Blood Sugar Support
Sometimes, people with diabetes can get low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). This is especially common if they take insulin or some other types of diabetes medicines that lower the level of glucose in the blood, such as gliclazide and glimepiride. It can also happen if you don’t eat enough or skip meals.
A very sudden or severe drop in blood sugar can make you feel dizzy and shaky, and may cause you to pass out. You should treat it as a medical emergency and seek help as soon as possible. If you are ill, check your blood sugar with a glucose monitor before calling for help. If you are not ill, have something sweet to eat or drink, such as a glass of juice, a sugary fizzy drink, 5 glucose or dextrose tablets, 4 large jelly babies, or 2 tubes of glucose gel. Then, check your blood sugar again after 15 minutes. If it is still below 4, eat something that will keep your blood sugar up, such as biscuits or a sandwich, and wait for about 30 minutes before checking again.
High blood sugar support levels can lead to a lot of other symptoms and health problems, including: Frequent or recurrent infections, such as gum disease, urinary tract infections, and bacterial or yeast infections in the skin (mainly in women). These may also take longer than usual to heal. Blurred vision, which happens because the changing fluid levels can affect tiny blood vessels in the eyes. Pain or numbness in the feet and hands (nerve damage, called diabetic neuropathy). This can also make it difficult to feel when you have cuts or sores, which may develop into serious ulcers.
What Are Some Signs That Indicate a Need For Blood Sugar Support?
Over time, high blood sugars can reduce the flow of oxygen to your tissues, which can make you more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. This is why it’s important to see your doctor regularly to check your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood fats.
If you have type 1 diabetes, a complication called ketoacidosis can happen when your blood sugar gets too high. This is a serious illness that needs to be treated in hospital. It’s very important to call for help if you have symptoms of this, such as thirst, breath that smells fruity, or feeling confused.
Some children can’t sense the early warning signs of low blood sugar, so they don’t get prompt treatment. It’s important to teach them the signs and what to do if they get them, so they can live healthy lives with diabetes. It is important to test your blood sugar before and after every meal, as well as before and after exercise. This will help you and your healthcare team understand how different foods and activities affect your blood sugar. You should also check your blood sugar before and after driving as this can have a big impact on it.