You’ve been told a couple of times by your doctor that your blood sugar levels are too high and that you need to start taking better care of yourself. However, you need to figure out what caused these elevated blood glucose levels and what you can do to fix them. This blog is intended to give you an overview of what caused your blood sugar levels to rise and what you can do to fix these problems.
Diabetes patients experience high blood glucose levels, often known as hyperglycemia. A variety of reasons can cause high blood sugar levels. They include diet, physical activity, disease, and drugs unrelated to diabetes. Skipping dosages or not taking sufficient insulin or other blood sugar-lowering medicine can also cause high blood sugar levels.
Hyperglycemia must be treated. If untreated, hyperglycemia can worsen and lead to significant health complications requiring emergency care, such as a diabetic coma. Even mild hyperglycemia can cause health issues affecting the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart.
What is Hyperglycemia?
Hyperglycemia, also known as high blood glucose, occurs when there is an excess of glucose (sugar) in the blood and occurs when your body has inadequate insulin (the hormone that transports glucose into the blood) or even when your body is unable to use insulin efficiently.
Hyperglycemia is defined as blood glucose levels of more than 125 mg/dL (milligrammes per deciliter) when fasting (without eating for at least eight hours; a person has diabetes whose glucose levels are more than 125 mg/dL when fasting.
Is high blood glucose level a severe issue?
High blood sugar levels are a potentially fatal medical issue. High blood glucose levels, if unchecked, can lead to various health issues, including heart problems, stroke, renal disease, and blindness.
Diabetes treatment aims to keep blood sugar levels as normal as possible. But regardless of how cautious you are, you will eventually encounter hyperglycemia if you have diabetes.
Understanding and treating hyperglycemia is critical since it can lead to significant health consequences if left unchecked.
Mild bouts are typically not a reason for worry and can be handled or resolved independently. However, hyperglycemia can be harmful if a person has high blood glucose levels for an extended time.
Extremely high blood glucose levels might result in life-threatening consequences. High blood glucose levels for extended periods (months or years) can cause lasting damage to organs such as the eyes, nerves, kidneys, and blood vessels.
If you have hyperglycemia frequently, consult your doctor or diabetes care team. You may have to adjust your therapy or lifestyle to keep your blood glucose levels in a normal range.
Possible Causes for High Blood Glucose Levels
As with most medical conditions, there can be multiple factors that contribute to high blood sugar levels. However, some possible causes are more common than others.
Overeating sugar
Diabetes mellitus is a condition that results in too much sugar in the blood. When we eat foods high in sugar, our bodies convert that sugar into glucose and release it into the bloodstream.
Insulin resistance
The body converts meal carbs like those in bread, rice, and pasta into sugar molecules during digestion. Glucose is the name of one of the sugar molecules. After you eat, glucose is absorbed and immediately enters your bloodstream; however, without insulin’s assistance, it cannot penetrate the cells of most bodily tissues. When our bodies become resistant to insulin(a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels), it can lead to higher blood sugar levels. This is often seen in overweight people or those who have diabetes.
Consuming harmful medications
Certain medications can cause high blood sugar levels. Some examples include steroids, birth control pills, and certain antidepressants. Before you take any medications, consult your doctor about the possible side effects.
Over-burdened or stressed
Stress can also lead to higher blood sugar levels. When stressed, our bodies release hormones like cortisol which can cause our blood sugar levels to rise. If you’ve been particularly stressed lately, it could contribute to your high blood sugar levels. Physical stress (from illness, a cold, the flu, an infection, etc.) and Emotional stress (from family conflicts, emotional problems, school or work stresses, etc.) can also lead to high blood glucose levels.
Inactivity
You are less active than usual. Researchers discovered that participants’ blood glucose levels rose during this brief time of idleness of COVID, and even when they resumed exercise, their blood glucose levels did not recover to pre-study values. Inactivity might increase a person’s chance of acquiring type 2 diabetes. Physical exercise aids in the regulation of blood sugar (glucose), weight, and blood pressure, as well as raising “good” cholesterol and decreasing “bad” cholesterol.
Other Possible causes
- Endocrine disorders such as Cushing syndrome cause insulin resistance.
- Pancreatic illnesses include pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and cystic fibrosis.
- Certain drugs (such as diuretics and steroids).
- Gestational diabetes occurs in 4% of pregnancies and is caused by impaired insulin sensitivity.
- Surgery or trauma
How to prevent High Blood Glucose levels?
You may prevent high blood glucose levels by doing the following:
Regularly check your blood sugar
This will allow you to detect potential spikes and take measures to reduce your levels.
Eat a nutritious diet
Avoiding processed meals and sugary drinks will help you maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Discover how carbs affect your blood sugar levels and collaborate with your diabetes care team to develop the optimal meal plan for you.
Consistently exercise
Physical activity can help manage blood sugar levels by increasing the sensitivity of your cells to insulin. Develop a daily schedule with your healthcare practitioner.
Be familiar with your drugs
Some drugs might induce high blood sugar as a side effect, so discuss your concerns with your doctor.
Control your stress levels
Because stress can affect blood sugar levels, it is critical to discover techniques to relax and de-stress regularly.
Limit drinking alcohol
Alcohol can create severely low blood glucose and dangerously high blood glucose levels. Evaluate what amount is safe to drink with your provider.
Conclusion
To sum up, we can say that several factors can cause a rise in blood glucose levels, including:
- A sickness, such as a cold
- stress
- overeating, such as snacking between meals
- lack of activity
- Dehydration
- skipping a dosage of your diabetic medication or taking the wrong dose
- over-treating a hypoglycemic episode (low blood sugar)
- taking some medications, such as steroids
You must speak with your doctor if you have high blood glucose levels. They will be able to assist you in determining the reason and developing a treatment strategy.
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