insulin levels | Diabetes Healthy Solutions

What Is Considered High Blood Sugar?

For diabetics, knowing what is considered high blood sugar and what is not, can be a real lifesaver.

The body naturally has glucose in the blood which gives the organs and cells energy to function. Blood sugar mainly comes from carbohydrates and the body needs insulin in order to maintain blood glucose levels within the normal range. Insulin helps cells absorb glucose from the blood and use it for energy or store it.

If insulin doesn’t work properly or there’s not enough of it, blood sugar levels rise. Too much blood glucose is known as hyperglycemia, a condition that can cause various health problems.

In this article, we’ll explore what high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) feels like, why it happens and how you know if you have hyperglycemia.

So what is considered high blood sugar?

Anything over 120 mg/dl is what is considered high blood sugar and once blood sugar levels reach 140 mg/dl they begin to damage the body. There are several things you can do to help control your blood sugar. The first is to talk to your doctor. Use a blood glucose meter, these help by allowing you to check your blood sugar at any time.

What are the Symptoms of High Blood Sugar?

Headache and other pains and aches
Fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Feeling tired or drowsy
Blurred vision
Dry mouth
Frequent urination
Slow healing of cuts, wounds, and bruises
Bloating

Low insulin and high blood sugar can lead to a build-up of ketones, or even lead to DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis), a complication that required immediate medical attention.

If this happens, you may experience:

A rapid heartbeat
Fruity smell or taste
Disorientation
Confusion
Shortness of breath
Dehydration
Vomiting
Coma

Moreover, your blood sugar level may be over 250 ml/dL. Most people with diabetes typically experience the symptoms of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) in the morning.

Effects of high blood sugar on the body.

High blood sugar can cause a wide range of symptoms. Here are some that you need to be aware of:

Thirst and frequent urination: Excess sugar in the blood goes into the kidneys and the system works to get rid of it through the urine, causing frequent urination and increased thirst. People with high blood sugar tend to experience increased thirst, despite drinking the recommended amount of liquids.
Tingling and numbness: High blood sugar levels can also cause tingling, burning, or numbness in the feet, legs, and hands. This can be caused by diabetic neuropathy, a condition that arises after many years of consistently high blood sugar levels.
Weight loss: Unexplained or sudden weight loss can occur in people with high blood sugar levels because cells are not getting the nourishment (glucose) they need. As a result, the body burns stored fat and muscle for energy instead.

Can High Blood Sugar be Dangerous?

When insulin levels are too low the sugar levels begin to rise and this can damage the body. The damage often associated with high blood sugar is heart damage, nerve damage, eye damage, and kidney damage. This kind of damage will impair diabetes later on in life so it is best to control your blood sugar.

Causes of High Blood Sugar

High blood sugar can be caused by various conditions, including:

Gestational diabetes occurs when high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance appear during pregnancy. If this happens, the mother should be closely monitored as high blood sugar levels during pregnancy can lead to various complications for the baby and the mother as well.
Type 1 diabetes is where the immune system launches an attack on insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. As a result, insulin production is reduced or stopped and blood glucose levels rise. People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes regulate their blood sugar level by taking insulin through a pen, insulin pump, or needle. According to the American Diabetes Association, only 5% of people with diabetes have type 1 Diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is where the pancreas produces insulin but the body does not use it properly. In this case, the body is unable to use insulin to keep blood glucose levels steady (insulin resistance). If you have type 2 diabetes, you may need to make exercise or diet changes or take pills or insulin to help manage your blood sugar levels.
Cystic fibrosis: Studies suggest there may be a link between cystic fibrosis and diabetes
Medications: Certain steroids and beta-blockers can raise blood sugar levels.

Long-term complications of high blood sugar.

Consistently high blood sugar levels can damage the body’s systems and organs. This can lead to serious complications such as:

Kidney disease
Stroke
Heart attack
Damage to the eyes and loss of vision
Nerve damage leads to infections, sores, and wound healing problems

Risk factors

Type 1 Diabetes

Although researchers have not yet established exactly what causes high blood sugar levels and diabetes, there are certain factors that increase the risk.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, certain genes have been shown to have an impact. Moreover, infections and viruses may play a role. Studies also show that certain environmental or genetic factors may increase the risk of getting type 1 diabetes.

You can be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at any age, but it usually starts during early adulthood or childhood.

