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Keeping healthy blood sugar levels is vital to your overall physical health, so be sure to monitor your blood sugar often. Taking immediate action if blood sugar levels are above normal can help to prevent health complications, as well as keeping you safe from any infection you might pick up along the way. It is always wise to monitor your blood sugar regularly, regardless of whether you are trying to avoid hypoglycemia or have an acute case. In fact, it is recommended that you monitor your blood sugar levels at least once a day for better blood sugar control.
You can use a blood sugar meter to determine your ideal blood glucose levels based on your body weight, height, physical activity level, and carbohydrate intake.1 You can also purchase a home blood glucose meter from an online retailer to take along wherever you go. Using a blood glucose meter and a food frequency diary can help you achieve and maintain healthy blood sugar levels.2
What Are Healthy Blood Sugar Levels For Diabetics?
Have you ever wondered what healthy blood sugar levels are? Are you suffering from diabetes? You should know that healthy blood sugar levels do not mean that you can eat whatever you want without consequence. We need to eat a balanced diet if we are going to maintain good health. We also need to monitor what blood sugar levels are regularly. There are many reasons why you would need to check your levels and here are some of them.
If you are diabetic, you need to know what normal blood sugar levels are for you so that you can prevent any serious medical complications. Keep in mind that when you have low levels of blood sugar, you can develop conditions such as blindness, kidney failure, and amputation of some parts of the body. Blood glucose monitoring is very important if you are diabetic because this way, you will know what are the proper levels of insulin that you need to take in order to function normally.
Dangers of High Blood Sugar Levels
Signs of high blood sugar can be subtle or they can be obvious. Either way, it’s a serious situation that needs to be addressed immediately. You need to understand the dangers of high blood sugar levels so you can avoid them and keep your health intact. Here are the things you should be aware of and watch out for.3
- Blurred vision: One of the dangers of high blood sugar is blurred vision. This is usually accompanied by a feeling of dizziness or lightheadedness. Blurred vision means that the cells in your eyes are unable to make as much of a picture of what is in front of them as they used to when your eyes were young. This effect is usually temporary, especially if you go back to eating healthy and getting plenty of sleep.
- Kidney damage: Another danger of uncontrolled diabetes is damage to your kidneys. High blood sugar levels cause damage to the cells of the kidney. It’s not only possible to have damage to the kidneys themselves; the walls of the kidney can also be injured. Over time, this can lead to kidney failure.
- Insulin resistance: One of the dangers of high blood sugar levels may be an increased risk of insulin resistance. The presence of insulin in your body creates a barrier against glucose, which is the sugar that provides fuel for cells. This resistance to insulin is what can lead to the diabetic coma or even their death in extremely high doses. When blood glucose levels become too high, it’s not enough of a boost from the pancreas to get those cells to work normally again. Without insulin, glucose simply sits in the cells without doing any real damage.4
- Diabetes: One of the dangers of blood sugars is that they can damage the pancreatic islet cells. The pancreas is a small organ that produces the hormones insulin and glucose. When these two sugars are improperly used by the pancreas, they can become overactive and produce too much insulin. When this happens, the cells will start to, die.5
Diabetes complications can be fatal without prompt intervention. If blood sugar levels are kept low, the pancreas might not secrete enough insulin to handle the level. In addition, if the cells continue to die without being repaired, damage can occur. When cells stop functioning, the blood sugar is then lost. This can result in diabetes, ketoacidosis, and other complications. Therefore, keeping blood sugar levels under control is imperative to avoid these complications.
Dangers of Low Blood Sugar Levels
The dangers of low blood sugar are many. A sudden change of diet and lifestyle can cause a significant drop in the level of blood sugar in your body. If the diet is not changed on time, the blood sugar level remains constant or increases slightly but quickly drops below the normal level and begins to drop. This drop in blood sugar is very dangerous. Some of the dangers of Low Blood Sugar levels include:
- Headache: These headaches can be severe if it is accompanied by nausea and blurred vision. Nausea occurs when the body does not break down the glucose properly. Blurred vision occurs because of a lack of proper circulation to the eyes.
