This content originally appeared on On a regular basis Health. Republished with permission.
By Sheryl Huggins Salomon
Medically Reviewed by Sandy Bassin, MD of American College of Lifestyle Medicine on August 5, 2023
Blood sugar (glucose) control is crucial if you’re living with type 2 diabetes. Dips and spikes cannot only make you’re feeling cranky and sluggish, but they may wreak havoc in your personal health. (No wonder your primary care doctor was on you about your last A1C checkup.)
Essentially the most serious effects of blood sugar swings are a better risk for diabetes-related health complications similar to stroke, heart disease, and nerve damage (neuropathy).
For the record, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) notes that you’ve got diabetes if certainly one of the next applies to you:
- Your blood glucose after fasting (and before a meal) is 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) or higher.
- Your blood glucose two hours after eating a meal is 200 mg/dl or higher.
- Your hemoglobin A1C (a two- to three-month average measure of how much glucose attaches to the hemoglobin in your red blood cells) is 6.5 percent or higher.
One tricky part with type 2 diabetes is that you could not feel it when blood sugar levels are too high, in line with the ADA. It feels different for everybody. “Not everyone may have the identical symptoms, and a few individuals may have no symptoms in any respect,” says Lori Zanini, RD, CDE, a Los Angeles–based and dietitian and creator of The Diabetes Cookbook and Meal Plan for the Newly Diagnosed.
RELATED: The Best and Worst Foods to Eat in a Type 2 Diabetes Food plan
Because blood sugar management is so necessary to your overall health with type 2 diabetes, it’s essential take motion for those who think your levels could also be uncontrolled, even for those who’re feeling totally wonderful.
“Symptoms of uncontrolled diabetes may not appear until prolonged hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) has been present,” says Mary Ann Emanuele, MD, an endocrinologist, professor, and medical director of inpatient diabetes at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. She adds that in case your healthcare team determines your glucose isn’t well controlled, adjusting your medication with their help could make a difference.
RELATED: When Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Fails, What’s Next?
‘Controlled’ Means Different Things to Different People
There’s no one-size-fits-all suggestion for blood sugar control.
The ADA says that a “reasonable” goal for a lot of nonpregnant adults is to aim for an A1C level of lower than 7 percent. Yet some patients could also be given a more stringent goal by their healthcare providers, similar to 6.5 percent, if that’s reachable without harmful unintended effects, including hypoglycemia.
Alternatively, for those who are elderly, managing other health complications, or reliant on insulin, you could be given less stringent goals. “It really becomes more necessary to only keep [levels] in the identical place,” says Rahil Bandukwala, DO, an endocrinologist at MemorialCare South County Kidney and Endocrine Center in Laguna Hills, California. “Keeping A1C between 7.5 and eight.5 could be very reasonable for such a patient,” Dr. Bandukwala adds, echoing the ADA’s recommendations.
Because elderly persons are more prone to have blood sugar that swings too far downward, with fewer warning signs, managing their glucose too tightly can put them at greater risk for hypoglycemia, says Bandukwala. When you’ve got low blood sugar, you’re at a better risk for becoming dizzy and falling or passing out, notes the ADA.
RELATED: 10 Warning Signs of Low Blood Sugar
How (and When) to Check Your Blood Sugar Levels
As Dr. Emanuele says, glucose monitoring will be a vital tool to assist you to get your blood sugar under control. Typically, you’d do it yourself using a glucose meter or glucometer, which analyzes a drop of blood that you simply draw by sticking your finger with a lancet and placing the blood on a disposable test strip that you simply insert into the meter. Your blood sugar goals are set by you and your doctor, but blood glucose for an adult without diabetes is below 100 mg/dl before meals and at fasting; and lower than 140 mg/dl two hours after a meal, notes the ADA.
Some people will check their blood sugar day by day or multiple times a day, sometimes using a continuous monitor that’s worn on the body — particularly those that have type 1 diabetes or who’ve type 2 but take insulin. Yet how often an individual should monitor their blood sugar is predicated on various aspects, including (but not limited to) whether or not they’re on insulin, whether or not they’re taking oral medication, and the way well their blood sugar is controlled and the way old they’re.
“It’s a person discussion with each patient, but generally I tell my patients with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar is controlled that they don’t need to envision it on daily basis,” says Bandukwala. “In the event that they have a glucometer and so they want to envision it, then I’ll tell them they’ll do a paired reading once per week, which implies a fasting (before eating) reading after which one other reading one to 2 hours after a meal (postprandial).” Checking too often can result in unwarranted panic over day by day fluctuations, in addition to unnecessary pain from too-frequent lancet pricks, he adds.
The American Academy of Family Physicians is among the many organizations advising that day by day glucose self-testing has no profit in patients with type 2 diabetes who are usually not on insulin or medications related to hypoglycemia.
RELATED: 10 Ways to Higher Control Blood Sugar After Eating
Meanwhile, keep an eye fixed out for these nine key warning signs and symptoms that blood sugar is simply too high — and talk over with your doctor about whether it’s essential adjust your management plan.
1 — Being Extra Thirsty and Having to Urinate More Than Usual
It is a common but not-so-obvious sign of blood sugar that is simply too high: feeling really thirsty and needing to drink greater than usual. “Excessive urination, referred to as polyuria, occurs when glucose builds up in your blood, and your kidneys begin working harder to do away with the additional glucose,” says Zanini. In case your kidneys can’t sustain and adjust blood sugar in order that it returns to a traditional level, the surplus sugar is flushed out of your body through urine, she adds. You might change into dehydrated and get dizzy.
