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Sometimes with a diabetic, blood sugar levels rise or fall rapidly. If the glucose concentration is too high, it is called hyperglycemia, if it is too low - hypoglycemia. Sugar spikes - both low blood sugar and too much sugar in the blood are dangerous situations for your he alth. How can you prevent them?

Sugar spikes( hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia ) happen not only to diabetics, but in diabetics they are especially dangerous. And it is not just a diabetic coma, but above all that rapidly changing blood sugar levels can damage small blood vessels in various organs and lead to deterioration of their work. There is still some sugar in our blood. By examining its concentration, we check the so-called glycaemia. When we are fasting, the correct one is 60-125 mg%.

Hypoglycemia, i.e. too low sugar level

Hypoglycemiait is the so-called low blood sugar, which is too low blood glucose. This is the state whereblood sugar levelis lower than 60 mg%.

Hypoglycaemia most often occurs when a person with diabetes:

  • takes too much insulin or a drug that lowers blood sugar,
  • make any eating mistakes, e.g. skip the main meal or suddenly reduce the amount of food,
  • starts to lose weight rapidly,
  • will make a lot of physical effort and will not take it into account in planning the meal and the dose of the drug.

If the blood sugar level drops slowly, we usually have a headache, we are tired, irritable, we may have problems with concentration and balance, blurred vision, we may feel weak. When hypoglycemia occurs quickly, we usually experience muscle tremors, agitation, nervousness, profuse sweating, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and no hunger. Very severe hypoglycaemia which is not responded to quickly often leads to unconsciousness, fits and life-threatening coma. Almost all severe hypoglycaemia can be prevented by following your he althcare professional's advice and avoiding situations that could lead to low blood sugar. Nocturnal hypoglycaemia can be prevented, for example, by reducing the dose of night-acting insulin or by eating an extra meal at bedtime containing slow-absorbing protein and carbohydrates (cottage cheese or lean meats withbread).

Important

A person with diabetes should always carry a badge (e.g. a bracelet or a pendant around their neck) with the information that they have diabetes, may have hypoglycaemia, need quick sugar injection and emergency services. This will make it possible to come to the rescue if, for example, he collapses on the street.

Hyperglycemia, i.e. too high blood sugar

Too high blood sugar is hyperglycemia. When it exceeds 180 mg%, sugar may also appear in the urine. Such a high increase in blood glucose usually occurs as a result of neglect of self-control (e.g. too low dose of insulin, missed injection or not taking an oral drug), dietary errors (too much carbohydrate in a meal), insufficient physical activity, due to other illness (e.g. an infection with high fever) or the use of certain medications, and alcohol abuse. With hyperglycemia, we first feel very thirsty while urinating in large amounts. We are tired, weak and sleepy. We lose our appetite, we lose weight. We may have nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and headache, burning sensation in the mouth, reddening of the skin, increased heart rate. Hyperglycaemia is usually preventable. You just need to systematically control your blood sugar, take medications and follow the recommendations of the diabetologist. Heal all additional diseases.

Quick help in case of low sugar or too high sugar level

  • With hypoglycemia A person with diabetes should have glucagon - a hormone that quickly raises blood glucose levels. If she is conscious she should give herself an injection. If glucagon is not on hand, she needs to eat or drink something sweet quickly. On the other hand, when the patient has lost consciousness and does not give himself an injection, someone should call a doctor and during this time make an injection - subcutaneously or intramuscularly - of glucagon (1-2 mg).
  • With hyperglycemia A person with diabetes should take a dose of insulin to normalize blood glucose and drink water (nothing sweet!). A doctor needs to be called to assess whether there is a risk of keto coma.

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Category:

Diabetes