Signs of Blood Sugar Abnormalities
Signs of Blood Sugar Abnormalities
The main effect of diabetes is that your body cannot properly manage your blood sugar levels, because of a lack of insulin being produced. Insulin breaks down sugars in your blood and redistributes them out to other cells in your body that need them for energy.
But if you’re type 1 diabetic, you’re not producing any. Then, your body will have too high of a blood sugar level. There are two extremes that your blood sugar can be at as a diabetic: hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, though diabetics are way more likely to be hyperglycemic.
You’re considered to be hyperglycemic if your blood sugar level is above 130 mg/dL after not consuming anything for a while, or 180 mg/dL after eating. High blood sugar can cause serious damage to your blood vessels and veins, and if you’re diabetic, you can’t process this sugar very easily.
Another potential danger of hyperglycemia is that if you have too high of a blood sugar level, you can develop an often fatal condition in which your body stops being able to process sugar altogether.
This condition is more prevalent among type 2 diabetics than it is among type 1. If you’re worried that you may be hyperglycemic, you can watch out for a few telltale symptoms that may tip you off to it.
For example, you’ll most likely feel fatigued, since the rest of your body isn’t getting the energy it needs from the sugar in your blood. You may also experience headaches and excessive urination.
If you notice any of these symptoms, you should immediately get your blood sugar levels tested at a medical facility. Although it’s less common, hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can also occur in diabetics.
Most of the time, it’s brought on by taking too much insulin, and breaking down too much of the sugar in your blood. This can also occur if you take your normal amount of medicine but also exercise more than usual or eat less than usual.
There are many symptoms that accompany hypoglycemia. You’ll still feel fatigue like you would with hyperglycemia, but you’ll also become more anxious, shaky, irritable, and just all around more nervous.
If you notice any of these symptoms and you’re a diabetic, the appropriate response is to first drink some juice or take a glucose tablet to try to normalize your blood sugar levels. If this doesn’t work, immediately get to a doctor, because unchecked hypoglycemia can be fatal.
