Not eating enough food or skipping meals, taking too much medicine insulin or pills , exercising more than usual, or taking certain medicines that lower blood sugar can cause your blood sugar to drop rapidly.
Do not drink alcohol if you have problems recognizing the early signs of low blood sugar. People who lose weight or develop kidney problems may not need as much insulin or other medicines as they did before they lost the weight or developed kidney problems. Their blood sugar may drop too low. Be sure to check your blood sugar often when your body goes through changes. This can develop quickly, in 10 to 15 minutes. You may have symptoms of low blood sugar if your blood sugar drops from a high level to a lower level.
But if you have had diabetes for many years, you may not have symptoms of low blood sugar until your blood sugar level is very low. If your doctor thinks you have low blood sugar levels but you are not having symptoms, he or she may ask you to check your blood sugar more often. Your doctor may ask you to check your blood sugar in the middle of the night or to do a 3-day test using a continuous glucose monitor.
Check your symptoms to decide if and when you should see a doctor. Many things can affect how your body responds to a symptom and what kind of care you may need. These include:. You have answered all the questions. Based on your answers, you may be able to take care of this problem at home.
You can get dehydrated when you lose a lot of fluids because of problems like vomiting or fever. You can test for ketones at home using special tablets or test strips. Ketones are substances made by the body when it burns fat instead of sugar. They are a sign that your blood sugar is out of control. Some home blood sugar meters can also measure blood ketones.
You use the same finger-prick method that you use to measure blood sugar. Here is what you can do to treat low blood sugar. If at any point during these steps you think you are getting worse, seek care immediately. Based on your answers, you may need care soon. The problem probably will not get better without medical care. Sometimes people don't want to call They may think that their symptoms aren't serious or that they can just get someone else to drive them. Or they might be concerned about the cost.
But based on your answers, the safest and quickest way for you to get the care you need is to call for medical transport to the hospital. Based on your answers, you may need care right away. The problem is likely to get worse without medical care. When you have diabetes, whether it is type 1 diabetes , type 2 diabetes , or gestational diabetes , one of the most important skills you will learn is how to manage your blood sugar level.
Following your doctor's instructions on the use of insulin or diabetes medicines, diet, and exercise will help you avoid blood sugar problems. It may be hard for a parent of a young child to distinguish the difference between high and low blood sugar symptoms in a child.
When you have learned to recognize high or low blood sugar levels, you can take the appropriate steps to bring your blood sugar level back to your target blood sugar levels. People who keep their blood sugar levels under control with diet, exercise, or oral diabetes medicines are less likely to have problems with high or low blood sugar levels. Be sure to know the steps for dealing with high blood sugar and how fast your insulin medicine will work to bring your blood sugar down.
Some insulins work very fast while regular insulin takes a little longer to bring the sugar level down. Knowing how fast your insulin works will keep you from using too much too quickly. Because you have diabetes and can have low blood sugar levels, you need to keep some type of food with you at all times that can quickly raise your blood sugar level. These should be quick-sugar foods about 15 grams of carbohydrate. Be sure to check your blood sugar level again 15 minutes after eating a quick-sugar carbohydrate food to make sure your level is getting back to your target range.
If you continue to have low blood sugar, take another 15 grams of carbohydrate. Eat a small snack if your next meal or snack is more than a few hours away. It is important to know that sugar foods like a candy bar or ice cream do not help raise low blood sugar levels quickly, because these foods also have fat and protein.
So the body can't use the sugar carbohydrate in these foods quickly to raise the blood sugar level. You can get low blood sugar from using too much insulin or from other medicines you take.
Parents need to help their child learn to treat a low blood sugar level. Pregnant women who have gestational diabetes also need to know how to deal with a low blood sugar level. Since low blood sugar levels can quickly become a medical emergency, be sure to wear medical identification, such as a medical alert bracelet , to let people know you have diabetes so they can get help for you.
If you have severe symptoms of low blood sugar, someone else may need to give you a shot of glucagon. If this occurs, be sure to call your doctor immediately to let him or her know this has happened.
Call your doctor if any of the following occur during home treatment:. Although high blood sugar hyperglycemia and low blood sugar hypoglycemia have very different symptoms and treatments, they are both caused by blood sugar and insulin imbalances. The steps you take to control your blood sugar level will help prevent both high and low blood sugar levels.
Be sure to have identification that says you have diabetes, such as a medical alert bracelet , with you at all times.
This will help other people take steps to care for you if you are not able tell them about your medical condition. Use home blood sugar tests to determine whether your blood sugar is in your target range.
Work with your doctor to set your individual treatment goals. If you can consistently maintain this level of control, you will have very few blood sugar level emergencies. Parents can help their child learn how to prevent low blood sugar levels and high blood sugar levels. No matter how skilled you are at monitoring and controlling your blood sugar levels, you are still at risk for high or low blood sugar levels that are brought on by stressful situations.
Stress can affect your body's blood sugar levels in two ways:. Stress can be both mental and physical. Some examples of stress include an illness, a bad day at work, and a tough problem at home.
When you are under stress, your blood sugar levels change. For more information, see the topic Stress Management. You can keep your blood sugar levels under control when you exercise, so that you do not become too hungry or make your blood sugar level drop. There are two ways to keep your blood sugar levels under control:. Keep a quick-sugar food with you during exercise in case your blood sugar level drops low. Your doctor may recommend that you get vaccinations, such as a flu vaccine or pneumococcal vaccine, to prevent you from those illnesses.
The American Diabetes Association has a lot of information on diabetes and can link you to support groups. You can help your doctor treat your condition by being prepared to answer the following questions:. Be sure to take your daily blood sugar glucose monitoring logbook to your appointment.
