This Is the #1 Unexpected Way Your Body May Be Telling You That You Have High Blood Sugar
In today’s world, sugar is a part of our daily lives, whether we identify as healthy eaters or not. It’s in everything, and according to Healthy Food America, more than half of Americans exceed the dietary guidelines for sugar intake.
Can all this sugar-eating lead to blood sugar that’s too high? What does that do to your body? And what’s the first sign that you may be experiencing high blood sugar? Read on for insights from endocrinologists that point to the answers.
What Is High Blood Sugar, Exactly?
Technically called “hyperglycemia,” Dr. Florence Comite, MD, Innovator in Precision Medicine with multiple specialties in Endocrinology and Founder of the Center for Precision Medicine & Health, says high blood sugar is when “there’s too much glucose, or sugar, in your blood. This occurs when you have too little of the hormone insulin or you are ‘insulin resistant.’ Insulin resistance interferes with the action of insulin to move glucose into your tissues, so insulin circulates in your blood, however, this insulin is inactive.”
Another way to put it? “High blood sugars are those which remain higher than set normative values either before or after eating,” says Dr. Ishita Patel, MD, a board-certified endocrinologist at Texas Diabetes and Endocrinology in Austin, Texas.
Can Anyone Experience High Blood Sugar?
Since it’s something that’s “relatively common,” as Dr. Comite says, many people can experience high blood sugar. She says that in general, eating certain foods, which include carbohydrates such as bread, cookies, cake, rice and pasta, raises blood sugar in most people.
“But we are all unique individuals,” she adds. “Sometimes one person may see a sugar spike triggered by eating a banana or another high fructose fruit and another person’s blood sugar won’t spike from eating the same food. You can’t make generalizations.”
According to Dr. Comite, other triggers of a rise in blood sugar can be poor sleep and stress, which increase the hormone cortisol. “Elevated cortisol over time leads to increased blood sugar,” she says, adding that use of oral contraceptives in women, with a family history of diabetes, can unmask the risk of diabetes in their future.
“Any infection can and often will exacerbate a rise in sugar,” she explains. “That was extremely common with COVID.”
And in general, she says that aging commonly allows diabetes to emerge due to reduced muscle mass and declining hormones, which can begin in one’s 30s.
Additionally, there are medical conditions that can cause high blood sugar, which, as Dr. Comite details, can include metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, polycystic ovarian disease, heart disease, cognitive disorders and others.
The #1 Unexpected Way Your Body May Be Telling You That You Have High Blood Sugar
Dr. Patel identifies the top way our bodies let us know that we’re experiencing high blood sugar. And it comes down to your bathroom habits.
“If you are drinking a lot of water and urinating constantly, and this is a new issue for you, this could indicate a blood sugar disorder,” she says. "A new diabetic urinates out more sugar (due to higher sugar in the blood), and this leads to more water loss as well, leading the person to feel more thirsty."
Related: Surprise! A Natural Sweetener May Actually Help *Lower* Blood Sugar
What Are Some Other Symptoms of High Blood Sugar?
Our experts list other symptoms of high blood sugar, which can include:
A feeling of pins and needles in the feet
Intermittent blurry vision
Sores and injuries that don’t readily heal
Persistent infections, such as a cold when others improve quickly with minimal symptoms
Fatigue: the feeling that a nap is critical after a lunch of pasta or rice
Feeling jittery, hungry, weak or faint following a high-carbohydrate meal
Significant weight loss
Yeast infections
Mental fogginess
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it could be a good idea to go get tested. Dr. Comite says that a fasting blood test is common, and a more recent innovation is a tiny device that can be prescribed and placed on the upper arm to monitor sugar for 10 to 14 days. It’s called a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).
Dr. Patel says that elevated sugars can show up in urine as well.
What Are the Risks of Having High Blood Sugar?
Our endocrinologists share the potential risks of blood sugar, which can include:
Kidney failure
Eye disease
Cancers
Increased foot infections
Loss of pain sensation
Memory and cognition disturbances
Related: Cardiologists Share the Surprising Link Between Blood Sugar and Heart Disease
How Can You Bring Down Your Blood Sugar?
Dr. Comite says that if your doctor tells you, “Your sugar is a little high—let’s keep an eye on it,” it can be helpful to ask if they can prescribe a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).
“We use these devices all the time to help an individual understand their personal sugar patterns and make wise decisions to reverse diabetes by changing habits,” Dr. Comite says. These good, sugar-lowering habits can include eating differently, improving sleep, reducing stress, introducing meditation or yoga, massages and adding a walk several times a week.
Related: This Is the #1 Way To Lower Blood Sugar Naturally, According to an Endocrinologist
“There are many approaches to bring down high sugar and to reverse and stop diabetes,” she says.
Dr. Patel says that there are many oral medications and injections that can help bring blood sugars down, too.
“The most important way to keep yourself healthy and avoid blood sugar disorders is keeping your lifestyle and weight healthy,” she says. “Eating whole, non-processed foods with plenty of fiber and lean protein, as well as regular exercise, will help many people avoid insulin resistance and metabolic disorders. There will still be people who develop disorders for other reasons and genetic predispositions. If you are experiencing any of those concerning, new symptoms or have a family history, it’s important to stay up to date on physical exams and checkups to catch any disease process early.”
Next up, discover the #1 worst habit for blood sugar, according to an endocrinologist.
Sources
Florence Comite, MD, Innovator in Precision Medicine with multiple specialties in Endocrinology and Founder of the Center for Precision Medicine & Health.
Ishita Patel, MD, board-certified endocrinologist at Texas Diabetes and Endocrinology in Austin, Texas.
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