Whenever you eat certain foods, your body turns that food into glucose, which is a type of sugar. Sugar is actually sent through your blood to feed your cells. The amount of sugar in your blood is your “blood sugar”. Once the sugar reaches your cells, insulin helps your cells use the sugar for energy. That’s how your body gets the energy you need to do all the things you like to do.
Your job is to try to balance your blood sugar levels. Your doctor will give you a target range for blood sugar levels that are safe for you.
Sometimes, your blood sugar levels might be higher or lower than your target range. But this doesn’t mean that you’re not doing a good job.
High Blood Sugar (Hyperglycemia)
High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, means that the amount of sugar in your bloodstream is higher than it should be. The signs of hyperglycemia include: blurry vision, headaches, having to pee a lot (called polyuria, which means increased urination), being very thirsty (called polydipsia, meaning increased thirst), eating a lot (called polyphagia, which means increased eating), irritability, tiredness and unexplained weight loss over a period of time. When you have diabetes, eating a bigger meal than usual, missing a dose of insulin, and being sick, inactive or stressed can cause your blood sugar to be high.
When Your Blood Sugar is High:
- Drink lots of water and sugar-free fluids (limit fluids with sugar, including fruit juices).
- Follow your meal plan.
- Take your insulin as prescribed by your doctor. If your blood sugar stays high, call your doctor or diabetes educator.
- Check your blood sugar more often than usual.
- If your blood sugar stays over 250 mg/dL, check your urine for ketones.
Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)
Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can happen when there is too much insulin in your system, or if you have skipped a meal, not eaten enough or had too much activity without enough food to meet the needs of the exercise. The symptoms of hypoglycemia include feeling shaky, sweaty, weak, dizzy, irritable, extremely hungry and having a headache.
If You Feel Low:
- Check your blood sugar, if you can.
- Take some type of fast-acting sugar, like 3 glucose tablets (you can buy these at the drug store), a 1/2 cup of fruit juice, 3-4 pieces of hard candy (chew them – don’t suck on them), a small box of raisins or ½ cup of regular soda (not diet).
- If you don’t feel better in 10-15 minutes, it’s best to re-check and then have more sugar if your blood sugar is still too low.
About Blood Sugar Checks
Sometimes checking your blood sugar can feel like a hassle. But it’s important to test regularly so you know how all the parts of your diabetes management plan are working together. Plus, even though you may feel fine, only a blood sugar test can tell you if your blood sugar is in your target range.
How Often Should You Test?
How many times you test depends on your diabetes management plan and varies from person to person. You, your parents and your healthcare team can decide how often you should test.
When Should You Test?
The time of day that you test will change. Usually, people should test at times that help them figure out how a treatment is working or see the effect of a meal or sports. Many kids check their blood sugar first thing in the morning and before meals. Some kids check at bedtime and/or in the middle of the night. It’s also a good idea to check your blood sugar two hours after a meal.
Why After a Meal?
For kids with diabetes, your sugar can be higher after you eat. Even in kids without diabetes, blood sugar goes up after a meal. Depending upon the meal and the amount of activity after the meal, your blood sugar comes back down over the next few hours. Both fasting blood sugar checks and after-meal blood sugar checks are important and provide different information about how different foods can work into your diabetes management plan.