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With the rising prevalence of diabetes around the world today, it is important to know a little about possible symptoms of diabetes. This is a tricky issue, because there can be no symptoms at all for a long time even when you have the condition. I have known people, and this includes me, who found out almost accidentally that they had elevated blood sugar levels. In my case, my average blood sugar had run around 250 MG per deciliter for an unknown period of time and I was completely symptom free. The situation was uncovered in a routine blood test. Well, I guess “routine” might not be the best way to describe it because it certainly threw me out of my routine. In this post, I’m going to discuss low blood sugar symptoms and say a few words about high blood sugar symptoms as well. The reason for this is that many people who have volatile blood sugar levels are going to experience both conditions. Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia is often a precursor of diabetes. It is important to understand both high and low blood sugar variants.
What is a Normal Range and an Abnormal Range for Blood Sugar
For those who may be unfamiliar with normal blood glucose ranges, a typical level is between 80-90 mg per deciliter. Our bodies are pretty resilient as evidenced by my lack of symptoms at somewhere around 3 times higher than the normal level. The range I was experiencing is nowhere near has high as blood sugar can get and will get if you have no treatment. At 400 MG per deciliter, it is recommended that you seek immediate medical attention. When things get that far out-of-hand, you are going to have symptoms, I can almost guarantee you that.
The acceptable range for low blood sugar is not so wide as for high blood sugar. For many people, if blood sugar levels fall to 70, they are feeling lightheaded, may have a headache, and just “don’t feel right”. These are classic symptoms of minimal low blood sugar. Levels of 60 mg per deciliter and below can be dangerous. You are much more likely to get into really serious trouble with these levels than you are with levels between 200-300 mg per deciliter. More about this in a minute.
What About Common High Blood Sugar Symptoms?
So, let’s discuss some possible, common high blood sugar symptoms. The one I have heard the most is of great thirstiness. In many cases, this is accompanied with the frequent need to urinate. Seems paradoxical, doesn’t it.
What is happening here is that the body is trying to reduce its blood sugar levels by evacuating them through urination. It is a self-protective mechanism and can be beneficial. Because of this, your body needs more fluid to evacuate more sugar and the net effect is that you get extremely thirsty. Unfortunately, this isn’t going to bring your blood sugar back into the normal range.
Another possible symptom is of blurred vision. This is a particularly frightening symptom because it can mean that serious damage is being done to the retinas of the eye. With more sugar in the blood, it thickens and damages extra sensitive tissue such as the retina. For more information on diabetic retinopathy, visit our page on this topic.
Symptoms That May Accompany Both Conditions
Another set of symptoms often go hand-in-hand as symptoms of both low and high blood sugar. They are unusual fatigue, lethargy, difficulty making decisions and irritation. Often, these symptoms interact with one another in ways that can’t always be predicted. For example, extreme irritation may be caused in part by fatigue or just not feeling well. For many, a symptom of low blood sugar is anger. I once knew a woman who would purposefully allow her blood sugar to get low when she wanted to provoke a confrontation with people who worked for her. Conversely, I have had friends with diabetes report to me that when their blood sugar is elevated, they feel a happy giddiness. So, there seems to be a big relationship between blood sugar levels and mood. But the moods may differ from one person to another.
When Low Blood Sugar Gets Dangerous
When blood sugar levels fall down around 60 mg per deciliter, a person can get into serious trouble very fast. Communication through speech may become difficult. An ability to express oneself can be severely impaired as well as overall judgment. If the condition persists, coma can ensue and this can lead to death. Low blood sugar symptoms must be taken seriously for this reason. I would argue that in the short term these are more immediately dangerous and life-threatening than high blood sugar symptoms’. Obviously, neither is good, of course.</p>
Summing Up
Low blood sugar symptoms should be taken seriously when they occur. If you feel such symptoms coming on, try to eat something. Don’t load up on sugar though because that could create a spiraling effect in which your blood sugar skyrockets and then falls lower than it was previously. Try cheese and crackers or fresh fruit rather than a candy bar or pastry. If you have low blood sugar symptoms very often, it would be wise to discuss this with your physician as such symptoms are often a precursor to becoming diabetic.
For More Information
We are working all the time on this site to provide additional information about both this topic and other key topics related to diabetes. For example, check out our compilation of key diabetic statistics here. Finally, another excellent source of information on diabetes and diabetic retinopathy is the American Diabetes Association. Be sure and become familiar with their information and resources on diabetes.
