Excess blood sugar, scientifically called hyperglycemia, occurs when the fasting blood glucose level is above 100 mg / dL, a situation that, if persistent, can have bad consequences for the functioning of the organs and therefore must be treated properly with diet, physical exercises and medications guided by the doctor.
Although it usually does not cause symptoms, as it installs silently, when the excess of sugar in the blood is persistent or very high it can cause:
- Excessive thirst; Increased urination to urge; Hunger difficult to satiate; Unexplained weight loss; Tiredness; Headache; Sickness; Drowsiness; Tingling in the hands or feet; Blurred vision.
These symptoms are caused both by reactions due to the excess of sugar in the blood and by the lack of insulin to take the glucose to the cells, leaving them without energy, more common situations when diabetes is already installed. Thus, whenever glucose reaches persistent values above 126 mg / dL on an empty stomach, or 200 mg / dL at any time of the day, diabetes is diagnosed, a very dangerous disease that causes deficiency in the action of insulin and excess glucose in the blood.
Therefore, whenever these symptoms appear, it is important to consult with the general practitioner as soon as possible so that the clinical evaluation and initial tests that identify blood glucose levels, as well as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, are carried out. and triglycerides, for example, situations that are also risks to cardiovascular health.
How to confirm
To diagnose excess blood glucose, the main test indicated is glucose is fasting, which is already considered high when above 100 mg / dl or indicates diabetes when it is above 126 mg / dL in at least two different dosages, or above 200 mg / dl in a single dosage.
Other tests also available for this function are the oral glucose tolerance test, postprandial blood glucose, capillary blood glucose or glycated hemoglobin, which must be ordered by the doctor. Understand more about these tests that can confirm diabetes.
How to lower your blood sugar
In the case of isolated hyperglycemia or when there is a pre-diabetes it is very important to be careful with your diet, avoiding excess sugar or carbohydrates, and investing in vegetables and whole foods, to avoid turning into diabetes. Check out how to identify and treat prediabetes.
In the case of diagnosed diabetes, or in situations of excessive glycemic increase, it is necessary to use antidiabetic drugs, such as Metformin, Glibenclamide, Glimepiride, Gliclazide or even Insulin, for example. Diabetics should also be very careful with their diet to avoid blood sugar spikes, in addition to physical exercise and regular follow-up with semi-annual or annual medical consultations.
Some tips to prevent your blood sugar from getting out of control are:
- Eat small meals at regular intervals of 3 hours; Do not eat concentrated sweets or isolated fruits as a meal; Do some physical activity like walking after your main meals and not going to sleep or going to bed.
A consultation with a nutritionist can also be useful to clarify important questions such as what to eat, when to eat, as well as the foods that cannot be eaten in case of diabetes or pre diabetes.