Type 2 Diabetes

Risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes include:

Sedentary lifestyle
Being overweight
Having certain genes
Being over 45 years old
Having a sibling or parent with type 2 diabetes
Having American Indian, African-American, Pacific Islander, Alaska Native, Hispanic, or Asian-American ethnicity.
Having high blood pressure or receiving treatment for it
Having high levels of triglycerides or low levels of HDL cholesterol.

Focus on eating the correct diet for diabetics.

The correct diet for a diabetic is low sugar items and items with high dietary fiber. This should be discussed with your doctor as he can give you the best information.

Avoid foods that are high in fat and refrain from consuming alcohol, because alcohol stays in the bloodstream and its action mimics that of blood sugar. You’re going to need to cut down on the salt intake as well.

American Diabetes Association Diet Plan Food Recommendation

The following foods are considered to be most helpful for diabetics:

All kinds of beans – green and black beans, pinto beans, and navy beans. Beans are full of protein and energy. One-half cup of beans contains equal protein to that in an ounce of meat.
Berries – raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and fibers.
Whole grains – avoid flours that are processed too much (pretty much all white flour falls into this overly-processed category) and instead go for the less processed forms like whole wheat and whole-grain options.

Tomatoes are good antioxidants and are very versatile since you can simply eat them as they are, peel or slice them, and even add them as toppings to your food. These are rich in iron, Vitamin C and E, and are good for your heart as well.

The bottom-line.

Monitoring your blood sugar levels alongside exercise and diet can help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Other strategies that can help prevent high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) include:

taking the amount of insulin prescribed by your doctor if you have type 1 diabetes,
planning your exercise routine and food intake,
taking precautions to avoid infections,
minimizing stress by getting enough sleep
including other stress-reducing activities like yoga and meditation in your daily life.

Read about more of the complications that come with diabetes here!

What are Normal Blood Sugar Levels?

Diabetes Testing Numbers

Diabetes testing numbers are very important for those people with diabetes. In today’s world, more and more people are becoming diabetic largely due to the amount of sugar in the average American diet. Diabetes is a disease where the body’s organ known as the pancreas manufactures too little of a chemical known as insulin.

Insulin is used by the body to convert the glucose (sugar) in the blood into fuel that the body can use. When the insulin levels are low the sugar levels are high and this can cause a lot of damage to the body as at too high a level, sugar can become a poison killing the body slowly.

The damage associated with high blood sugar includes heart damage and the risk of getting heart disease, eye damage/blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage. These factors make diabetes a deadly and very serious disease. So, what should an average person’s diabetes testing numbers be compared to that of a diabetic?

What are Normal blood sugar levels for non-diabetics?

For most people who are non-diabetic healthy individuals, their blood glucose levels would vary during the day, depending on whether it is premeal, or two hours after eating. Generally, premeal levels would be the lowest. For some, 60 mg/dL is normal, for others, 90 mg/dL is also normal.

Most people that don’t have diabetes would sit around :

Fasting – 72 – 99mg/dL (4.0 to 5.4 mmol/L)

2 hours after eating – Up to 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L)

What is a Good Blood Sugar Level for Diabetes Type 2?

Good blood sugar levels for the average person with diabetes should be between 60.8 mg/dl and 120.4 mg/dl ( 3.4 to 6.7mmol/L) depending on the time of day and amount in the last meal.

However, with diabetes type 2, your glucose levels can be anywhere from 120.8 to 200 mg/dl (6.7 to 11.1mmol/L)

At these levels, the body suffers damage. In order to keep the body from reaching these extremes, it must be monitored with a blood glucose meter. There are many different versions around nowadays, some are watches, and some require no needle finger pricks.

Check HERE for the top 5 companies developing non-invasive glucose monitors in 2022.

What are random blood sugar levels?

A random blood glucose test is where a small amount of blood is taken and added to a blood testing strip and tested at any given time of the day. This type of random blood testing is really quite essential for a diabetic, as it can indicate how well they are managing the disease.

Non-diabetic random blood levels – would be below 200 mg/dL (11.1mmol/L)

Diabetes random blood levels – would be above 200 mg/dL (11.1mmol/L)

What are Blood sugar levels 2 hours postprandial?

To start with, postprandial means after lunch or dinner. So the “PPG concentrations” are referring to the Plasma glucose concentrations after eating.

