What most people don’t know is that high blood sugar levels can cause severe damage. Whether you’re diabetic or not, high blood sugar can cause damage to your nerves, organs and blood vessels. The real danger though is when your blood sugar level does not go down. It’s when it doesn’t go down that serious health problems can occur.
One of the reasons why people suffer from high blood sugar is because they are uneducated about the seriousness of it and the signs that our body gives.
Now, here are some of the early warning signs your blood sugar may be super high!
1. Constantly Thirsty
The main reason why high blood sugar causes you to be thirsty is polyuria. When your blood sugar level is high, your kidneys cannot keep up. So they produce more urine to get rid of the excess glucose they cannot absorb. This causes you to become dehydrated, according to WebMD.
2. Increased Eating Habits
If you find that your eating habits are increasing, you might have high blood sugar levels, according to the Mayo Clinic. The reason why high blood sugar levels can cause increased eating is that glucose is unable to enter the cells. It could be because of a lack of insulin or possibly insulin resistance. When this happens, your body is unable to convert the food you eat into energy. So if your body feels it doesn’t have enough energy, it will require more food to try and produce glucose.
3. Constant Urination
This sign is directly linked to constant thirst, according to the Mayo Clinic. Your kidneys are unable to keep up with the excess sugar, so the only way they can get rid of it is through urination. Keep an eye on your trips to the bathroom. If you find you are going every hour, you could have high blood sugar levels. But this could also mean you have a more serious health issue. The best advice is to go talk to your doctor.
4. Chronic Fatigue
You might think that having high blood sugar means you have a lot of energy. The total opposite can happen though. When you have high blood sugar, you urinate more and you become thirsty because your kidneys cannot absorb the glucose and create energy, says WebMD. With no energy, your body will become weak and tired.
5. Blurry Vision
When you have high blood sugar, it can cause the lenses of your eyes to swell, WebMD. Anyone that has had swollen lenses knows that it causes your vision to become blurry. In most cases, this is just temporary, but consult a doctor to get a proper diagnosis.
6. Dry Skin
If you experience this sign, your blood sugar levels may have been high for quite some time. High blood sugar levels can cause the nerves to become damaged and also causes the body to lose fluids rapidly, explains WebMD. If this process continues for years, the body’s nerves become damaged and the skin becomes dry.
7. Impotence
For men, when it comes to getting an erection, rely on proper blood flow, according to WebMD. High blood sugar disrupts that blood flow and even damages the nerves and blood vessels.
8. Weight Gain
If you have high blood sugar, chances are you might be insulin resistant. In this case, your cells no longer respond to insulin. It is extremely difficult for insulin-resistant cells to take glucose from your blood. Because of this, your blood sugar levels begin to build up over time. This can cause you to gain weight, according to Livestrong.
So those are the most common signs of high blood sugar levels. But you’re probably wondering what causes high blood sugar levels. Poor diet is one of the main causes. People who have a diet that consists of foods that are highly processed and have a lot of calories can cause them to digest quickly. Digesting your food quickly is not a good thing. This can cause a spike in your blood sugar levels. It can also cause bad cholesterol levels as well, according to WebMD.
Another cause is lack of exercise. People think that exercise just helps with the heart rate and keeps your bones strong. But what it also does is keep your muscle cells sensitive to insulin. If you don’t exercise, you run the risk of your muscle cells becoming resistant to insulin, which controls your blood sugar levels, WebMD explains.
One thing to remember about these signs is that they could mean something completely different. A few of these signs are symptoms of a common cold. Do not try and self-diagnose yourself consult your doctor first. They will give you medication and treatment options.
