If you live with diabetes, you know that managing your blood sugar levels within close ranges can be difficult.
Especially if you are struggling to decipher the blood glucose levels between high blood glucose (high) and low blood glucose levels.
Even more confusingly, the symptoms of both conditions can be very similar.
So, how do you communicate the difference between hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia?
This article explains both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, symptoms, and how to communicate the differences between the two when it is most important.
What is hyperglycemia?
Hyperglycemia is also known as hyperglycemia, which means blood glucose levels are higher than normal. This can occur in people with or without diabetes.
Normal blood glucose levels may vary, but in people without diabetes after fasting, blood glucose levels (no food for at least 2 hours) are usually below 99 mg/dL.
100-125 mg/dl indicates prediabetes, fasting indicates diabetes, but anything above 125 mg/dL.
For people without diabetes, hyperglycemia episodes are short-lived.
However, people with diabetes usually need to exercise or take prescribed medication to lower their blood sugar levels.
People with diabetes can have very high blood sugar levels, which can turn into diabetic ketosidosis (DKA), which can be life-threatening if not treated.
What causes hyperglycemia?
For people who do not have diabetes, higher than normal blood sugar levels are usually caused by eating drugs like sugar or steroids.
For people with diabetes, hyperglycemia is the direct result of too little or no endogenous insulin in the bloodstream (which makes the pancreas produce insulin);
Having diabetes means that your default blood sugar will always be high without the right medication to defeat it.
Acute hyperglycemic episodes are caused by:
- Eat too little sugar or carbohydrates with too little insulin or medicine
- There’s not enough exercise
- Suffering from illness or infection
- Experience with insulin resistance
- I’m feeling stressed
- Too little sleep
- Specific drugs
- dehydration
In fact, more than 42 different variables can cause changes in blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.
What are the symptoms of hyperglycemia?
Symptoms of hyperglycemia are exactly the same as many people experience when diagnosed with diabetes, including but not limited to:
- Extreme thirst
- Dry the mouth
- Frequent urination
- Fruity scented breath
- Fatigue
- headache
- Body pain
- Haze
- In extreme cases, weight loss
- If it is extremely long-term, it cannot be cured from infection
- In extreme cases, DKA
If you have experienced any of these symptoms and have existing diabetes, check for ketones immediately and seek medical attention.
If you have experienced any of these symptoms and have not been diagnosed with diabetes, call your doctor immediately for a test for diabetes.
What is hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia is also known as hypoglycemia.
This occurs when the bloodstream contains too little glucose for the body to function properly.
This can occur in people with or without diabetes.
Hypoglycemia levels may vary. However, those below 70 mg/dL are considered low in people with or without diabetes.
People who experience hypoglycemia need all forms of glucose (sugar) to return blood sugar to normal ranges.
If you have a not-so-poor hypoglycemic level, eating between 15-20 grams of carbohydrates will cause someone to return to normal range, but that depends on the person.
If you are unsure of the number of carbohydrates you need to treat typical hypoglycemic levels, check with your doctor.
It is more common to experience severe hypoglycemia when taking exogenous insulin (taken via insulin injections or through an insulin pump).
The liver usually discards glucose into the bloodstream to prevent catastrophic low levels.
If a person with diabetes is experiencing severe hypoglycemia and the liver does not do this, an infusion of hormone glucagon (available in a pen or inhaler) will be required.
This can cause the liver to cause the liver, releasing glucose into the bloodstream, and save lives.
Unfortunately, 25% of type 1 diabetes (and those with type 2 diabetes) are unaware that they cannot detect hypoglycemia.
What causes hypoglycemia?
In people without diabetes, hypoglycemia can be the result of fasting, low-carbohydrate diet, intense exercise, or certain medications.
In people with diabetes, hypoglycemia is the following:
- You’re taking too many insulin or other diabetic medications
- Too few carbohydrates
- Drinking alcohol
- Changes in insulin regimen or medication
- Unexpected changes to schedule
- Hot and humid weather
Even if hypoglycemic levels can be detected, it is important to be able to recognize symptoms of hypoglycemic levels before they become more serious.
