HYPERGLYCEMIA IN DIABETES (HIGH BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS)

One of the most difficult situations to manage as a diabetic is the high blood sugar levels “highs” known as hyperglycemia. This is what this post will be about; discussing the causes of hyperglycemia and ways to help you manage it.

WHAT IS HYPERGLYCEMIA?

Hyperglycemia can be described as having excess glucose in the bloodstream.

We believe every diabetic should be aware of the consequences of having high blood sugar levels for long periods of time. The main complication is that the vessels that supply blood to the most important and critical organs can be damaged by continuous high blood sugar, increasing the risk of stroke and heart diseases, along with kidney diseases and vision and nerve problems.

Now that we know how this hyperglycemia situation can impact our future health, let’s jump into what cause the sugar to spike. There are several situations that can cause a high blood sugar level and below we explain the ones that are the most common.

SUGAR/CARBOHYDRATES

To start with, eating too much sugar and too many carbs in general will increase the risk of having highs more often. The reason is, carbohydrates are essentially transformed into glucose once they get into our body. The ideal situation would be to always take the right amount of insulin per the amount of carbohydrates you are ingesting. However, we all know this can be a very hard thing to do simply because carbohydrates are very misleading and hard to manage.

Consuming carbohydrates along with other types of macronutrients such as protein or fats and foods that contain fiber, will regulate that insulin peak that can be caused due to the carbohydrates themselves. We recommend for instance, eating a pizza along with a salad or some vegetables; or eating pasta also with some nuts, protein or a salad as well. This mix really helps to even out the peak we try to prevent when consuming carbohydrates.

Also, another suggestion is to take your insulin doses in advance
(15-30 min prior), allowing the insulin to begin its work prior to start eating. Obviously, taking your insulin in advance before eating must be only in situations when your glucose levels are either stable or high, but never when experiencing a hypoglycemia (low sugar levels below 70 mg/dL) since this will make your sugar levels to drop even lower.

INSULIN

Another major reason to experience hyperglycemias is forgetting to take the insulin medicine required or simply not taking enough of it. This can be a very common situation when it comes to special events such as dining out, going to parties, experiencing new types of foods, etc. Therefore, the more you can keep your meals under control with meal prep or simply being familiar with the portions and foods you are eating, it will drastically help manage those highs.

LACK OF ACTIVITY & OTHERS

Becoming inactive or exercising less than usual will also cause your glucose to rise. Generally, exercise requires more glucose during the activity, helping your blood sugar levels to lower. However, depending on the activity such as heavy weight lifting or high intense exercise, your blood sugar levels will tend to rise. (We will discuss this topic more in depth in an upcoming post in this section).

Other situations such as high stress or illness will also rise your sugar levels.

Hope this post has helped you understand what hyperglycemias are and what are the main causes of it. As a quick tip, we recommend you to always check your blood sugar at least 7 times a day, specially before meals and 1-2 hours after meals.

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