RELATED: Can Chronic Dehydration Result in Type 2 Diabetes?
2 — You’re Hungrier Than Usual but Losing Weight
Many individuals with uncontrolled high blood sugar find that they’re hungrier than usual, which signals a symptom called polyphagia, MedlinePlus notes. And although you’re eating more, you could be shedding weight for no apparent reason in case your blood sugar levels are too high, in line with the Cleveland Clinic.
“Since your body is just not getting energy from the popular source, glucose, it has to show to muscle and fat,” Zanini explains. “When your body starts breaking down muscle and fat for energy, you experience unintentional and unhealthy weight reduction.” Along with these changes in weight and appetite, you could notice weakness in your muscles and experience more frequent falls, Emanuele adds.
3 — You Feel Tiredness and Fatigue Consistently
Fatigue and extreme tiredness are symptoms of uncontrolled blood sugar, the ADA says. “Simply put, when your body is just not processing insulin properly or it doesn’t have sufficient amounts of insulin, the sugar is staying in our blood relatively than stepping into our cells for use for energy,” Zanini says. Also, frequent urination can result in dehydration, which Bandukwala identifies as one other contributing factor to fatigue.
RELATED: Why Does Type 2 Diabetes Make You Feel So Drained?
4 — You Have Noticeably Blurry Vision and Frequent Headaches
You might notice that your vision isn’t as clear because it was and that things may appear a bit blurry. High blood sugar levels can result in swollen lenses in your eye from fluid leaking in, in line with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). This changes the form of the lens, which makes it unable to properly focus, causing blurred vision. You might also end up struggling at work, having difficulty driving, and affected by frequent headaches, Emanuele notes.
RELATED: How Diabetes Can Damage Your Eyes
5 — You Develop Sores That Are likely to Heal More Slowly Than Usual
Cuts, scrapes, bruises, and other wounds heal more slowly within the presence of uncontrolled blood sugar, in line with the NIDDK. Diabetes causes nerve damage and affects circulation, especially within the lower legs and feet, which might delay healing because there isn’t enough blood flow to the world. Even minor wounds are more vulnerable to infections, which might change into very serious and even end in amputations of the foot. You might notice drainage seeping onto your socks or an unpleasant smell for those who develop a foot ulcer, notes the American Podiatric Medical Association.
RELATED: 11 Tricks to Protect Your Feet and Legs if You Have Diabetes
6 — You Notice Tingling and Numbness in Your Hands or Feet
As mentioned, uncontrolled blood sugar could cause nerve damage, also referred to as diabetic neuropathy. What you could notice is a tingling sensation and even numbness in your hands and feet. Some people experience pain of their hands and feet as well, and the pain is commonly worse at night. Though neuropathy is commonest in individuals who have had diabetes for a very long time, it may occur in anyone with poorly controlled diabetes.
RELATED: 4 Great Exercises for People Managing Diabetes-Related Neuropathy
7 — You’re Developing Blisters, Dryness, or Other Skin Changes
Small pieces of additional skin, called skin tags, may form within the creases of skin, especially if you’ve got diabetes and also you’re trying to seek out ways to administer your weight, notes the ADA. Dark, thick areas of soppy skin (called acanthosis nigricans) may form on the back of the neck or hands, armpits, face, or other areas. These could be a sign of insulin resistance, Zanini says. Blisters, infections, dryness, itchiness, discolorations, and abnormalities of the skin can all be warning signs of high blood sugar. Check along with your doctor if these skin changes develop. Conditions like acanthosis nigricans will be improved by keeping blood sugar levels in check, notes StatPearls.
RELATED: 10 Diabetes Skin Problems You Should Know
8 — You’re Getting Yeast Infections More Often Than Usual
Hyperglycemia may lead you to get more frequent genital yeast infections. The offender is commonly a sort of yeast (a fungus) referred to as Candida albicans, per the ADA. Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in females the symptoms can include: vaginal itching, redness or soreness; pain during sexual activity; pain or discomfort during urination; and thick, abnormal vaginal discharge. While yeast infections are common in individuals who don’t have diabetes, having more glucose in your blood puts you at higher risk of getting them. “The yeast feeds off the glucose, and in case your blood sugar is high there’s more glucose within the urinary tract,” explains Bandukwala. Uncircumcised men with hyperglycemia are also in danger, he says.
“We’re also seeing this occur a bit more now with patients who take SGLT2 inhibitors, which force the body to expel more glucose through the urine,” he adds. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has added a warning to the prescribing information for SGLT2 inhibitors a few much more rare — and potentially fatal — genital condition, referred to as necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum, or Fournier’s gangrene (commonly referred to as a flesh-eating disease).
RELATED: What Are the Pros and Cons of SGLT2 Inhibitors for Type 2 Diabetes?
9 — Swollen or Bleeding Gums, Which Increase Your Infection Risk
Gum disease is a complication of diabetes, notes the NIDDK. It might also make diabetes harder to regulate, because the body’s response to infection is to release more glucose into the bloodstream, in line with the ADA.
Your saliva comprises glucose; and the more it comprises, the more there’s to feed the bacteria that mix with food in your mouth to form plaque and cause gum disease. Symptoms can include red or inflamed gums at first. In the event that they are unaddressed, they’ll progress to periodontitis, which might cause your gums to drag away out of your teeth, the looks of pus or ulcers, and even tooth loss, notes the Mayo Clinic. Get your blood sugar under control and see a dental skilled to forestall damage to your gums and teeth.
Additional reporting by Diana Rodriguez and Andrea Peirce.