Non-diabetic 2 hours after eating – should be below 140mg/dL (7.8mmol/L)

Diabetic 2 hours after eating – should be below 180 mg/dl (10.mmol/L)

What are Fasting blood sugar levels

A fasting blood sugar level is taken after you have fasted (not eaten) overnight. It is important that you have had nothing to eat or drink, apart from water, for approximately 8 hours. This particular test will help your doctor, or health care professional to determine whether you have diabetes or not.

Normal Result – Fasting Blood glucose test – less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L)

Prediabetes Result – Fasting blood glucose – 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L)

Diabetes Result – Fasting blood sugar test – 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests.

Normal blood sugar levels During pregnancy

If you have diabetes and you are pregnant, you need to be very strict with checking your blood sugar levels. Your doctor or obstetrician will ask you to monitor prior to meals, 1 or 2 hours after meals, and then also additional times such as prior to going to bed and even overnight.

You will need to keep good records of these results to give your team a better understanding of your sugar levels, so you can adjust your insulin levels accordingly.

Recommended level target during pregnancy – Fasting 4.0–5.5 mmol/L

Recommended level target during pregnancy – 2 hours after meal 5.5–7.0 mmol/L

So How Can we all Lower our Blood glucose Level Naturally?

Ensure you always monitor your blood sugar levels
Drink plenty of water and stay well hydrated
Try and control your stress levels – perhaps do some meditation or yoga.
Make healthy food choices – control your carb intake and choose low-GI foods.
Cut down on your meal portions
Increase your fiber intake
Very importantly, regular exercise. This will assist with weight loss as well as increase your insulin sensitivity.

When you buy through links on our website, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support 🙂

More on Normal Random Blood Sugar Levels HERE!

The Dangers of Extremely High Blood Sugar Levels

There are many dangers of having an extremely high blood sugar level. When the insulin levels are low the glucose skyrockets, which can permanently damage the body. The damage that the body can sustain includes heart damage and the increased chance of getting:

heart disease
nerve damage
blindness and
kidney damage

which can be life threatening in the end. Extremely high blood sugar symptoms include tiredness, dehydration, a very dry mouth, vomiting and nausea, excessive urination, stomach pain and other side effects. Hypoglycemia, or extremely low blood sugar, is also very dangerous and can lead to fainting, dizziness, confusion, hunger, feeling sweaty or clammy, increased heartbeat and other serious life threatening problems that can be dealt with by adding some simple sugar to the system.

If your blood glucose levels remain too low, or too high, for a long period of time, this can cause what is called a diabetic coma.

So what happens when a person goes into a Diabetic Coma?

It is a life-threatening complication of diabetes that causes unconsciousness – if you don’t seek medical help immediately, this can be fatal. All people with diabetes are at risk of diabetic coma. The very first this you would do if faced with this situation is to call 911. This is an emergency situation.

Treatment for a diabetic coma

Hyperglycemic diabetic coma: Which is if you have extremely high blood sugar levels, the medical professional will administer insulin and rehydrate the patient.

Hypoglycemic diabetic coma: The patient would be injected with glucagon and give glucose.

How to Care for Extremely High Blood Sugar.

Monitoring your blood glucose levels constantly: helps diabetics to avoid the complications that can arise. This is done with a blood glucose meter. There are many different kinds of meters to choose from. Many of the meters available today are quite small and easy to use.

Most of the meters available have fast test times, only really require a tiny blood sample and you are able to download the results to keep good records of your levels.

Here’s some of the popular, portable and preferred pocket-sized meters you may want to look into:

Lifescan One Touch Ultraeasy
Abbott Diabetes Care Freestyle
Accu-Chek Mobile
Accu-Chek Aviva Nano
Truone by Home Diagnostics
Bayer’s contour Next USB

Diets can easily help with your extremely high blood sugar.

The correct diet for diabetes, will certainly help to lower your high blood glucose levels and maintain them. The foods you choose to eat can be so important to your overall health and wellbeing. What you eat can make an enormous difference to your blood sugar levels, to your cholesterol and also your blood pressure levels.

These days we are advised by our diabetes health care professionals to focus more on creating healthy eating patterns, lower in saturated fats and higher in fiber, and our overall weight control.

