A frequent rise in your blood sugar level is not good for your health at all. It can affect different body parts and components, including blood vessels, nerves, blood, and various organs. If left uncontrolled, high blood sugar may lead to some severe health conditions.
Different medications and synthetic insulin are used for regulating high blood-sugar levels. But there are some easy ways to regulate minutely high blood sugar with some natural treatments. These home remedies for hyperglycaemia are effective as well as safe and are suitable for diabetic and non-diabetic people of any age. In this guide, we will try to learn how to lower high blood sugar at home.
Also, we will discuss some essential aspects of high blood sugar; it’s causes, different blood-sugar levels chart and a lot more. Let’s find out what is high blood sugar first.
What is high blood sugar?
Also known as
“hyperglycaemia”, high blood pressure is the most prominent characteristic of
all types of diabetes. An average blood sugar level depends on various factors
including age, sex, and lifestyle etc. The blood sugar level is raised when
your pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin, or your body’s cells have
somehow become resistant to insulin.
When your body’s blood sugar level is more than 130 mg/dL before a meal or more than 180 mg/dL after the first bite of your meal, however, most of the signs and symptoms of high blood pressure remain dormant until the blood-sugar level is more than 250 mg/dl. But a few symptoms are known to have a rapid onset.
Hyperglycaemia can be both
acute or chronic. Acute hyperglycaemia affects your body briefly and is usually
due to meals highly rich in carbohydrates, stress, a missed dose of medicine,
medicinal reaction, or other illness etc.
Chronic hyperglycaemia is a
condition characterized by long-term elevated blood glucose. It is usually a
result of ignored or untreated diabetes or due to improper diabetes treatment
regimen. Chronic one is undoubtedly more dangerous and can be life-threatening
at times as well. A long-term increased blood-sugar level can have a toxic
effect on your tissues and may lead to a plethora of other complications.
What are the causes of high blood sugar?
Underlining a single cause for
high blood sugar is a bit tough. However, there are various risk factors
associated with diabetes, including:
- Excessive eating, especially too much snacking between
meals
- Prolonged illness or infection
- Overweight or obesity
- Prolonged mental stress
- Overtreatment of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)
- Excessive intake of medicines like steroids
What causes blood sugar to rise in non-diabetics?
Non-diabetic hyperglycaemia is a condition in which your blood sugar level increases even if you don’t have diabetes. A major or prolonged illness is usually the most common cause of non-diabetic hyperglycaemia. Here are the conditions that are typically associated with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia:
- Medical condition such as polycystic ovarian syndrome
or Cushing syndrome
- Infections like urinary tract infection or pneumonia
- Trauma such as severe injury or burn
- Nutrition through IV or feeding tube
- Prolonged lack of physical activities
- A family history of gestational diabetes
- Overdose of certain medications like diuretics or
steroids
What causes blood sugar to rise without eating?
Sometimes, your blood sugar level may elevate even without eating! Yes, some astounding factors can cause a sudden spike in blood sugar level
- Artificial sweeteners – Some studies suggest that overuse of artificial sweeteners can also cause a hike in blood sugar levels.
- Coffee – People who are sensitive to coffee can have
an elevated blood-sugar level even without adding sugar to it.
- Sunburn – The pain due to sunburn causes stress, which
is a common causative factor for an increased blood sugar
- Loss of Sleep – Insufficient sleep of even
one night can be responsible for stress and hence, non-diabetic hyperglycaemia.
- Skipping Breakfast – Leaving breakfast can also
cause increased blood sugar, especially after lunch and dinner.
- Dawn Phenomenon – Having a surge of hormones
in the morning irrespective of being diabetic or not is also seen as a
causative factor for higher blood sugar in both diabetics and non-diabetics.
- Nasal Spray – Some nasal sprays contain
chemicals that may trigger your liver to cause a surge in blood sugar levels.
- Dehydration – Reduced water intake is
also associated with a higher concentration of sugar in the blood.
- Gum Disease – One of the common
complications responsible for a hike in blood glucose in both diabetics and
non-diabetics.
We recommend you to watch out
for these factors if you are having a surge in blood-sugar level even after
having a balanced diet and avoiding overeating. These factors elevate
blood-sugar levels, usually for a limited period, and you should not be worried
much. However, a constant or frequent surge should not be taken lightly, and
you should see a licensed medical practitioner.
Can stress cause high blood sugar levels in non-diabetics?
Yes, work stress, emotional
stress, very scary movies, a trauma, or a sudden lousy news etc. all can force
your liver to release already stored glucose to ensure a better response to
these triggers.
On the other hand, sometimes,
stress disrupts the release of insulin from the pancreas and causes a pile-up
of glucose in your blood. If you have long-term mental stress, the build-up of
glucose will only increase. Stress-induced hyperglycaemia in non-diabetics is
usually harmless and can be managed very effectively with physical exercises, meditation,
counselling etc.
What level of blood sugar is dangerous?
You should start taking a lot of precautions and proper treatment if your blood sugar level is more than 150 mg/dL while fasting and 200 mg/dL after a meal. You may start developing symptoms once the blood-sugar level is more than 300 mg/dl. You may have one or more symptoms, including:
- Dry mouth
- Blurry vision
- Excessive thirst
- Excessive urination
- Dryness of mouth
- Tiredness throughout the day
Blood-sugar level of anything more than 400 mg/dl can be dangerous, and very high blood sugar, i.e. 600 mg/dl or higher can cause coma and even death.
High blood sugar levels chart?
A blood-glucose chart is convenient to identify ideal and healthy blood sugar levels throughout the day, including fasting and after meals. While checking for blood-sugar, you should also keep in mind the low blood sugar. It is not very common but can be very harmful to your health, even life-threatening at times. Here is a blood-sugar chart along-with recommendation.