- Skin Problems: Like headaches, dizziness, and blurred vision, low blood sugar levels can also cause skin problems to arise. These problems can be extremely painful. Acids and crystals may form in the skin. It is advisable to take some medication to relieve these symptoms.
- Vision Problems: Extreme low blood sugar levels can also cause the patient’s vision to deteriorate. It may become so bad that the patient finds it difficult to see things close by. This can then progress to having blurred vision. Blurred vision occurs when there is not enough circulation in the area.
These are just some of the dangers of low blood sugar levels. You should try to keep your blood sugar levels as stable as possible. This can be done by having regular exercise and eating nutritious foods. Of course, taking your medication regularly should be followed as well.
If you do suffer from any of these complications, you should immediately consult with your doctor. He or she will need to test you for other complications as well before deciding on the best course of action to treat your condition. The earlier you spot the dangers of low blood sugar levels, the better for you and your health.
Your diet can also have dire consequences if you are prone to low blood sugar levels. You may be tempted to reach for a candy bar or any other high sugar product. However, you should remember that you may be putting yourself at risk for diabetic shock, which can prove to be fatal. Even though the sensation of the sweet taste is addictive, it is not good for you at all.6
There are many things that you can do to keep diabetes under control. Keeping physically active, eating healthy, and taking daily medication are necessary for diabetes sufferers. However, if these methods are not enough to keep the levels low, then it is time to talk to your doctor about possible drastic measures.
Keeping Blood Sugar Levels Healthy
How to keep blood sugar levels steady, even during times of stress or fatigue is one of those things that everyone should know how to do. The thing about blood sugar is that sometimes it’s hard to control and even more difficult to figure out how to maintain it in the long run. When we are faced with a sudden spike in our blood sugar we can feel shaky, dizzy, and overwhelmed. It can be hard to think clearly and to make decisions. People who have this problem constantly find themselves asking “how to keep blood sugar levels steady.”
One way to answer the question of how to keep blood sugar levels steady is to eat a healthy diet.7 Eating vegetables and fruits, as well as small amounts of lean meats and fish, will help you avoid this situation altogether. In order to maintain the proper blood sugar level, you need to also exercise regularly. Just doing something as simple as walking the dog, taking a brisk walk, or going up and down the stairs, for fifteen minutes each day will work wonders for your health and for keeping your blood sugar levels steady.8
It might be tempting to snack on the things that you know don’t add any nutritional value but eating too many snack foods will quickly turn into a battleground between hunger and fat. The thing that you must remember is that what goes into a snack also goes into your body, so eat healthily. If you’re still wondering how to keep blood sugar levels steady, then you need to start putting healthy foods into your body on a daily basis.
Image Credits
Diabetes UK / Google Stock Images
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Diabetes UK / Google Stock Images
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1 “Blood sugar chart: Target levels throughout the day – Medical News ….” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317536 Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
2 “High Blood Sugar, Diabetes, and Your Body – WebMD.” 6 Dec. 2020, https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/how-sugar-affects-diabetes Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
3 “High Blood Sugar: Complications That Can Happen – WebMD.” 6 Dec. 2020, https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/uncontrolled-blood-sugar-risks Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
4 “High Blood Sugar and Diabetes – Hyperglycemia – WebMD.” 15 May. 2021, https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/diabetes-hyperglycemia Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
5 “Hyperglycemia in diabetes – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic.” 27 Jun. 2020, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperglycemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373631 Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
6 “The Effects of Low Blood Sugar on Your Body – Healthline.” https://www.healthline.com/health/low-blood-sugar-effects-on-body Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
7 “The top 10 benefits of eating healthy – Medical News Today.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322268 Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
8 “Benefits of Healthy Eating | Nutrition | DNPAO | CDC.” 16 May. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/resources-publications/benefits-of-healthy-eating.html Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
