Those are all acute issues, but if blood sugars stay high for a while, particularly in patients who have newly diagnosed diabetes or those who don’t even know they have it yet, there might be blurry vision or unexplained weight loss, according to Dr. Wright. «Probably the first thing most people think about is food-in particular, carbohydrates-and I would say even more specifically, simple carbohydrates would be the most likely culprit,» says Dr. Hong. «It is very important to check blood sugar regularly, because by the time patients have symptoms like that, then blood sugar is already really, really high,» she says. Or, sometimes a patient might have a heart attack or a stroke and in patients with type 1 diabetes, that might precipitate diabetic ketoacidosis as well.» You’ll also want to consider any non-diabetes medications you’re taking as research shows some (including specific beta-blockers, antibiotics, and antipsychotics) can increase blood glucose levels.
At the research laboratory site, the frozen tubes of plasma were thawed, thoroughly mixed, and assayed on YSI instruments whose accuracy was validated and traceable to a higher order using NIST 965b Standards. «For example, in patients who are using an insulin pump, if the pump malfunctions or if there is a kink in the tubing or the infusion site is lodged and they are not aware that the insulin is not infusing, then that may happen,» says Lorena Wright, M.D., an endocrinologist and the director of the LatinX Diabetes Clinic at UW Medicine. People with diabetes have to do this using a portable blood glucose meter, or glucometer. If you don’t have a glucometer (a compact meter that tests for glucose in a drop of blood), there are some physical symptoms that indicate high blood glucose. If the meter is exact, it’ll get you by the first period of adjusting your lifestyle to your normal testing of the blood sugar. Check your blood sugar levels before, during, and after your workout. When the pancreas doesn’t produce the proper amount of insulin to regulate glucose — a telling sign of diabetes — this is where your blood sugar levels can be too high.
«Yes, absolutely, cgm’s stress can certainly cause a rise in blood sugars,» says Dr. Hong. Beyond that, a common cause for a rise in blood sugar is a missed insulin dose, but it’s not always a matter of forgetting an injection. It’s for the reason that it help in gradual stomach emptying, and therefore slows the rise and fall of blood sugar levels, which will be the main goal in the South Beach Diet. According to the American Diabetes Association, physicians may suggest blood glucose tests for pregnant women, as well as people who are overweight, prone to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), have a family history of diabetes, or are over the age of 45. Dr. Adimoolam said that those without diabetes or prediabetes do not need to be testing their blood sugar. Low blood sugar level or hypoglycemia can be easily controlled by planning a healthy diabetic diet. If they go too low (a status known as hypoglycemia) or too high (hyperglycemia) and you don’t address it immediately, the effects can be detrimental.
«So, if blood sugars were to run high or they were to feel sickly, they should test their urine for ketones and if that is positive, they should seek care from a doctor or an emergency room.» She says anyone (whether they have type 1 or type 2 diabetes) should seek care if they feel very sick, have nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, confusion, or trouble thinking clearly. The American Diabetes Association advises that you talk to your doctor about whether or not you should be testing your blood sugar regularly. That’s why researchers developed a related way to classify foods that takes into account both the amount of carbohydrate in the food in relation to its impact on blood sugar levels. No matter the type of diabetes you have, for your body to function at its best, blood glucose levels must be kept in check. Restorative sleep might also lower unhealthy blood sugar levels by promoting healthy systems. «Insulin is a normal hormone in our body that’s normally produced by the pancreas and what insulin does is it acts as a shuttle and it shuttles glucose from the blood and into the cells so that it can be used as fuel,» explains Dr. Hong.