High Blood Glucose - Do You Know What to Do?

High Blood Glucose - Do You Know What to Do?

Having blood glucose go high is a constant problem for many people with diabetes. A single episode may not be cause for alarm. If you are having consistently high sugar, do your best to get it under control as soon as possible

Hyperglycemia, commonly called high blood sugar is a major contributing factor to the many horrible complications of diabetes. The closer to normal you can maintain your sugars the less likely you are to have major complications such as kidney disease, blindness, amputations, heart disease and others. That is why it is so important to make changes it you have consistently high sugar readings.

How Do I know if I have a Blood Glucose High?

The best way to find out if your blood sugar is high is to test. Regular testing with a glucometer will give you information on your sugar levels. You will know for sure if your sugar is too high. Some diabetics think they can tell by the way they are feeling. This may not be the case, so be sure to consistently check your sugar.

Symptoms of high sugar are frequent urination, constant thirst, and dry mouth. If more severe symptoms are present such as shortness of breath, breath that smells fruity, nausea and vomiting, and a very dry mouth it is possible you have ketoacidosis.

Ketoacidosis is a result of not enough insulin to allow the body to use the glucose for energy. The body begins to burn fats for energy. The fat burning produces ketones.

Your body cannot tolerate a large amount of ketones. It attempts to get rid of them through your urine. If enough are present, your body may not be able to get rid of them and ketoacidosis will result.

Ketoacidosis can be life threatening and therefore requires immediate treatment. Hugh sugars are caused because there is not enough insulin present or the body is not effectively using the insulin to facilitate proper metabolism of the food you eat.

If your readings are consistently high, it is time to take action to correct your hyperglycemia. Identifying the cause is one of the quickest ways to cure the problem.

What Are The Causes?

There are many possible causes of high sugar. You may have eaten too much, for your body to handle. If this is the cause of your high sugars, try to eat less or see your dietitian for help with planning your meals and snacks.

Certain medications can raise blood sugars. Always ask a physician before taking a prescribed medication, if the medication may cause hyperglycemia.

Finally, if you are on insulin or taking diabetes medications, you may require an adjustment to help cover your high blood sugars.

What Should I Do?

Exercise is a good way to bring down your sugar. Having a daily exercise regimen is a good way to get fit, lose weight and get better control of your sugar.

Secondly, make sure you are eating a healthy diet with reasonable portion sizes. In many cases, diet and exercise can bring blood glucose under control. Controlling with diet and exercise is the preferred method. However, if you cannot seem to get good control, you may want to have medications adjusted.

If you think you may be having ketoacidosis, seek medical help immediately.

In summary, test your sugars regularly, eat a healthy diet with proper portion control, and exercise daily. Doing these things each day will help the problem of consistent blood glucose high.