So what happens when your blood glucose is not in target range or in ideal blood sugar levels ?
Let’s talk about high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) and low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia).
What are high blood glucose levels (Hyperglycemia) ?
This could vary depending on what your doctor tells you about your target blood sugars. In general, high blood sugar is a reading of more than 180 mg/dl or any reading above your target range.
What causes high blood glucose levels ?
There are many things that can make your sugar spike or go up:
-Not taking the right medicine or correct insulin dose for your specific type of diabetes.
-Illness or stress.
-Making the wrong food choices or eating more carbohydrates/sugar/sweets than usual.
-Sometimes your sugar can go high for no reason at all and this could be a sign of an infection.
How do you feel when your sugar is high ?
Sometimes you might not even feel the symptoms… I personally feel like shit, I feel tired, thirsty, weak, my mouth will feel dry and you will probably go to the bathroom more often than normal. Pretty much you will feel the same symptoms as when you were diagnosed.
How to treat hyperglycemia ?
Put on your shoes, get out and start running…. Nah I’m just kidding.
First of all, check and ask yourself why your sugar might be high? Maybe the type of food you just ate ? Do you feel sick ? Are you trying/testing a new medicine/ insulin type ? Are you under stress ? Are you traveling and out of your usual routine ? You need to be aware and conscious so you can assess and correct. Diabetes requires awareness.
All these things can make your sugar go high, try to correct it with your treatment medicine or the insulin you are taking and drink plenty of water until your sugar goes back to normal levels. If your sugar is still high or readings are above 300 after a few days or weeks you need to contact your doctor and they will provide you with the best solution.
“There have been days when my sugar was so high that I’ve cried. I’ve felt frustration, I’ve felt angry…I remind myself that this too shall pass… The number has to come down, don’t let yourself be defined by numbers. Remember this is a journey..”
What is DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis) ?
Before moving on I want to briefly explain DKA.
DKA is a condition that occurs when there is not enough insulin in the blood and sugar levels go very high. Since the body can not use glucose for energy, the body uses fat instead and produces ketones.
Ketones are acids and this means your body is using fat for energy instead of sugar/glucose. These ketones start to rise and then spill over into the urine. When this happens the blood becomes acidic “diabetic ketoacidosis”.
If this happens you might develop some symptoms: vomiting, fatigue, sweet/fruity breath, shortness of breath.
In order to avoid DKA you need to take insulin and increase fluid intake. If left untreated this could be dangerous and you will need to go to the hospital and get medical assistance.
This is why it is so important to constantly check blood sugar levels in order to avoid this kind of complication.
What are low blood glucose levels (Hypoglycemia) ?
Blood sugar levels less than 70 mg/dL. These low sugars need to be treated.
What causes low blood glucose levels ?
-Too much insulin
-Too much physical activity/ exercise
-Wrong dose of medicine
-Not eating enough food
How do you feel when your sugar is low ?
Here are some signs of low blood sugar:
-Sweaty
-Confused
-Anxious
-Weak
-Irritated
-Fast heartbeat
-Not thinking clearly
-Slurring your words
How to treat hypoglycemia ?
There’s a rule called: the rule of 15.
If your blood sugar is 50 -70 mg/dL, you eat 15 gr of carbohydrates.
If your blood sugar is less than 50 mg/dL, you eat 30 gr of carbohydrate.
You wait 15 min and then re-check your blood sugar. If the blood sugar is still less than 70 mg/dL, take another 15 gr of carbohydrates.
Fast acting carbs:
Dex 4 Glucose Tabs; Serving: 4 Tabs Carbs (grams): 16
Welch’s Fruit Gummies; Serving: 0.8 Ounce Pouch Carbs (grams): 19
Fruit Juice/ Soda; Serving: 1/2 Cup or 4 ounces Carbs (grams): 15
White Sugar; Serving: 4 Teaspoons Carbs (grams): 16
Honey; Serving: 1 Tablespoon Carbs (grams): 17
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to treating lows.
These are the factors that are involved: body size (weight), blood sugar level, the rate of change at which carbs raise your sugar.
What’s most important is the type of food to raise your sugar.
You need to choose foods that will raise your sugar as quickly as possible.
The glycemic index will work as a guide to select foods, try to choose foods with at least 70 score.
Some examples: Dextrose, dry cereal, pretzels, jelly beans, Gatorade, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, lifesavers, glucose tablets.
A low blood sugar is NOT a reason to eat cake, ice cream, chocolate bars, sweet desserts, a caramel Frappuccino or just overeat sweets to justify the low.
If you have done this you probably ended up with your sugar going very high and this defeats the purpose of correcting a low. It becomes a rollercoaster that is not fun at all.
Measure the food you eat to treat a low and wait at least 15 min to check your sugar levels again.
“There are days my sugar is so low, I feel confused, weak, I can’t think straight, the only thing I whisper and tell to myself is that I want to live, watch your self talk”
To finish this post on blood glucose levels I’d like to explain the A1C Test.
What is A1C ?
Your doctor will make you do a blood lab test. This could be done every 3 or 4 or 5 months. This depends on your specific diabetes management.
The hemoglobin A1C is a blood test that will show your average blood glucose levels over the last 3 months. What is this for ? So your doctor can make any adjustments to your insulin type or dose or any medication you are taking to manage your diabetes.
The general goal for diabetics is to maintain an A1C less than 7%
If you take care of your daily sugar levels, you will take care of your A1C, this is something you do everyday and the A1C is not a test you pass or fail. Your A1C will be discussed with your doctor and he will tell you what your ideal % should be.
Remember the game of numbers ? And the main goal ? To maintain normal, in range glucose levels.
@dieabeast