Type 1 Diabetes
High Blood Sugar/Hyperglycemia
What is hyperglycemia?
Hyperglycemia means there is too much sugar in the blood. The body needs insulin to move the sugar into the cells. In type 1 diabetes the pancreas doesn't produce insulin, so the sugar can't move into the cells. That is why people with type 1 diabetes need daily insulin injections. Over time, high blood sugars can lead to serious health problems.
Signs and Symptoms:
You may have one or more of these symptoms when you have a high blood sugar:
- Strong thirst
- Frequent urination
- Increased hunger
- Blurred vision
- Dry skin
- Drowsiness
- Decreased healing
Causes of high blood sugar:
- Not enough insulin
- You forgot to take a dose of insulin
- You ate too much food (especially carbohydrates)
- You were less active
- You are stressed; either physical stress (illness, pain, etc) or emotional stress
You need to check for urine ketones if your blood sugar is over 250-300mg/dl!
What happens when the blood sugar stays high:
You will have occasional high blood sugars with type 1 diabetes. If good blood sugar levels are achieved 50-60% of the time, the glucose control is usually good. But research has shown that having a Hemoglobin A1c above 7% and/or blood sugars averaging over 140 greatly increases the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.
Things you can do to lower your blood sugar:
- Increase your activity. Activity improves insulin sensitivity and helps burn excess sugar. You should not exercise if you have ketones because then exercise can raise the blood sugar/ketones even higher.
- Count your carbohydrates more carefully.
- Ask your doctor if your insulin needs to be:
- increased
- changed to a different type of insulin
- additional insulin shots are needed
It is important to work closely with your health care team to keep your blood sugars in good control.