What are the symptoms of hypoglycemia?
Symptoms of hypoglycemia may vary, but usually include:
- Shakakkes
- sweating
- confusion
- Fatigue
- Fast Heartbeat
- Dizziness
- Hungry
- anxiety
- In extreme cases, diabetes com sleep
- In extreme cases, death
How can you communicate the difference between high and low blood sugar levels?
In some cases, symptoms of high and hypoglycemic levels may mimic each other. Especially if it occurs overnight when you are not awake on alert.
Confusion and fatigue affect people when blood sugar levels are high and low.
However, experiencing muscle pain with lethargy is a classic hyperglycemia.
Feeling anxiety and tension with rapid heartbeat and sweat is a classic hypoglycemia.
If you have problems deciphering between the two, it is helpful to wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), especially for overnight blood glucose levels.
If you don’t (or can’t) wear CGM, frequent testing of your blood sugar levels will help you see what symptoms you are experiencing.
Furthermore, if you struggle with noticing, getting a Diabetes Alert Dog (DAD) trained to detect both hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic levels can help you detect and treat these episodes before they become medical emergency.
Many people are unable to detect differences in hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, or hyperglycemia levels when diabetes management is slowed or blood glucose levels are not controlled very tightly.
By closely monitoring your blood sugar levels and treating higher blood sugar more aggressively, you will begin to feel symptoms of hyperglycemia early.
The same advice applies to hypoglycemia levels.
If you start treatment for a glucose episode when your glucose reaches 80 mg/dl instead of 70 mg/dL, you may feel it when your glucose is approaching 80 mg/dl, rather than not experiencing symptoms until your glucose reaches the more dangerous 60 mg/dl.
If you are worried that you may not feel your highs and lows, talk to your doctor and see the recommendations they may have for you.
Prevention
It is best to prevent both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia as much as possible. Monitor your blood sugar levels carefully and treat both high and low levels before any problems arise.
Take all prescribed diabetes medications and try to manage your sleep, physical activity, diet and stress in a healthy way.
Keep a food journal and note how you feel after eating certain foods or doing certain activities, especially if you have issues with high or hypoglycemia levels after eating certain foods.
Try the best thing to manage your diabetes and yours.
Stay consistent when it comes to exercise, activities, diet and medication timing.
Seek support from family and friends and speak up with your doctor about what is (and not) working when it comes to diabetes management.
Remember, it’s your life and if something isn’t working, you are always allowed (and encouraged) to change it!
Conclusion
People with or without diabetes can experience high blood sugar (high) and low blood sugar levels.
Fasting hyperglycemia levels in people without diabetes are above 99 mg/dL, and high fasting blood glucose levels in diabetic patients are above 125 mg/dL.
Hypoglycemia levels are below 70 mg/dL, with or without diabetes.
High blood sugar levels and hypoglycemia levels can be a variety of causes, but for people with insulin-dependent diabetes, it is usually a problem that takes too much insulin (hyperglycemia) or too little insulin (hyperglycemia).
Both levels can be dangerous to your health, so it is important to notice each of your symptoms and act accordingly.
Symptoms of hyperglycemia include thirst, frequent urination, muscle pain, and fatigue.
Symptoms of hypoglycemia include anxiety, tension, sweating and fatigue.
Because some of the symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia overlap, it is important to check your blood glucose levels frequently and frequently to see what symptoms you are experiencing.
Additionally, using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) may be useful. If you are struggling to be unaware, use a Diabetes Alert Dog (DAD) that can sense high and low blood sugar levels.
It is important to take precautions to avoid dangerously high blood sugar and hypoglycemia levels.
Always take medication as prescribed, carry snacks, treat hypoglycemia, stay on schedule, and try to create healthy sleep, stress management and exercise routines.
Consult your doctor about concerns about frequent hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia levels and how to help treat and prevent them.
