Blood sugar

Hey guys,

I’m here again, I wasn’t going to post any about blood sugar anytime soon, but I decided to test blood sugar today. Well, it isn’t bad at all. At that time I thought of people who have no idea how high or low their blood sugar level is and also the dangers involved. That sent be to the research table and I gathered as much info as I could to bring to people what they need know about blood sugar level.

So let’s go into it proper.

Blood sugar or blood glucose is the sugar that the blood stream carries to all the cells in the body to supply energy. This sugar comes from the food we eat. Our body tries to regulate our blood sugar, trying to keep it normal, not too high and not too low. This balance in blood sugar is known as HOMEOSTASIS. Blood glucose (blood sugar) changes its level throughout the day.  After we eat, our blood sugar rises and then settles after a few hours.

LOW BLOOD SUGAR (hypoglycemia)

This occur the sugar level in our blood drops below what our body requires (i.e. the target level). This can be used by some of our habits or day to day activities such as;

·         Skipping meals

·         Taking too much medicine

·         Exercising more than usual.

When our blood sugar level drops below 70milligram per deciliter (mg/dl), you will start having symptoms of low blood sugar.

·         You may start feeling tired, anxious, weak, and even sweaty. If you eat something that contains sugar at that point in time, it’s going to raise your sugar level at that time and all he symptoms will be gone in a short while. 

·         If it drops below 40mg/dl, you may feel more irritable. You become too weak to do anything. Anytime you notice your blood sugar is below 50mg/dl, you should take action. It advisable to visit your doctor with our without the symptoms.

·         Below 20mg/dl, i.e. very low, you are very likely to lose consciousness or have a seizure. At this point, you should seek medical attention immediately.

NOTE THIS: you may have signs of low sugar level if your sugar level drops immediately or suddenly from a higher level to a lower level, even if it drops to the target level or range.

But if you have diabetes for many years, you may not have symptoms of low blood sugar until it drops very low.

HIGH BLOOD SUGAR (hyperglycemia)

High blood sugar is a major concern and can affect people with type 1 and type2 diabetes. High blood sugar is of two types:

·         Fasting hyperglycemia; - blood sugar higher than 130mg/dl taken after not eating or drinking for at least 8 hours. It’s usually tested for early in the morning.

·         After meal hyperglycemia; -blood sugar that’s higher than 180mg/dl, taken about 2hours after you eat.

People without diabetes rarely have blood sugar level over 140mg/dl after a meal, except its large. Continuous raise or increase in blood sugar can result in damage to the nerves, blood vessels and organs. In most cases, it can lead to more serious cases. Your blood sugar may rise due to the following;

·         Forget to take your insulin or glucose lowering medicine

·         Infection

·         Exercise less than usual

·         Become inactive

If your blood sugar is on the high side, you’re likely to experience the following;

·         Headaches

·         Blurred vision

·         Trouble concentrating

·         Increased thirst

·         Fatigue

Blood sugar level rising above 180mg/dl may cause;

·         Vaginal and skin infections

·         Low heading to cuts and wounds

·         Worse vision

·         Damage to nerves causing painful cold or intensive feet

·         Loss of hair on the lower extremities

·         Erectile dysfunction

·         Damage to blood vessels or kidney.  

Watch out for the next post, I am going to let you know things you need to do to keep your blood sugar in the target range.