Know the meaning of High Glucose Level

When it comes to annual checkup, your doctor may ask you to perform routine blood tests to check basic health signs. One of these tests is performed to check and calculate the amount of sugar in your body, which is also known as blood glucose test. Glucose is the type of sugar that your body uses as fuel, it powers everything in your body from your muscles to your heart and brain. But how to know when your blood sugar level is higher than usual?

A high blood glucose level could mean several facts, depending on the number and the situation at the time of the test. In most cases, the doctor might investigate with additional tests to determine the primary cause and what treatment is required. Here are a few things you need to know about your blood glucose test results.

What Does Glucose Do to the Body?

Glucose is your body’s underlying source of fuel to all your organs to keep them functioning at their full capacity. Without glucose, your cells and organs can not have the energy to operate. The main source of glucose in the human body comes from the foods we eat. When we eat, food is dissolved and the carbohydrates get broken down into glucose. The glucose is then transferred into the blood.

As glucose rises up in your blood after eating, the body discharge insulin. Insulin is a hormone that indicates to the rest of your body to either use the glucose or store it for later. This process helps keep the blood sugar level within a normal radius. If the body does not produce or respond to insulin effectually, the blood glucose level can stay upraised. Consistently high blood sugar levels can cause damage to the body and lead to various health problems such as diabetes and skin problems.

What Do High Blood Sugar Results Mean?

The most common reason why blood sugar scales too high is a medical condition called diabetes. When someone has diabetes, their body is either not producing enough insulin or not responding to insulin efficiently, causing glucose to assemble in the blood.

How Is High Blood Sugar a Bad Thing?

While glucose is a fuel for the cells and organs, at high levels it can be dangerous, causing so much internal damage over time. If blood sugar remains upraised for a long period without any treatment, it can lead to several health problems, including a higher risk of:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Poor circulation to your body which could sooner lead to amputation of affected limbs
• Loss of vision
• Kidney disease
• Heart attack
• Stroke

While these medical conditions that can result from high blood sugar level may sound scary, the good news is that prediabetes and diabetes are both totally treatable conditions. Early diagnosis and treatment can help reduce your blood sugar level and may prevent these serious health complications of diabetes.

How Does High Blood Sugar Feel Like?

When a body’s blood sugar level is high, it may not show any immediate visible symptoms. But there are a few indefinite changes a body might show that can indicate diabetes:

• Excessive thirst
• Excessive hunger
• More frequent urination
• Undefined weight loss
• Tingling of hands or feet
• Dry skin

If your blood sugar level rises to extremely high points, there are some symptoms you might notice:

• Headache
• Confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Weakness
• Fruity-smelling breath
• Abdominal pain
• Fatigue
• Dry mouth

If you have symptoms of high blood sugar level, you should contact your doctor immediately or seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid any kind of complication. Extremely high blood sugar levels can require immediate treatment.

How to Lower High Blood Sugar?

There are so many ways to lower blood sugar level, including making changes to your diet, taking oral medications, exercising, or injected medications. The best way to determine how to lower your blood sugar will depend on your blood sugar level.

• Diet: In cases of pre-diabetes or early Type 2 diabetes, making healthy lifestyle changes to your daily diet routine and exercises can be effective in stopping or reversing the pre-diabetes. The researches and experts recommend eating a diet consisting of less than 200-225 grams of carbs per day. Consuming foods with a low glycemic index (like fruit, porridge, lentils and pasta) will help your body manage the carbs at a slower rate and avoid spikes in your blood sugar level. 
• Exercise: Exercise is also very important for both lower blood sugar levels and eliminate the risk of heart diseases and stroke. Experts recommend 30 minutes per day of regular exercise including swimming, running or vigorous walking. Still activities such as watching television should be interrupted every 30-40 minutes with light activity.
• Medications: In case of more severe Type 2 diabetes, if lifestyle changes and exercises are ineffective, medication should be included to help lower your blood sugar level. There are so many different medications that prevent high blood sugar. Your doctor should decide which ones will be best for you based on your other health conditions. In some cases, insulin injections are necessary to reverse the high blood glucose when your pancreas is not producing enough insulin. This is normally necessary in Type 1 diabetes, and sometimes in severe Type 2 diabetes. Some people with diabetes, especially those on insulin injections, may need to monitor their own blood glucose on daily basis and sometimes several times a day. You can either check your glucose level by using finger prick method or a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Your doctor will guide you whether it is necessary to check your blood glucose or not.