Does High Blood Sugar Make You Tired?

Charlotte Miller

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Type 1 and type 2 diabetics are typically aware of the signs and symptoms of high blood sugar. However, those symptoms might be less noticeable in people who have only recently been diagnosed with the condition or those with normal or prediabetic levels. Because some conditions can have nonspecific symptoms, it can be challenging to distinguish between high blood sugar symptoms and those of other conditions. Fatigue is one of these vague signs of high blood sugar that people with diabetes frequently experience.
When to Consult a Medical Professional
Both people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes must manage their diabetes fatigue. Although not impossible, managing the condition can be challenging at first. Making an appointment with an endocrinologist, who specializes in the treatment of diabetes, is the best way to manage the disease’s symptoms or complications. Promoting lifestyle modifications like a healthy diet, more exercise, stress management methods, and improved sleep hygiene can assist with treating fatigue and other symptoms.

Sometimes feeling exhausted is common, but if it persists for over two weeks, it might be time to see a doctor. Fatigue may indicate that someone has diabetes or is at risk of developing it if they also have other signs and symptoms like increased thirst, frequent urination, nausea, listlessness, or dizziness. Regular appointments for blood glucose monitoring and diabetes management should be made for those who already have the condition because these symptoms indicate that their current course of treatment is no longer working.

Fatigue Caused by High Blood Sugar

When blood sugar levels rise, the body works overtime to produce enough insulin to return to normal. Your body will start using stored fat as energy if there isn’t enough insulin or if the body isn’t responding to it as it should. Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is split in this process, using energy from its splitting. Adenosine diphosphate, or ADP, is a different molecule created when ATP expels one of its three phosphates to produce energy. Fatigue results from the ATP’s inability to recover the phosphate it lost without any energy sources to draw from.

One of the most prevalent signs of high blood sugar is fatigue. Diabetes fatigue is the term used to describe it in diabetics. Despite getting enough sleep, eating well, or exercising frequently, many people with the condition experience constant fatigue. Despite the fact that fatigue affects people without diabetes as well, research has shown that up to 61% of those who have recently been diagnosed with the condition experience it. If someone experiences, a sudden spike in their blood sugar can also occur in people with normal or prediabetic blood sugar levels.

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How to Identify Blood Sugar Spikes

Improper insulin production is the main cause of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). The hormone responsible for controlling blood sugar levels is insulin and high blood sugar levels can result from inadequate or nonexistent insulin production.

Inadequate insulin levels can occur for a number of reasons, including:

  • Eating excessively
  • Not working out
  • Having stress
  • Inadequate insulin dosage after treatment
  • Being affected by a broken diabetes pump
  • Having ineffective insulin for controlling blood sugar levels

The following risk factors should also be considered: weight, age, smoking history, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels. Each of these may be a factor in diabetes.

How to Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes
Several techniques, such as the following, can be used to prevent blood sugar spikes that lead to fatigue:

1. Exercise on a regular basis

Regular exercise has been shown to help keep blood sugar levels under control, but remember to control as the exercise still causes your blood sugar to rise. The intensity of the exercise is less important, and both high-intensity and moderate-intensity exercises had the same effects.

2. Balanced diet

A blood sugar spike can be prevented by eating a diet that balances macronutrients like protein, fat, and carbohydrates. According to research, the body’s ability to break down food and how insulin reacts to it largely depend on the quality of the macronutrients.

3. Take your vitamins and minerals

Making sure your body is receiving all the nutrients it requires, particularly magnesium and chromium, may help to control blood sugar levels. According to studies, combining magnesium and chromium may improve insulin resistance and lessen blood sugar spikes.

4. Relaxing

Blood sugar levels can be significantly impacted by stress. You can use stress-reduction methods like meditation, yoga, or journaling to prevent blood sugar spikes from high-stress levels.

5. Substituting complex carbohydrates for simple ones

Due to their rapid digestion, refined carbohydrates like white bread, table sugar, and breakfast cereals can cause blood sugar levels to spike. On the other hand, complex carbohydrates are not. You can prevent blood sugar spikes by selecting complex carbohydrates over refined ones.
Conclusion
If untreated, high blood sugar can have dangerous adverse effects. Those with diabetes are all too familiar with the effects of high blood sugar. Still, for those who do not, it can be challenging to determine your risk of developing the condition or complications that go along with it, such as fatigue. If you think your fatigue is due to high blood sugar, the most crucial action is to make an appointment with your doctor. Once your levels have been checked, you can start dealing with the problem and returning to your optimal level of health.