When blood sugar ranges exceed 400 mg/dL, it’s thought-about extreme hyperglycemia, which requires speedy consideration.
This text will let you know what you need to do in case your blood sugar is over 400 mg/dL.
What is taken into account severely excessive blood sugar?
Most individuals with diabetes will start to really feel symptomatic for top blood sugar between 180-200 mg/dL. If you’re insulin-dependent, any blood sugar over 200 mg/dL must be handled with insulin.
In case your blood sugar is over 250 mg/dL (13.89 mmol/L), you need to take an at-home urine take a look at for ketones to rule out diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is a harmful complication of diabetes that may be deadly if not handled shortly.
Search medical consideration instantly if you happen to’re experiencing a blood sugar larger than 250 mg/dL for a number of hours, together with gentle, average, or excessive ketones, and also you’re struggling to get your blood sugar down.
Folks with diabetes are liable to falling right into a diabetic coma as soon as their blood sugar reaches 600 mg/dL or larger with ketones. Blood sugars which are this excessive require speedy medical consideration, normally in a hospital setting.
What are the causes of excessive blood sugar?
Excessive blood sugar ranges are a direct results of not having sufficient insulin in your physique (cells).
A number of elements can contribute to dangerously excessive blood sugar ranges:
- Missed Insulin Doses: Skipping or not taking sufficient insulin can result in elevated blood sugar.
- Malfunctioning gear: An insulin pump or steady glucose monitor (CGM) malfunction can result in you lacking early warning indicators or not getting insulin.
- Sickness or An infection: The physique’s response to sickness can enhance blood glucose ranges.
- Dietary Selections: Consuming excessive quantities of carbohydrates with out enough insulin protection.
- Stress: Emotional or bodily stress can set off hormonal adjustments that elevate blood sugar.
- Medicine Interactions: Sure medicines and steroids can have an effect on blood glucose management.
What must you do in case your blood sugar is over 400 mg/dL?
In case your blood sugar is over 400 mg/dL, there are some speedy steps you’ll be able to take to carry your blood sugar down shortly.
Check your blood sugar once more
Generally, steady glucose monitoring (CGM) techniques and blood glucose meter readings will be incorrect.
Earlier than taking any drastic measures, wash your fingers and take a look at your blood sugar once more (and in case your CGM was studying excessive, take a look at your blood sugar manually).
Generally you might have sugar or one other substance in your fingers that gave a false excessive studying the primary time, so it’s at all times finest to recheck to be sure that your blood sugar is definitely excessive.
Check for ketones
Ketones are a kind of chemical that your liver produces to interrupt down fat for vitality when there’s a lack of insulin within the physique to make use of glucose for vitality.
Your physique will resort to doing this after extended excessive blood sugar ranges, and having ketones will be extraordinarily harmful.
You’ll be able to take a look at for ketones with a easy at-home urine or blood take a look at.
In case you have ketones, this normally indicators that you just’ll must take additional insulin to carry your blood sugar down (most individuals who develop ketones have sort 1, insulin-dependent diabetes).
Discuss together with your physician about how your insulin correction issue could change you probably have ketones.
When you’re insulin-dependent, take insulin
When you’ve retested your blood sugar and have examined for ketones (whether or not or not you might have them) and also you’re insulin-dependent, the following factor to do in case your blood sugar is over 400 mg/dL is to take insulin instantly.
You’ll want to take fast-acting insulin, reminiscent of Humalog, Novolog, Fiasp, or Lyumjev, and never long-acting insulin like Lantus or Levemir. This could begin to carry your blood sugar down extra shortly.
When you’re on an insulin pump and also you assume you could be having an insulin pump malfunction, take a handbook correction injection of insulin after which change your insulin pump web site.
Insulin pump web site malfunctions can shortly result in excessive blood sugar ranges, particularly in the event that they happen in a single day when you’re sleeping.
It’s because insulin pumps solely use short-acting insulins, so in the event that they cease working, your physique shortly runs out of insulin-on-board, not like if you happen to’re on a number of each day injections with a long-acting dose of insulin.
Drink a glass of water
Excessive blood sugar ranges result in dehydration, which might contribute to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). In case your blood sugar is excessive, you may additionally be urinating greater than typical, which makes consuming water much more vital.
For these causes, it’s essential to keep hydrated.
Don’t resort to consuming soda or juice, as that can solely enhance your blood sugar ranges. Stick to water or a eating regimen drink.
Take a 20-minute stroll
After dosing insulin and hydrating, getting even 20 minutes of sunshine train may help jump-start your blood sugar to come back down.
It isn’t suggested to train you probably have ketones, nevertheless, as excessive blood sugar ranges with ketones trigger dehydration, which train can exacerbate. This may occasionally make your blood sugars even larger.
In case your blood sugar doesn’t come down after a number of hours, name your physician
When you’ve tried all the methods above however after a number of hours your blood sugar has nonetheless not come down, name your physician (particularly if you happen to even have gentle, average, or excessive ketones and/or are sick).
Your physician can advise extra methods to make use of. They could even advocate going to the hospital for intravenous fluids and insulin to forestall dehydration and the event of DKA.
What’s the quickest method to carry down excessive blood sugar?
The quickest method to carry down blood sugar if you happen to’re insulin-dependent is to take insulin.
If you’re not insulin-dependent, staying hydrated with water and exercising are the quickest methods to carry down blood sugar shortly.
What do you do if you happen to can not carry your blood sugar down?
When you can not carry your blood sugar down, name your physician or 911 and search emergency medical consideration instantly. Excessive blood sugar ranges are damaging and may shortly turn into DKA.
In case your blood sugar has been excessive for a number of hours and you’ve got gentle, average, or excessive ketones, you need to search medical consideration.
Indicators and signs to look out for embrace:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Confusion
- Shortness of breath
- Physique aches
- Fruity-smelling breath
- Abdomen ache