High Fiber Foods:

High fiber foods are beneficial as they have a low glycemic index. They regulate blood sugar metabolism and improve the health of the digestive system. A fiber-rich diet is generally lower in fat and sugar and makes you feel “fuller” for longer! You can find soluble fibers in oat bran, barley, fruits, vegetables, legumes, seed husks and flaxseed.

Plant Foods:

All fresh, whole, unprocessed plant foods are beneficial. Below are a few of these listed, that have been shown to improve blood sugar management.

Green tea
coffee
cocoa
black rice
Pumpkin, beans, eggplant
Blueberries, black currants, raspberries and strawberries

Protein Foods:

Animal proteins that contain very little carbohydrates will reduce the glycemic index of foods they are eaten with and help to stabilize your blood sugar levels. Lamb is a great option. Free range preferably organic chicken is a good source of protein – but the best you could probably get would be fish! Make sure it’s wild fish though, as fish farming is becoming an increasing problem with all the chemicals and the antibiotics used in the farming processes.

Exercise is Vital for Extremely High Blood sugar

I’m sure we could probably all gain from a few lifestyle changes – one of the main one being exercise! Some of these changes can certainly be challenging, but if you have diabetes, you really do need to make them a priority in your life. It’s no secret that losing those extra kilos and keeping them off, will definitely help to control your blood sugar levels. Apart form losing weight, regular exercise also increases insulin sensitivity. It’s recommended that a diabetic perform at least two and a half hours of medium to vigorous intensity exercise in a week. some examples would be fast walking, swimming, jogging, water aerobics.

So talk to your doctor about lowering your dangerously high blood sugar levels!.

What is Diabetes Menu Planning?

What is diabetes menu planning? For diabetics maintaining a safe low blood sugar is an absolute necessity! This can be done in a multitude of healthy ‘non-medication’ ways. Eating right is just one of them. This can also be done very well if the doctor looks over your meal plans.

Diabetes is a very serious condition that is taking the world by storm and kills most in third world countries. Today’s foods are absolutely stuffed with simple sugar. This and the fact that the defective diabetes gene is being passing on to more people is fueling it.

Diabetes is a very serious condition in where the body’s organ that is most commonly called the pancreas fails to produce the needed amounts of a vital hormone called insulin. Insulin is a vital chemical/hormone that the body must have to survive. It is needed to help fuel the body’s cells. Insulin binds with the blood sugar, also known as blood glucose, in the blood into a fuel the cells can use.

Without enough of it the blood sugar levels will begin to rise. The high blood sugar levels are known as diabetes, or hyperglycemia. Without enough insulin levels the body doesn’t get enough fuel. It also suffers permanent damage. The excess sugar levels in the blood can cause damage to the nerve, heart, kidney, and eye cells. This causes severe problems down the road of the diabetic’s life. So what is diabetes menu planning?

Diabetes menu planning is a wonderful tool for diabetics. This allows you to plan what your meals are going to be for a certain amount of time. Then take this to your doctor. He can then show you what to not eat or how to better prepare your food. This allows you to better control your blood sugar levels. So now you know what a diabetes menu plan involves.

What are diabetes testing meters used for?

What are diabetes testing meters used for? Diabetes testing meters are devices that allow diabetics to check their blood sugar levels at any time they need. This is extremely useful so they can keep a normal safe blood sugar level at almost any time, which is a life saver, literally. Diabetes is where the pancreas starts to slow or sometime stop in the production of a hormone called insulin. Insulin is an absolutely vital hormone. It makes all of the energy that you body has. This means that when your body doesn’t have insulin it doesn’t have energy. This is by the sugar that is in the blood stream becoming bonded with the insulin.

Without this binding the sugar cannot be used by the cells. So if insulin levels are low, blood sugar is high. When it reaches a certain point it becomes a poison and starts to damage the body. The damage most associated with hyperglycemia is heart damage, nerve damage, eye damage, and kidney damage. Of which they all lead to a slow death, so using diabetes testing meters are a have to in order to stay healthy.

Diabetes testing meters are small handheld machines that are used to measure blood sugar. The unit uses test strips to do this. First a small sample of blood is taken and is placed in a test strip. The chemical reactions that happen inside of the test strip are read by the glucose meter. This then gives a excellent (and very accurate) glucose reading on a small screen. This allows people to check their blood sugar at any time and anywhere. So you should talk to your doctor about a new glucose meter or to your local diabetic testing meters dealer for more information.