Hyperglycemia is what happens when your blood sugar level is too high. The fastest way to keep it down is to take insulin. Exercising is also another way to lower your blood sugar.
There are also times when you have to go to the hospital instead of trying to manage it at home.
When your blood sugar levels are too high and insulin levels too low it can become diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA. This is considered a medical emergency. The symptoms are shortness of breath, fruity-smelling breath, nausea, vomiting, and a very dry mouth.
If you’re not sure what to do, you need to call your doctor so he or she can instruct you on administering an insulin dose, and whether or not you have to go to the emergency room.
This article dives deeper on ways to lower your blood sugar fast, when you need to be in the emergency room, and how to manage blood sugar.
When you treat your emergency fast, you prevent complications such as going into DKA.
Many doctors say the response can be as easy as drinking water or eating a high protein meal.
But you can never go wrong with taking insulin fast. High blood sugar happens when your body has too little insulin or your body doesn’t use insulin properly. Injecting insulin can bring your blood sugar level down fast.
Learn which rapid-acting insulin you should be taking when your blood sugar gets too high.
You can check your blood sugar after 15 minutes or half an hour after you take your insulin to make sure your blood sugar really is going down.
Exercising is a fast way to know what you really need at the moment to help you achieve health balance.
Exercising will lower your blood sugar for at least 24 hours. Exercising makes your body sensitive to insulin.
Physical activity will tell your body it needs energy. The cells will start to deliver glucose into your muscles and your blood sugar will drop.
For this to work out, you need an exercise that will get your heart pumping fast like walking at a quick pace.
Check your urine for ketones. If it has ketones, don’t exercise, as this will make your blood sugar spike faster.
Your doctor will tell you to check your blood sugar before you exercise, especially if you have type 1 diabetes. It’s very much possible to check your ketone levels at home with at-home urine testing kits.
Short bursts of strenuous activity will increase your blood sugar levels briefly.
If you have high ketone levels, do not exercise, and do things like walking instead.
Having high blood sugar means your body will start to burn fat instead of blood glucose. It can cause a lot of complications, and can even lead to death.
If you confirm you have ketones in your urine with a urine dipstick test you need to go to the emergency room.
Other symptoms to watch out for are confusion, thirst, abnormally frequent urination, nausea, shortness of breath, stomach pain, and vomiting.
When you have high blood sugar levels it will cause a fluid imbalance in your body and your blood will become too acidic to make you exist healthily.
To treat this, the doctor will administer intravenous insulin continuously, as well as IV fluids to help with the dehydration.
When You Should See The Doctor
When your blood sugar goes above 300 mg/dL, it’s already dangerous. That’s milligrams per deciliter. You need to call your doctor if it reads that number or more two times in a row.
Watch out for the symptoms above. A diabetes specialist is called an endocrinologist. Visit your hospital’s staff office to inquire about endocrinologists in the building.
The Complications
If you leave chronic high blood pressure untreated for too long, it can lead to complications like nerve damage, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, kidney problems, and heart problems.
Keep your blood sugar managed so these complications don’t occur.
You’ll need to talk to your doctor about the range of blood sugar and glucose levels you need to maintain.
Diabetes is manageable by eating a consistent diet. Stay away from carbs and sugar and always opt for whole grains if you can’t help it. Go for vegetables and proteins. Choose fruits like avocado instead of high-fructose ones.
Get into a comfortable and non-painful exercise regimen. You can start to improve your stamina more if you can without getting yourself to the emergency room.
If you feel stress in your daily life, treat it with meditation, journaling, listening to music, short walks, hydration, and restful sleep.
Have a good relationship with your doctor, and maintain a healthy weight. Always keep your medication and insulin regimen in check.
Summary
To lower your blood sugar immediately, you only have to administer insulin. You can also try exercising.
If you detect ketones in your urine through a test, you may find the need to go to the emergency room.
The ADA helpline for diabetes is 1-800-342-2383.
Want to Keep Reading?
Continue reading with a Health Confidential membership.
