Hyperglycaemia

Hyperglycemia (High Blood Sugar) Can Be Caused By:

• too much food or the wrong foods
• too little or no exercise
• too little diabetes medication or not taking diabetes medication as instructed
• too much stress
• infection or illness
• diabetes medication not being used properly in your body
• menstruation

Any one of these things, or a combination of these factors, may cause high blood sugar.

What Are the Warning Signs Of Hyperglycemia (High Blood Sugar)?

The warning signs of high blood sugar include:

• tiredness or fatigue
• increased appetite
• increased thirst
• frequent urination
• blurred vision
• dry, itchy skin
• poor healing of wounds
• flu-like achiness
• headaches

One or more of these signs may warn you that you have high blood sugar. Warning signs can often be very subtle or you might think they are caused by other conditions. People sometimes ignore the warning signs of high blood sugar levels. If you have warning signs of high blood sugar, even very subtle ones, do not ignore them.

The best way to know if your blood sugar levels are within your target range is to test your blood. It is important to keep your blood sugar level within your target range. If you discover that your blood sugar level is too high, problem-solve by asking questions. Think carefully about the following:

• Did you change your meal plan?
• Did you decrease or skip your exercise?
• Did you take enough of your diabetes medication or insulin or did you not follow your normal schedule?
• Did you forget to take your diabetes pills or insulin?
• Were you stressed about something?
• Were you ill or did you have an infection?

It is important to answer these questions for yourself so you can avoid a high blood sugar level in the future.

How Can You Prevent Hyperglycemia (High Blood Sugar)?

You can prevent high blood sugar by:

• taking your diabetes medication as instructed
• carefully following your meal plan
• following your exercise plan
• decreasing the stress in your life
• taking care of illness or infection quickly
• testing blood glucose often