High blood sugar in diabetes

Your body turns the food you eat into glucose (sugar), which it uses for energy. But if your body isn't able to use the sugar right away, it can build up in your blood and lead to high blood sugar.

When the amount of sugar in your blood stays too high for too much of the time, you may have diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that can cause serious health problems.

The good news is that lifestyle changes may help you get your blood sugar back to normal and avoid or delay diabetes.

You may have mild symptoms if your blood sugar levels are consistently higher than your target range (usually 200 to 350 mg/dL in adults). Common symptoms include:

• Increased thirst.
• Increased urination.
• Weight loss.
• Fatigue.

You may have moderate to severe symptoms if your blood sugar levels are consistently high (usually above 350 mg/dL in adults). These symptoms include:

• Blurred vision.
• Extreme thirst.
• Lightheadedness.
• Flushed, hot, dry skin.
• Restlessness, drowsiness, or difficulty waking up.

People who produce little or no insulin (those with type 1 diabetes or some with type 2 diabetes) may also have:

• Rapid, deep breathing.
• A fast heart rate and a weak pulse.
• A strong, fruity breath odor.
• Loss of appetite, belly pain, and/or vomiting.

If your blood sugar levels continue to rise, you may:

• Become confused and sluggish.
• Pass out (lose consciousness) if your blood sugar levels are very high.

If your blood sugar is often higher than your target range, your doctor may do tests to check your blood sugar and ketones. If you take diabetes medicine, the doctor may ask how often you take it. You may be asked about your eating, activity, and other medicines you take that could affect blood sugar.

You can take steps to lower your blood sugar level if you understand what makes it get higher. Your doctor may want you to learn how to test your blood sugar level at home. Then you can see how illness, stress, or different kinds of food or medicine raise or lower your blood sugar level.

Other tests may be needed to see if you have diabetes.

If you have symptoms of high blood sugar, check your blood sugar. Your goal is to get your level back to your target range.

Here are ways you can treat high blood sugar.

• If you missed a dose of your diabetes medicine, take it now. Take only the amount of medicine that you have been prescribed. Do not take more or less medicine.
• Give yourself insulin if your doctor has prescribed it for high blood sugar.
• Test for ketones, if your doctor told you to do so. If the results of the ketone test show a moderate to large amount of ketones, call the doctor for advice.
• Wait 30 minutes after you take the extra insulin or the missed medicine. Check your blood sugar again.