Diabetes: Tips to manage high or low blood sugar levels

The majority of patients with type 2 diabetes find it difficult to maintain their blood sugar levels under control because they spike when their medications are missed, their calorie intake increases, especially when they eat foods high in sugar, or they don’t get enough exercise. Managing diabetes can be difficult, especially when the blood sugar levels fluctuate throughout the day. Stress can raise the levels even more, increasing the risk of diabetes complications.

Managing your blood sugar levels is crucial if you have diabetes since both high and low blood sugar levels can be harmful. This changing blood sugar is also referred to as glycemic variability, and it can have a negative impact on a person’s quality of life. Therefore, it’s important to recognize the symptoms or indicators and prevent or manage excessive or low blood sugar.

Controlling high blood sugar:

Patients with chronic diabetes who frequently have high blood sugar levels may also experience effects on their nerves, kidneys, eyes, heart, and blood vessels. Additionally, it can result in potentially fatal disorders such hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome (HHNS) or diabetic ketoacidosis. Therefore, it’s crucial to address hyperglycemia to avoid problems.

If you frequently have high blood sugar, check the amount of carbohydrates in your diet as well as any lingering infections, stress, inactivity, prescription dosages, etc. Make sure to drink enough water, exercise often as recommended, manage stress, and get adequate sleep if you have symptoms or notice that your blood sugar levels are high. You should regularly check your sugar and ketone levels as well. Additionally, you might need to see a dietitian to alter your eating habits, and most significantly, you should see a diabetologist to adjust your prescription dosages since your doctor might alter the quantity, frequency, or kind of diabetic medications you take.

It can be advised that you take more medication or drink more fluids. However, it is also critical to assess the trinity of diabetes management—medications, diet, and exercise—to prevent additional sugar increases. For instance, a bad diet over time will only result in the need for more medicine and make it more difficult to manage sugar levels. On the other hand, wise food decisions can significantly cut down on the need for medicine.

Taking care of low blood sugar:

People with diabetes may experience low blood sugar, particularly if they are taking insulin or other blood sugar-controlling medications. It can be deadly if untreated if your blood sugar reading on a glucometer is less than 70 mg/dl. Low blood sugar can cause a number of symptoms, including weakness or fatigue, sweating, headaches, increased hunger, unease, restlessness, anxiety, and irritability. It can also cause difficulties thinking, double or blurred vision, and a rapid or pounding heartbeat.

Seizures, convulsions, loss of consciousness, or coma can all result from severe hypoglycemia, which is defined as a blood sugar level that is less than or equal to 55 mg/dl on a glucometer. Regular sugar lows can also cause hypoglycemia unawareness, which is another form of unawareness. Therefore, regular monitoring with a glucometer or CGMS is absolutely necessary.

If you have hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, then:

1. Incorporate 15 grams or less of carbohydrates into your diet by consuming items like fruit juice, glucose pills, candy, etc.

2. Repeat the blood sugar test.

3. Consume another snack containing 15 g of carbohydrates if you do not feel better in 15 minutes.

 

Other strategies for regulating high or low blood sugar levels include:

  • Low and high blood sugar levels can both quickly develop into medical emergencies, thus it’s crucial to prevent them by
  • Regularly checking blood sugar levels using a glucometer or CGMS continuous glucose monitoring device
  • Be aware of the signs of both hyper and hypoglycemia so you can act quickly to improve blood sugar levels.
  • Use caution when fasting, skipping meals, exercising, or using alcohol.
  • When traveling or working out, have some little snacks or glucose.
  • Speak with your diabetes care team if you frequently experience high or low blood sugar levels in order to prevent it.
  • As directed by your diabetologist, check for diabetes complications such as kidney function, liver function testing, etc.
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