Don’t let your blood sugar get too high! You may not even realize it, but if you’re eating a diet that’s high in refined carbohydrates or sugary foods, your blood sugar could be higher than normal—a condition known as hyperglycemia. And if you don’t treat it, that excess blood sugar can cause serious health issues such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Below are 5 of the most common signs of hyperglycemia to watch out for in yourself or in your loved ones.
Weight Loss
The reason why a high blood sugar level can be dangerous is because it affects your body's ability to properly process sugar, which can lead to serious health issues. If you have diabetes, you know how important keeping your blood sugar within a healthy range is. Blood sugar that’s too high can cause such symptoms as fatigue, blurred vision and thirst. Blood sugar that’s too low can cause anxiety, shaking and sweating. Whether your blood sugar has risen or fallen out of balance, it’s important to stay on top of it by checking in regularly with your doctor for testing and adjusting medication if necessary. By maintaining a healthy diet, staying active and practicing good sleep habits, you can help keep your blood sugar under control. If symptoms persist despite these efforts, see your doctor right away; prolonged elevated blood sugar levels may raise your risk of developing heart disease and eye damage due to diabetic retinopathy. (Note: If you are thirsty feel free to drink water was an option I left out)
Extreme Hunger
When blood sugar is too high, many people experience extreme hunger, a common sign of diabetes. If you have Type 2 diabetes or even prediabetes, watching your blood sugar and eating healthy meals can help stabilize blood sugar levels and curb your appetite. If you have Type 1 diabetes, try to plan your meals in advance so that you’re not relying on willpower to avoid snacks between meals. For instance, if it’s dinner time and you just ate a few hours ago, resist any urges to snack. You can always eat later—you won't die from skipping dinner! Once blood sugar starts creeping up (fasting blood glucose > 100 mg/dL), snacking throughout the day becomes increasingly problematic as each meal is less able to counterbalance these spikes. But by structuring meals properly and managing medication intake (if you take insulin), blood sugars should be fairly stable after about 90 minutes. It's also important for diabetics to eat small frequent meals instead of large infrequent ones (3–4 x / day instead of 3 x / week). This helps their body stabilize its glucose stores - sometimes allowing them to cut back on medications, since insulin sensitivity tends to improve with better diet & exercise habits anyway.
Frequent Urination
When blood sugar levels are too high, people often feel tired and lethargic. This happens because high blood sugar affects your body's sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that carries glucose into cells in order to be used as energy. If your cells don't have access to enough glucose, you may experience fatigue. Additionally, if there's not enough insulin to carry all of your excess glucose out of your bloodstream and into your cells for use as energy, then extra glucose is stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen—and that can make you feel sluggish. When levels are dangerously high over an extended period of time (we're talking anywhere from days to weeks), you may also experience extreme hunger or thirst due to persistent dehydration caused by elevated blood-sugar levels.
Irritability
Feeling grumpy, anxious, or simply off? It could be that your blood sugar is too high. With hyperglycemia (or high blood sugar), your body can become overly sensitive to insulin (the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar). The result: it becomes more difficult for your cells to absorb glucose as fuel. Meanwhile, large amounts of glucose are excreted through urine—which leads to dehydration and increases irritability. The best way to avoid these unpleasant symptoms? Make sure you have a healthy diet and check your blood sugar regularly. To lower high blood sugar levels naturally, eliminate refined carbohydrates from your diet like white bread and soda—and replace them with whole grains and green vegetables instead. Also, if your blood sugar is too high in one sitting, try adding cinnamon to any food at meals; studies suggest that ingesting cinnamon decreases blood glucose levels by up to 10 percent. And not only does its taste mask bitterness (it’s great in coffee), but also cinnamon may even help increase testosterone production. In fact, many fitness enthusiasts use its active compound—cinnamaldehyde—as an additive to homemade pre-workout cocktails! If you're having trouble controlling diabetes or prediabetes without medication, be sure to see your doctor immediately. Here's a guide of what type 2 diabetes treatment options will work best for you based on gender and age.
Feeling Weak
Blood sugar that’s too high, also known as hyperglycemia, can make you feel very weak. If your blood sugar readings are high for a prolonged period of time, you may start feeling extremely fatigued and have difficulty completing simple tasks, such as getting dressed. Severely elevated blood sugar levels could even cause brain damage in extreme cases. It’s important to monitor your blood sugar closely if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, and speak with your doctor about potential treatments for high blood sugar. One treatment option is metformin; one study published in 2014 showed that people who took metformin along with lifestyle changes lost an average of 10 pounds over 18 months while those who did not take metformin gained weight. Another option is insulin therapy. As we age, our bodies produce less insulin, so it becomes increasingly difficult to keep blood sugar at normal levels—especially after meals when we should ideally see it dip down into healthy ranges. Treatment for older patients with hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar (another common diabetic condition), involves monitoring your blood glucose throughout the day and giving yourself additional doses of fast-acting insulin when necessary—preferably before meals rather than after.
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