“Hyperglycemia means an elevation of blood sugar often caused by the Standard American Diet (SAD) and a sedentary lifestyle. The cause is either insufficient production of insulin by your pancreas (type 1 diabetes) or inefficient ability of insulin to perform its normal functions, which is called insulin resistance and is found in type 2 diabetes. A highly elevated level of blood sugar can become life threatening, resulting in coma,” says Dr. Vikki Petersen.
What are some common symptoms that are associated with high blood sugar? Here are Dr. Vikki Petersen’s top 5 symptoms to look out for when it comes to hyperglycemia:
SYMPTOM #1: Fruity smelling breath
This is not something you can detect on yourself, but if a friend or family member displays very sweet breath, have them check into it, especially if they display other symptoms. This could very well be due to elevated blood sugar levels that need to be brought under control.
SYMPTOM #2: Fatigue and weakness
The state of excess sugar is a toxic situation for your body and one that puts it on high alert. The body’s energy goes towards trying to handle the toxic levels of sugar, leaving you tired and feeling weak. If you or someone you know experiences regular fatigue, consider checking blood sugar levels.
SYMPTOM #3: Headache or Brain Fog
Your brain and nervous system uses glucose as fuel but it needs to be in the correct amount. Both too much blood sugar and too little (hypoglycemia) can cause headache and brain fog. With the amount of sugars present in processed foods and sweet treats, it’s good to check if your blood sugar levels are too high if you experience frequent headaches.
SYMPTOM #4: Blurred vision and later blindness
Excess blood sugar damages the vessels of your retina, creating clouding of your vision and eventually permanent damage as blindness. This of course is advanced stages of untreated high blood sugar, meaning if you check on a regular basis and control blood sugar levels, you can prevent damage before it happens.
SYMPTOM #5: Increased thirst and urination
Your body is very clever and it increases your thirst as a means of trying to dilute the excess sugar and excrete it from your body with more frequent urination. If you have the ability to check your urine you will see elevated glucose in it.
If you are interested in learning more about how hyperglycemia impacts your overall health and how to combat it, I’d be happy to arrange an email, phone or Zoom conversation with regular media contributor Dr. Vikki Petersen. Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
—
Dr. Vikki Petersen, certified clinical nutritionist, chiropractor and certified functional medicine practitioner discusses the importance of knowing what hyperglycemia looks like and how it relates to overall health.
