{"id":10,"date":"2018-03-19T06:47:14","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T06:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diabetics.guide\/?p=10"},"modified":"2021-08-17T17:17:01","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T17:17:01","slug":"10-signs-of-high-blood-sugar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diabetics.guide\/10-signs-of-high-blood-sugar\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Signs of High Blood Sugar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"High blood sugar, sometimes referred to as hyperglycemia<\/a>, is a big concern for people with diabetes. Frequent or recurring high blood sugar can cause damage to your body, including your organs, vessels, and blood. High blood sugar can lead to other serious health complications and conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n

You ought to treat high blood sugar as soon as possible to help stave off any health complications. High blood sugar can arise from a number of things, including skipping your insulin, having an infection, coming down with an illness, being under a lot of stress, not exercising enough, or exercising too hard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the early signs and symptoms of high blood sugar include excessive thirst, trouble focusing, blurred vision, frequent urination, fatigue, weight loss, and headaches. Frequent or recurring high blood sugar can lead to bad vision, nerve damage, stomach problems, and a lot more. Let\u2019s look in-depth at some of the signs and symptoms of high blood sugar.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Headaches<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Headaches are the most common pain complaint in the world, and it can be hard to determine if your headaches are coming from high blood sugar. Headaches alone aren\u2019t necessarily harmful, but they can signal that your blood sugar is outside of your target range. The best way to put a stop to these headaches is with medication that brings your blood sugar into your target range.<\/span><\/p>\n

The headaches usually disappear if you do that. Most people want to bring their blood sugar into their target range, because the headaches associated with diabetes can be moderate to severe in nature, and they occur frequently. It\u2019s like a little alarm always going off, reminding you that you need to get your blood sugar in your target range.<\/span><\/p>\n

OTC pain relievers<\/a> can also help in the short term. Some pain relievers, like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, are a good short-term solution. However, you shouldn\u2019t rely on them in the long term. Getting to the root of the problem is the only long-term solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"2. Fatigue<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Exhaustion, fatigue, weakness, and tiredness<\/a> are all symptoms of high blood sugar.<\/span><\/p>\n

More often than not, though, they\u2019re just associated with high blood sugar. If you have prediabetes or diabetes, and the glucose has trouble making it into your cells, then you\u2019re going to feel tired. Your cells use glucose for energy, and when that process breaks down, you just can\u2019t get the energy you need. This is more than just not getting enough sleep the night before. The feeling is much stronger than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a feeling of being persistently tired, low, drained, and downright exhausted. Serious fatigue is also a sign of other illnesses, like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, cancer, and hormonal disorders. If you\u2019re suffering from fatigue independent of sufficient sleep, a proper diet, and a healthy lifestyle, it\u2019s time to see a physician so he or she can determine the root of it. When you have fatigue from high blood sugar, your blood has become sludgy and thick, and it has trouble getting your cells the oxygen and nutrients they need.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"3. Excessive Thirst<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Excessive thirst is one of the telltale signs of high blood sugar. In fact, if you have excessive thirst, excessive urination, and excessive hunger, then you have all three of the major signs of prediabetes and diabetes. If you just go to the bathroom a lot and are always hungry and thirsty, it doesn\u2019t mean you have diabetes, but it is something to look into. There are a lot of conditions that cause excessive thirst.<\/span><\/p>\n

You might have a cold<\/a>, the flu, vomiting, and diarrhea-related dehydration, dehydration from strenuous exercise or hot weather, or even allergies. Plus, excessive thirst from diabetes can happen so slowly that you don\u2019t notice it. Basically, when too much glucose builds up in the blood, your kidneys have to work extra hard and expel it.<\/span><\/p>\n

They will try as hard as they can to dispense with that excess glucose, and that means you\u2019ll have frequent urination. Frequent urination will lead to excessive thirst. You\u2019ll be dehydrated and need to drink water more frequently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"4. Blurred Vision<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Blurred vision is one of the common signs of diabetes. You can also experience permanent damage to the eyes and even blindness<\/a>, but that\u2019s something else entirely. Garden variety blurred vision usually goes away when you get your blood sugar in your target range. High blood sugar causes the lens of your eye to swell up, and that hurts your ability to see. Extremely low blood sugar can also impair your vision, and it can even cause you to have double vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Permanent eye damage, or diabetic retinopathy, is one of the major complications of diabetes, so it can be kind of scary when you experience it. Don\u2019t think the worst, though. Blurred vision from high blood sugar is usually temporary and reversible. Once you get your blood sugar in your target range, you\u2019ll be seeing clearly from there on out. Just keep it there in that target range with the right medication and doctor on your side.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"5. Excessive Urination<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

