When your blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high, a condition known as hyperglycemia, you may experience a range of symptoms that can affect your daily life and overall well-being. These symptoms often develop gradually rather than appearing suddenly.
Common Symptoms of High Blood Sugar (Hyperglycemia)
Feeling high blood sugar is primarily characterized by your body trying to cope with the excess glucose in your bloodstream. Here are the key symptoms you might experience:
- Increased Thirst and Dry Mouth: Your kidneys work overtime to filter and absorb the excess sugar. When they can't keep up, the sugar is excreted into your urine, taking fluids from your tissues with it. This leads to dehydration, making you feel thirsty and giving you a dry mouth.
- Frequent Urination: As your kidneys try to flush out the excess sugar, you will find yourself needing to urinate much more often than usual, sometimes even waking up frequently at night.
- Tiredness (Fatigue): Despite having plenty of sugar (energy) in your blood, your cells aren't able to use it effectively without enough insulin. This lack of available energy at the cellular level leaves you feeling very tired, sluggish, and lacking in energy.
- Blurred Vision: High blood sugar levels can affect the lenses in your eyes, causing them to swell. This swelling temporarily changes the shape of the lens, leading to blurred vision. Once blood sugar levels return to normal, your vision typically improves.
- Headaches: High blood sugar can also contribute to headaches, often due to dehydration and changes in fluid balance within the body.
- Unexplained Weight Loss: If your body can't get enough energy from glucose, it might start breaking down fat and muscle for fuel, leading to unintentional weight loss.
- Slow-Healing Sores or Frequent Infections: High blood sugar can impair your body's ability to heal and fight off infections, making cuts, sores, and other infections (like yeast infections) take longer to clear up or recur more often.
Why Does High Blood Sugar Occur?
Hyperglycemia can be caused by various factors, including:
- Not enough insulin or oral diabetes medication: If you have diabetes, not taking enough medication or skipping doses can lead to high sugar.
- Eating too many carbohydrates: Consuming more carbohydrates than your body can process, especially refined sugars.
- Illness or infection: Your body releases hormones to fight illness, which can raise blood sugar.
- Stress: Physical or emotional stress can cause blood sugar to rise.
- Lack of physical activity: Exercise helps cells absorb glucose; inactivity can lead to higher levels.
What to Do If You Experience Symptoms
If you suspect your blood sugar is too high, it's crucial to take action.
- Check your blood sugar: Use a home glucose meter to confirm your levels.
- Follow your diabetes management plan: This may include taking corrective insulin doses (if prescribed), drinking water to help flush out excess sugar, and avoiding sugary foods.
- Monitor your levels: Continue to check your blood sugar regularly to see if it's coming down.
- Contact your healthcare provider: If your blood sugar remains high or if your symptoms worsen, contact your doctor or diabetes care team for advice on adjusting your medication or lifestyle.
When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention
It's vital to recognize when high blood sugar becomes a medical emergency. Seek immediate emergency medical care if you experience symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a severe complication of hyperglycemia, which include:
| Symptom/Condition | Action |
|---|---|
| Persistent very high blood sugar | Contact your doctor for advice on adjusting medication or lifestyle. |
| Fruity-smelling breath | Seek immediate emergency medical care. |
| Nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain | Seek immediate emergency medical care. |
| Shortness of breath | Seek immediate emergency medical care. |
| Confusion or altered mental state | Seek immediate emergency medical care. |
For more detailed information on managing high blood sugar, you can refer to reputable sources such as the NHS or the Mayo Clinic.
Preventing High Blood Sugar
Managing your blood sugar is key to feeling well and preventing complications. Strategies include:
- Regular Blood Sugar Monitoring: Checking your levels as advised by your doctor helps you understand how different foods, activities, and medications affect your blood sugar.
- Adhering to Meal Plans: Eating balanced meals with controlled carbohydrate portions.
- Regular Physical Activity: Exercise helps your body use insulin more effectively and lowers blood sugar.
- Taking Medications as Prescribed: If you have diabetes, consistently taking your insulin or oral medications is crucial.
- Managing Stress: Techniques like meditation, yoga, or hobbies can help reduce stress-induced blood sugar spikes.
