identical to not all individuals really feel low blood sugars (hypo-unawareness) both.
Your physique will develop into used to a blood sugar vary.
In case your blood sugars sometimes run increased, it’s possible you’ll not really feel a 200 mg/dL blood sugar stage like somebody who often retains their blood sugars round 80 mg/dL.
This is the reason it’s so necessary to check your blood sugar often with both a glucometer or a continuous glucose monitor (CGM).
Attempt to monitor and deal with excessive blood sugars earlier than they develop into insulin resistant and harmful.
Moreover, of people that have prediabetes, more than 80% don’t even know they’ve the situation.
It is because blood sugar ranges are increased than regular, however not excessive sufficient to represent a diabetes analysis.
Oftentimes, reasonably excessive blood sugar ranges are troublesome to detect, even when they’re doing harm to the physique.
What are the indicators that my blood sugar is dangerously excessive?
All the time take a look at your blood sugar with a glucometer in case you suspect you’ve gotten dangerously excessive blood sugar.
In case your blood sugar is over 250 mg/dL, take a look at for ketones.
You probably have each excessive blood sugar and ketones, it’s worthwhile to be additional vigilant about getting your blood sugar down so you don’t develop DKA.
Name your physician or 911 immediately in case you are vomiting, expertise blurry imaginative and prescient or adjustments to your imaginative and prescient, have fruity-smelling breath, or develop into confused and disoriented.
How lengthy does it take to really feel higher after a excessive blood sugar?
Most individuals really feel higher from acute excessive blood sugars inside a couple of hours.
Generally individuals might be side-lined from excessive blood sugar for the higher a part of a day.
Nonetheless, signs normally go away shortly after blood sugar ranges come again all the way down to a traditional vary.
In case your blood sugar has been excessive for a very long time (days or even weeks), and also you’re experiencing ketones, it could take you numerous longer to really feel higher—particularly in case you’ve been hospitalized.
Throughout a hospital keep, docs will rehydrate you and assist rebalance electrolytes.
It could take a couple of weeks to get better from excessive blood sugar ranges that depart you hospitalized or in DKA.
Can ingesting a lot of water carry down your blood sugar?
Consuming water alone is not going to carry down blood sugar ranges.
Should you take insulin, solely insulin can carry them down.
Nonetheless, in case you’ve taken insulin, staying hydrated by ingesting water may also help carry down blood sugars quicker than in case you’re dehydrated.
Dehydration may result in insulin resistance, which might make bringing down blood sugar ranges a gradual and cussed course of.
Water can help in decreasing blood sugar ranges within the following approach: when your blood sugar is excessive, your physique will try to flush the surplus glucose out of your blood via your urine.
That’s the reason frequent urination is a typical symptom of excessive blood sugar.
Consuming additional water can help your kidneys in serving to to flush out a number of the additional glucose from the blood into the urine.
