Experiencing excessive blood sugar now and again is a part of life when you dwell with diabetes.
Nonetheless, many individuals have no idea what excessive blood sugar truly seems like, typically till glucose ranges are dangerously excessive.
This text will discover the indicators and signs of excessive blood sugar, what it seems like when it’s excessive, and what you are able to do to rapidly carry it down.
What’s a excessive blood sugar stage?
What is taken into account excessive blood sugar will range 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 signs of excessive blood sugar between 180-200 mg/dL.
Blood sugars over 200 mg/dL must be handled with insulin.
Any blood sugar over 250 mg/dL requires a urine take a look at for ketones to rule out diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
DKA is a harmful acute complication of diabetes that may be deadly if not handled rapidly.
What are the signs of excessive blood sugar?
Signs additionally could range from individual to individual.
Early signs of excessive blood sugar embody:
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent urination
- Dry mouth
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Achy muscle tissues
- Slight modifications to imaginative and prescient
Signs of extended excessive blood sugar embody:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Blurry imaginative and prescient/modifications 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 turn out to be 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 dying.
What are the indicators that you’ll have continual excessive blood sugar?
In different circumstances, individuals with diabetes could undergo from continual 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-about a medical emergency.
Typically continual, moderately-high blood sugar ranges shouldn’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 sort 2 diabetes who aren’t but on insulin could wrestle for years with higher-than-normal blood sugar ranges.
This might not be detected in the event that they’re not incessantly testing their blood sugar ranges.
Over the long run, reasonably excessive blood sugar ranges can result in diabetes issues equivalent to blindness, kidney failure, coronary heart illness, coronary heart assaults, and strokes.
It might even result in lower-leg amputations and untimely dying.
Hold these indicators of continual, 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 arms and toes
Contact your physician if you’re at excessive danger for prediabetes or diabetes and have been fighting any of the aforementioned signs for 2 or extra weeks with out aid.
You might 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 dwelling.
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.
Typically signs can hit rapidly, whereas different signs could take longer to develop.
Some individuals develop dry eyes and simply really feel wrung out.
Folks really feel the necessity to urinate incessantly, which dehydrates them, and repeats the cycle of thirst and polyuria.
If that is left untreated for a number of weeks, individuals begin shedding pounds quickly, and their imaginative and prescient blurs.
Some individuals turn out to be extraordinarily fatigued and torpid, creating flu-like signs.
Many signs will start to dissipate as soon as blood sugar ranges come again right down to a traditional vary.
Whereas your blood sugar stage is excessive, keep in mind to take insulin (when you’re prescribed it), and keep hydrated by consuming 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 remedy.
How are you going to carry excessive blood sugar down rapidly?
Taking insulin is the quickest strategy to carry your blood sugar down when you’ve got been identified with insulin-dependent diabetes. By no means take insulin if it isn’t prescribed to you.
Moreover, when you’re experiencing insulin resistance and excessive blood sugar (because of hormonal modifications or a fatty meal you’ve not too long ago eaten) be certain to drink loads of water.
Lastly, getting a bit of train will help decrease blood sugars sooner. Even only a 15-20 minute stroll or bike experience will help.
Learn extra: How one can Carry Excessive Blood Sugar Down Shortly
Do all individuals really feel excessive blood sugar ranges?
No. Similar to not all individuals really feel low blood sugars (hypo-unawareness) both.
Your physique will turn out to be used to a blood sugar vary.
In case your blood sugars sometimes run increased, you could not really feel a 200 mg/dL blood sugar stage like somebody who frequently retains their blood sugars round 80 mg/dL.
For this reason it’s so vital to check your blood sugar frequently with both a glucometer or a steady glucose monitor (CGM).
Attempt to observe and deal with excessive blood sugars earlier than they turn out to be insulin resistant and harmful.
Moreover, of people that have prediabetes, greater 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 prognosis.
Oftentimes, reasonably excessive blood sugar ranges are troublesome to detect, even when they’re doing injury to the physique.
What are the indicators that my blood sugar is dangerously excessive?
At all times take a look at your blood sugar with a glucometer when you suspect you have got dangerously excessive blood sugar.
In case your blood sugar is over 250 mg/dL, take a look at for ketones.
If in case you have each excessive blood sugar and ketones, you want to be additional vigilant about getting your blood sugar down so you don’t develop DKA.
Name your physician or 911 immediately if you’re vomiting, expertise blurry imaginative and prescient or modifications to your imaginative and prescient, have fruity-smelling breath, or turn out to be 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 number of hours.
Typically individuals might be side-lined from excessive blood sugar for the higher a part of a day.
Nonetheless, signs often go away rapidly after blood sugar ranges come again right 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 might take you numerous longer to really feel higher—particularly when you’ve been hospitalized.
Throughout a hospital keep, docs will rehydrate you and assist rebalance electrolytes.
It might take a number of weeks to recuperate from excessive blood sugar ranges that depart you hospitalized or in DKA.
Can consuming a lot of water carry down your blood sugar?
Consuming water alone won’t carry down blood sugar ranges.
When you take insulin, solely insulin can carry them down.
Nonetheless, when you’ve taken insulin, staying hydrated by consuming water will help carry down blood sugars sooner than when you’re dehydrated.
Dehydration also can result in insulin resistance, which may make bringing down blood sugar ranges a gradual and cussed course of.
Water can help in decreasing blood sugar ranges within the following method: when your blood sugar is excessive, your physique will attempt to flush the surplus glucose out of your blood by way of your urine.
That’s the reason frequent urination is a standard symptom of excessive blood sugar.
Consuming additional water can help your kidneys in serving to to flush out among the additional glucose from the blood into the urine.