When there is too much glucose in the blood, like when you have high blood sugar or diabetes, the body will react by trying to flush out as much of it as possible. This causes more frequent urination and more urine volume, and you also have an increased risk of urinary tract infections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Excessive thirst and excessive urination go hand-in-hand, and if you experience the two of them together, you might want to check with your doctor to see if it\u2019s from high blood sugar or diabetes. Those are two of the telltale signs of diabetes. High blood sugar and symptoms like these can also be signs of prediabetes<\/a>. It is not inevitable that prediabetes will develop into diabetes, and it is a reversible condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re teetering on the edge of prediabetes, and don\u2019t want to develop full-blown diabetes, then start eating the right foods, changing your bad lifestyle, and doing whatever it takes to keep your blood sugar in the right range. If you\u2019re peeing too often, you can take measures to control it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"6. Excessive Hunger<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Excessive hunger, also known as polyphagia, is the result of abnormally high blood glucose levels<\/a>. When glucose can\u2019t get into the cells – either because of low insulin or because your body\u2019s resistant to insulin – then you feel hungry and tired all the time. Your cells just aren\u2019t getting the energy they need, so your body is telling you to eat.<\/span><\/p>\n

It makes total sense. Just eating won\u2019t solve the problem, because that will only increase the high blood glucose levels. The best way to lower blood sugar levels is with strenuous exercise because that will stimulate the production of insulin.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having polyphagia is like starving in the land of bounty and feasting. No matter how much food you eat, the glucose just can\u2019t get into your cells. You could also feel fatigued and tired because your body isn\u2019t getting the energy it needs. Polyphagia is also called hyperphagia, and it refers to excessive hunger and excessive consumption of food.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"7. Difficulty Focusing<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The inability to concentrate can be very frustrating<\/a>, but that is one of the symptoms of high blood sugar. When glucose can\u2019t get into your cells, and when your blood is thick and sludgy from excess glucose, it can\u2019t carry the nutrients and oxygen into your cells. Feeling foggy, tired, unproductive, lousy, and less capable are some of the mental symptoms associated with high blood sugar.<\/span><\/p>\n

It can be deeply frustrating for someone who was very productive before starting going downhill when the mental symptoms of high blood sugar kick in. You might have seemed like a totally different person before, and now you\u2019re functioning at 50-75% of your capacity.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not fun, and it can make you feel bad about yourself. You might be less productive at the office, and it can hurt your job performance. The good news is that the mental symptoms usually disappear when you get your blood sugar into your target range.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"8. Dry Mouth<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Xerostomia<\/a>, or dry mouth, is a common symptom of high blood sugar. It\u2019s a common symptom of both type 1 and types 2 diabetes. But a lot of people with dry mouth don\u2019t have high blood sugar, type 1 diabetes, or type 2 diabetes. Not everyone with diabetes will experience dry mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

The exact reason people with diabetes get dry mouth is unknown, but it is thought that high blood sugar plays a role. Some medicines that treat diabetes can also cause dry mouth. The symptoms of dry mouth include a rough tongue, cracked or chapped lips, pain in the mouth, a lack of wetness in the mouth, and trouble with chewing, talking, or swallowing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dehydration, mouth breathing, and kidney dialysis are also causes of dry mouth. Dry mouth is a symptom commonly seen with the other telltale signs of blood sugar, which are excessive thirst and excessive urination. Dry mouth can also make your breath smell worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"9. Unexplained Weight Loss<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you have sudden weight loss<\/a> not associated with diet, exercise, or radical lifestyle changes, it could indicate a serious health problem. When you have too much glucose in the blood because your body doesn\u2019t have sufficient insulin to get the glucose into the body\u2019s cells for energy, your body starts burning fat and muscle to use as energy.<\/span><\/p>\n

All that hard work you\u2019ve put in at the gym could go down the drain if your body is beginning to use fat and muscle for energy. Your body doesn\u2019t really have a choice if it can\u2019t get energy from glucose. Put a stop to it \u2013 and save those precious muscles and gym gains \u2013 by talking to your doctor about insulin treatment or inquiring whether you have prediabetes or diabetes. You want to make sure that your body is manufacturing energy the right way, not using your fat and muscle to power you through the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"10. Numbness, burning and tingling in the hands, arms, legs, and feet<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

We all experience some numbness and tingling<\/a> in our fingers, arms, toes, and legs. Maybe we slept on our arm the wrong way, or we\u2019ve been sitting down too long. That is not the kind of numbness and tingling you see with high blood sugar. The technical term for this condition in people with diabetes is diabetic neuropathy.<\/span><\/p>\n

You could experience mild pain and numbness in your fingers and toes, and you could also have damage to your eyes, internal organs, feet, legs, arms, and more. If you\u2019re concerned about ongoing pain and numbness in any part of your body, consult your doctor to see whether high blood sugar is to blame.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your doctor is going to be able to rule out less and more serious causes. There are countless causes for numbness and tingling in your extremities and different parts of your body, and high blood sugar is just one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n

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