Fasting blood sugar level
|
Risk-level and suggested
action
|
50 mg/dl or under
|
Dangerously low: Immediate
medical attention is very important
|
70 – 90 mg/dl
|
Usually very low: Consuming
sugar while having symptoms. If not improved, get medical attention
|
90 – 120 mg/dl
|
Normal range
|
120-160 mg/dl
|
Medium: Lifestyle changes
under the guidance of a doctor is usually enough to manage
|
160-240 mg/dl
|
Too high: Immediate actions
are required to control and reduce bloodsugar levels
|
240-300 mg/dl
|
Much too high: Can be a sign
of improper glucose management, seeing a doctor is strongly recommended
|
300 mg/dl or high
|
Very high: Immediate medical
attention is advised
|
600 mg/dl or high
| Too high, the patient may go to coma. Can be life-threatening also. |
Blood sugar levels chart by age
Average blood sugar level
varies according to different factors; age being the most common one. Here is a
chart for your reference, so that you can understand the optimum blood sugar
level for other age groups
Kids Under 6
- Fasting – 80 to 180 mg/dl
- Before meal – 100 to 180 mg/dl
- After a meal (1-1 ½ hour) – about 180 mg/dl
- Bedtime – 110 – 200 mg/dl
Age 6-12
- Fasting – 80 to 180 mg/dl
- Before meal – 90 to 180 mg/dl
- Before exercise – At least 150 mg/dl
- Bedtime – 100 to 180 mg/dl
Age 13-19
- Fasting – 70 to 150 mg/dl
- Before meal – 90 to 130 mg/dl
- Before exercise – At least 150 mg/dl
- Bedtime – 90 to 150 mg/dl
Age 20+
- Fasting – Less than 100 mg/dl
- Before meal – 70 to 130 mg/dl
- After a meal (1-2 hours) – Less than 180 mg/dl
- Before exercise – *If taking insulin – 100 mg/dl
- Bedtime – 100 to 140 mg/dl
What to do when blood sugar is high? – Self-management of
hyperglycaemia
If you are noticing early
signs of high blood sugar, you should test your blood sugar with the help of
your doctor. If the level is not very high, here are a few effective ways to
control it.
- Drink a lot of water: Water can be helpful to
remove extra sugar from the blood through urine, and also aids you to avoid
dehydration.
- Change your diet and eating habits: “Don’t eat
anything”. Avoid sugary or starchy foods from your diet. Reduce or stop sugar
intake, especially that of refined sugar. Also, make some adjustments to the
timing of your meals. Avoid eating late at night, so that your body can get
enough time to digest and process the foods.
- Exercise, a lot more, but with caution: Exercises and workouts can also help you to reduce high blood pressure. But specific activities are also known for causing a spike. So, talk to your doctor before starting any exercise. If you have diabetes and the blood sugar level is high, you should check for ketones in your urine. Don’t exercise if you find ketones.
How to reduce sugar level? – Home Remedies
Yes, treatment, particularly
insulin intake, is necessary to keep your blood sugar level intact. But you can
also try some home remedies to reduce high blood sugar, especially if it is
just above the normal range.
- Control Your Carb Intake:
Your body breaks carbohydrate down into healthy sugars, and then insulin helps sugars to move into the cells. When your body gets too much carb, the insulin factor is unable to function correctly, and the blood glucose level is raised unhealthily.
Hence, you should control your
carb intake by having a track of what you are eating. These days, tracking your
meals is very easy, thanks to some very innovative mobile applications,
smartwatches, and gadgets. Lean meats, fishes, eggs, green leafy vegetables,
nuts, and seeds etc. are some healthy, low-carb foods you can add to your diet.
Fibres are known for slowing
down the digestion of carbs and absorption of sugar. So, increasing your fibre
intake can help to keep your blood sugar level in check. Your body requires
both soluble and insoluble fibres; soluble fibre is particularly effective to
lower blood sugar levels. Some excellent sources of fibre are fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, and legumes etc.
At times, stress management alone can have surprising effects, especially if fluctuated hormones are causing a spike in blood sugar levels. Exercises, mindfulness, meditation, consulting a psychiatrist, talking to your family and friend etc. can help you to overcome stress.
- Get proper, quality sleep
Insomnia, stress,
hypertension, raised blood sugar levels, increased blood pressure, lethargies,
irritability, obesity etc. all are very much linked with each other. At least
one of them accompany further complication. And if you are struggling with
insomnia, there are very high chances that you have mental stress. And finding
out the exact cause, and managing it properly can help you to work your sleep
cycle properly.
Practising mindfulness,
bringing discipline to your life, and enjoying some time with family and
friends etc. all can help you to feel relaxed while going to bed. And once you
start getting proper, quality sleep, you will start getting rid of a lot of
problems, including hyperglycaemia.
If you are overweight or obese (See the difference), you should stop feeling very relaxed, because you are moving towards disaster. Obesity is very harmful to your body in a lot of ways and can be one of the major causes of high blood sugar.Hence, controlling your body weight can also be very useful to reduce blood sugar levels, and again, reduce your risk of getting diabetes.
Losing weight is not as straightforward
as a lot of people think. However, if you are determined enough, you can shed a
few kilos with a combination of a healthy diet, exercises, and workout etc.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to high blood
sugar level, people assume straightaway that they have diabetes. However,
that’s not the case. You may get a spike in your blood sugar levels even if you
are non-diabatic. And managing acute hyperglycaemia is usually not very
challenging. Hopefully, we were successful in trying to help you with different
aspects of high blood sugar. It has become a pervasive health problem, and we
recommend you to meet your doctor as soon as you get even a few symptoms.
References:
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