Knowing your Blood Sugar Levels

Minding your Blood Sugars

Blood sugar is to your body what petrol is to your car. It's the fuel that makes it go. If your car ran out of petrol, it would sputter, cough, and come to a stop. Balancing them is extremely important to your overall health and wellness so, as a defence mechanism if they aren't being balanced, your body will give you many warning signs. Recognising these signs could end up saving you from serious illness or disease, so read on

What are Blood Sugars?

Every cell in your body depends on blood sugar for the energy to stay alive and perform its function. Without a steady supply of blood sugar, your brain couldn't think, your heart couldn't beat and your feet couldn't walk. So, like petrol, blood sugar is a good thing. But you can have too much of a good thing. So your goal is to keep your ‘petrol tank’ of blood sugar full, but not too full.

Signs your Blood Sugars are not Right

You're Thirsty, and You Have to ‘Go’ - Thirst and frequent urination are two classic diabetes signs caused by too much sugar in your blood. As your kidneys work harder to filter out the sugar, they also pull more fluids from your tissues, which is why you have to go to the bathroom more often than usual. Thirst is your body's way of telling you it needs to replenish the liquids that it’s losing. If you don't drink more fluids, you can dehydrate.

Tiredness - Fatigue is another signal that your blood sugar isn't under control. When sugar is staying in your bloodstream instead of being diverted to your body's cells, your muscles don't get enough fuel to use for energy. You might feel only a little tired, or your fatigue might be so bad that you need a nap. Sometimes people with diabetes feel especially tired after eating a big meal.

Spinning - Feeling dizzy or shaky can be a sign of low blood sugar or hypoglycaemia. Because your brain needs glucose to function, a drop in blood sugar can be dangerous - even life-threatening - if you don't address it. A glass of fruit juice can bring up your blood sugar in the short term. But if you're regularly feeling shaky, talk to your doctor. You may need to adjust your medications or diet.

Your Hands and Feet Swell - If you have high blood pressure as well as diabetes, the two conditions can damage the kidneys' ability to filter wastes and fluid over time. As water builds up in your body, your hands and feet may swell - a warning sign that you may have kidney disease. You can preserve the kidney function you have by taking your diabetes and blood pressure medicines as prescribed, and watching the protein in your diet

Numbness or Tingling - Nerve damage (called peripheral neuropathy) can be another sign of chronically elevated blood sugars. It results in numbness or tingling in your hands and feet, or inability to feel pain or temperature changes. See your podiatrist for regular foot exams. People with neuropathy may not realise they have been injured from a cut or that a wound is becoming infected. Or they may be oversensitive to pain. They might experience severe and constant pain from otherwise painless stimulation.

Stomach Trouble - Diabetes also damages the nerve that helps your stomach empty and move food smoothly through your digestive tract. When your stomach can't empty quickly enough you may deal with unpleasant abdominal problems like diarrhoea, constipation, or incontinence. Many people also have problems eating or swallowing. This also can make it harder to control your diabetes.

You're Losing Your Sight - High blood sugar and high blood pressure both can damage the sensitive structures in your eyes and threaten your vision. Diabetic retinopathy - caused by damage to the blood vessels in the eye - is the biggest cause of blindness in adults. Blurred vision, spots, lines, or flashing lights are signs that it's time to see your eye doctor. Get your eyes checked now, before your vision has a chance to deteriorate.

Weight-Loss - Losing unwanted pounds is always a good idea to manage type 2 diabetes. But if you're losing weight quickly, without trying, or without doing anything different, it may be a sign that your blood sugar is too high. When your glucose is high, it gets flushed out of the body in urine, taking the calories and fluids you consume with it.

You Have Recurring Infections - Frequent or recurring infections are sometimes a sign of high blood sugar. You might experience gum disease, urinary tract infections, bacterial or fungal infections of the skin, or, if you're a woman, yeast infections. Other infections might include pneumonia and respiratory infections, kidney and gallbladder infections, and severe bacterial middle ear and fungal sinus infections.

Cuts and Bruises Won't Heal - If your blood sugar isn't well controlled, you might find that cuts and bruises are slow to heal. Tending to injuries, however small, is important because it reduces the risk of infections in people with diabetes. Infections themselves can also worsen blood sugars which makes it even harder for your immune system to fight off the infection.

Remember

If you suspect that you may be having a problem with your blood sugars then visit your GP as soon as possible.