As part of your diabetes care plan, it’s important to know what to do if your blood sugar goes too high or too low. Blood sugar that’s too high or too low can cause symptoms that can be mistaken for other problems. That’s why it’s important for you to always wear your medical ID. The ID should show that you have diabetes and should tell others what you might need in an emergency.

Knowing when your blood sugar is high

High blood sugar (also called hyperglycemia) is when there is too much sugar in your blood.

Over time, it can cause serious health problems. High blood sugar can happen if you:

• Skip a dose of insulin or diabetes pills
• Eat more than usual
• Are less active than usual
• Are under stress or are sick

If your blood sugar is too high, you may:

• Feel very thirsty or hungry
• Need to pass urine more than usual
• Feel like your mouth and skin are dry
• Have blurry vision
• Feel sleepy
• Notice that infections or injuries you have heal more slowly than usual

High blood sugar and DKA

High blood sugar can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. DKA is a buildup of ketones in the blood. Ketones are produced when the body uses fat for energy instead of sugar. This can happen when you don’t have enough insulin and sugar is not getting into your cells to be used for energy.

DKA is mainly a problem for people with type 1 diabetes. Regular checks of your urine or blood for ketones can help prevent this serious problem. Ketones in your urine or blood are a sign that your insulin level is too low.

What to do about high blood sugar

If you have signs or symptoms of high blood sugar, check your blood sugar level. Check your ketones too. If your blood sugar is high and you don’t have ketones, you can help lower your blood sugar if you:

• Follow your meal plan
• Do some physical activity (follow your physical activity plan)
• Take your medicine as directed

Call your diabetes care team if:

• Your blood sugar level has been above your goal for 3 days and you don’t know why
• You have ketones

Recognizing low blood sugar

You might get low blood sugar (also called hypoglycemia) if you:

• Take certain medicines and eat too few carbohydrates, or skip or delay a meal
• Take too much insulin or diabetes pills (Ask your diabetes care team if this applies to you)
• Are more active than usual

When your blood sugar gets too low, you may feel:

• Weak or tired
• Hungry
• Dizzy or shaky
• Nervous or upset
• Sweaty
• Like your heart is beating too fast
• Like your vision is blurry