If you have specific records of your high and low blood sugar problems, be sure to take those records. Parents will also need to keep records of their child's high or low blood sugar problems to share with their child's doctor. Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. In general, foods that cause blood sugar level to rise the most are those that are high in carbohydrates, which are quickly converted into energy, such as rice, bread, fruits and sugar.
Next are foods high in protein, such as meats, fish eggs, milk and dairy products, and oily foods. However, even though carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels, if you don't eat them your diet will be unbalanced and you won't feel satisfied after your meal, which can lead to excessive consumption of foods rich in protein and fat. Carbohydrates do raise blood sugar levels quickly. However, recent studies have shown that even amongst foods that have the same amount of carbohydrates, there are two categories: those that cause a sudden rise in blood sugar levels and those that cause a more moderate rise, depending on the amount of dietary fiber contained.
Taking bread as an example, whole grain rye bread and pizza crusts are low GI foods, while French bread and bagels are high GI foods.
Because high GI foods cause a sudden spike in the blood sugar level, large amounts of insulin are secreted in order to process the sugar in the blood, causing a spike in insulin secretion to handle the sugar. When low GI foods are eaten, the sugar is gradually absorbed into the body so the blood sugar level rises gradually. Thus, an appropriate amount of insulin is secreted and sugar is promptly taken up by the tissues. Try to get up and move around for a few minutes at least every 30 minutes or so when you're awake.
Keep your vaccinations up to date. High blood sugar can weaken your immune system. Get a flu shot every year, and your doctor may recommend the pneumonia vaccine, as well.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC also currently recommends hepatitis B vaccination if you haven't previously been vaccinated against hepatitis B and you're an adult ages 19 to 59 with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The most recent CDC guidelines advise vaccination as soon as possible after diagnosis with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. If you are age 60 or older, have diabetes, and haven't previously received the vaccine, talk to your doctor about whether it's right for you.
If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly. Alcohol can cause either high or low blood sugar, depending on how much you drink and if you eat at the same time. If you choose to drink, do so only in moderation — one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men — and always with food. Remember to include the carbohydrates from any alcohol you drink in your daily carbohydrate count.
And check your blood sugar levels before going to bed. Numerous substances have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in some studies, while other studies fail to find any benefit for blood sugar control or in lowering A1C levels.
Because of the conflicting findings, there aren't any alternative therapies that are currently recommended to help everyone with blood sugar management. If you decide to try any type of alternative therapy, don't stop taking the medications that your doctor has prescribed.
Be sure to discuss the use of any of these therapies with your doctor to make sure that they won't cause adverse reactions or interact with your current therapy. Additionally, there are no treatments — alternative or conventional — that can cure diabetes, so it's critical that people who are receiving insulin therapy for diabetes don't stop using insulin unless directed to do so by their physicians.
Living with diabetes can be difficult and frustrating. Sometimes, even when you've done everything right, your blood sugar levels may rise. But stick with your diabetes management plan, and you'll likely see a positive difference in your A1C when you visit your doctor. Because good diabetes management can be time-consuming, and sometimes overwhelming, some people find it helps to talk to someone. Your doctor can probably recommend a mental health professional for you to speak with, or you may want to try a support group.
Sharing your frustrations and your triumphs with people who understand what you're going through can be very helpful. And you may find that others have great tips to share about diabetes management. You're likely to start by seeing your primary care doctor if you're having diabetes symptoms. If your child is having diabetes symptoms, you might see your child's pediatrician.
If blood sugar levels are extremely high, you'll likely be sent to the emergency room. If blood sugar levels aren't high enough to put you or your child immediately at risk, you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in diabetes, among other disorders endocrinologist.
Soon after diagnosis, you'll also likely meet with a diabetes educator and a dietitian to get more information on managing your diabetes. Preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time with your doctor. For diabetes, some questions to ask include:. Diabetes care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.
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Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Ferri FF. Diabetes mellitus. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed March 6, Standards of medical care in diabetes — Diabetes Care.
Papadakis MA, et al. Diabetes mellitus and hypoglycemia. New York, N. Gabbe SG, et al. Diabetes mellitus complicating normal pregnancy.
In: Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. People can take measures that may reverse it and stop diabetes from developing. However, the target numbers will vary between individuals. A healthcare professional will help a person identify their own target levels.
It is vital to follow a healthful diet to keep fasting blood sugar from rising too high. Strategies include:. People who are taking diabetes drugs and who are at risk of dangerous blood sugar dips should follow a similar diet. They also need to take proactive steps to prevent blood sugar from dropping.
Those include:. In extreme cases, low blood sugar can trigger seizures, loss of consciousness, confusion, and the inability to drink or eat. Find out more here, in our dedicated article, about hypoglycemia , or low blood sugar. As with low blood sugar, high blood sugar may cause loss of consciousness or seizures if people leave them untreated.
Persistent high levels can increase the risk of serious complications that doctors relate to diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease. Any significant change in blood sugar patterns warrants a visit to a doctor. People with diabetes and those at risk of diabetes should also consult a doctor if:.
Diabetes needs ongoing monitoring, and the treatment can change over time. Information about diet and exercise is vital to enable a doctor to outline a proper treatment plan for each person individually.
People with diabetes can assist their doctor by keeping detailed logs and being transparent and accurate about dietary or lifestyle changes. Almost all foods contain amounts of sugar. Some is natural, but some are artifical and harmful. In cases of prediabetes, where blood sugar levels are….
Eating healthy can help people with diabetes manage their symptoms and prevent complications. Learn more about which foods to eat and which to avoid. Blood glucose levels drop during the night, which means that people with diabetes may experience low blood sugar in the mornings.
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