How to Lower Blood Sugar Quickly in an Emergency: Tips and More

The quickest way to lower your blood sugar is to take fast-acting insulin. Exercising is another fast, effective way. However, in severe cases, you should go to the hospital.

High blood sugar levels are known as hyperglycemia or high blood glucose. This can result in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), when insulin levels are low. it is a medical emergency. DKA typically occurs in type 1 diabetes.

Symptoms of DKA include:

• shortness of breath
• breath that smells fruity
• nausea and vomiting
• dry mouth

If you aren’t sure what to do, call your doctor for instructions on administering a dose of insulin and for advice about whether to go to the emergency room.

This article looks at ways to lower your blood sugar quickly when to go to the emergency room or see a doctor, and tips for managing high blood sugar.

When treated early, you can bring high blood sugar levels down and prevent complications, including DKA.

Some sources suggest that drinking water or eating a high protein snack can quickly lower your blood sugar levels, though there isn’t enough research to support this.

If you have high blood sugar and need to lower it fast, try the following methods:

Take your insulin as prescribed

High blood sugar occurs when your body has too little insulin, or your body can’t use insulin properly. Administering insulin can bring your blood sugar levels down.

Talk to your doctor about how much rapid-acting insulin you should administer when your blood sugar is high.

You may want to check your blood sugar a minimum of 30 minutes after taking insulin to make sure your blood sugar is going down and that it’s not dropping too low.

In these instances, you should not administer more correction insulin until at least 3 hours later to prevent insulin stacking and hypoglycemia.

Exercise

Exercise is a fast and effective way to lower your blood sugar levels. Exercise can lower your blood sugar for 24 hours or more. This is because it makes your body more sensitive to insulin.

Physical activity causes the body to demand glucose for energy. As a result, the cells deliver glucose to the muscles and blood sugar levels usually drop.

Importantly, if your blood sugar is above 240 mg/dl, you should check your urine for ketones. If ketones are present, do not exercise because this can make your blood sugar rise even higher.

While exercise is an effective way to lower your blood sugar throughout the day, some exercises — particularly short bursts of strenuous activity — can briefly increase blood sugar levels.

This is because strenuous activity activates the body’s stress response, causing a release of glucagon to power the muscles.

According to the University of Michigan, blood sugar levels of 300 mg/dL or more can be dangerous. They recommend calling a doctor if you have two readings in a row of 300 or more.

Call your doctor if you’re worried about any symptoms of high blood sugar. They can offer advice and reassurance.

See your doctor if you have consistently high blood sugar levels. Symptoms of this include:

• consistently high blood sugar readings
• frequent urination
• increased thirst
• high levels of sugar in urine

Ask your doctor how often to check your blood sugar and your ideal blood sugar levels.

High blood sugar can be very concerning because your body can start burning fat for energy instead of blood glucose.

This can cause DKA, which is a medical emergency and can be fatal if left untreated.

Symptoms that can indicate you should go to the emergency room include:

• ketones in your urine
• confusion
• nausea
• shortness of breath
• stomach pain
• vomiting
• fruit-scented breath

DKA is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes. It’s rare in people with type 2 diabetes, but can occur.

When to call 911

If you or someone around you is experiencing any of the above symptoms in relation to diabetes, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room. Prompt treatment can enhance outcomes.

Was this helpful?

Checking your blood sugar and then treating hyperglycemia early will help prevent any complications.

Health problems can arise when someone has high blood sugar regularly and without treatment.

Examples of complications include:

• nerve damage, called diabetic neuropathy, that may affect sensations in the feet and hands
• diabetic retinopathy, or damage to the blood vessels in the eyes that affects vision
• increased risks for kidney problems
• increased risks for heart problems

Taking steps to keep your blood sugar at target levels can help to minimize the likelihood that these complications will occur.

Find several tips for avoiding blood sugar spikes here.

Here are some general guidelines for blood sugar ranges:

Blood sugar	What to know
70 mg/dL or lower	Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Eat a snack to raise blood sugar (e.g. 1/2 cup fruit juice, 1 tbsp. honey, or 2 tbsp. raisins).
80–130 mg/dL	Ideal preprandial range (before a meal).
180 mg/dL or lower	Ideal postprandial range (1–2 hours after beginning a meal).
240 mg/dL or higher	Check your urine for ketones. Call your doctor if you find moderate amounts of ketones after more than one test.

Read more about blood sugar monitoring here.

Most people can manage their diabetes in a way that stops their blood sugar levels from ever getting too high. The following tips can help:

• following your treatment regimen
• eating a balanced diet
• regularly exercising
• reducing stress
• staying hydrated
• following a consistent sleep schedule
• maintaining a moderate weight

Administering insulin and exercising are two of the most common ways to get blood sugar levels down.

However, if someone has ketones in their urine or symptoms of excessively high blood sugar, they may need to go to the emergency room.

High blood sugar – self-care: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

High blood sugar is also called high blood glucose, or hyperglycemia.

High blood sugar almost always happens in people who have diabetes. High blood sugar occurs when:

• Your body makes too little insulin.
• Your body does not respond to the signal insulin is sending.

Insulin is a hormone that helps the body move glucose (sugar) from the blood into muscle or fat, where it is stored for later use when energy is needed.

Sometimes high blood sugar occurs due to stress from surgery, infection, trauma, or medicines. After the stress is over, blood sugar returns to normal.

Symptoms of high blood sugar can include:

• Being very thirsty or having a dry mouth
• Having blurry vision
• Having dry skin
• Feeling weak or tired
• Needing to urinate a lot, or needing to get up more often than usual at night to urinate

You may have other, more serious symptoms if your blood sugar becomes very high or remains high for a long time. Over time, high blood sugar weakens your immune system and makes it more likely for you to get infections.

High blood sugar can harm you. If your blood sugar is high, you need to know how to bring it down. If you have diabetes, here are some questions to ask yourself when your blood sugar is high:

• Are you eating right?
• Are you eating too much?
• Have you been following your diabetes meal plan?
• Did you have a meal or a snack with a lot of carbohydrates, starches, or simple sugars?

Are you taking your diabetes medicines correctly?

• Has your doctor changed your medicines?
• If you take insulin, have you been taking the correct dose? Is the insulin expired? Or has it been stored in a hot or cold place?
• Are you afraid of having low blood sugar? Is that causing you to eat too much or take too little insulin or other diabetes medicine?
• Have you injected insulin into a scar or overused area? Have you been rotating sites? Was the injection into a lump or numb spot under the skin?

What else has changed?

• Have you been less active than usual?
• Do you have a fever, cold, flu, or another illness?
• Are you dehydrated?
• Have you had some stress?
• Have you been checking your blood sugar regularly?
• Have you gained weight?
• Have you started taking any new medicines such as for high blood pressure or other medical problems?
• Have you had an injection into a joint or other area with a glucocorticoid medicine?

To prevent high blood sugar, you will need to:

• Follow your meal plan
• Stay physically active
• Take your diabetes medicines as instructed

You and your doctor will:

• Set a target goal for your blood sugar levels for different times during the day. This helps you manage your blood sugar.
• Decide how often you need to check your blood sugar at home.

If your blood sugar is higher than your goals over 3 days and you don’t know why, check your urine for ketones. Then call your health care provider.

Hyperglycemia – self care; High blood glucose – self care; Diabetes – high blood sugar

• Food and insulin release

American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 5. Facilitating Behavior Change and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2022. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Suppl 1):S60-S82. PMID: 34964866 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34964866/.

American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 6. Glycemic Targets: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2022. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Suppl 1):S83-S96. PMID: 34964868 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34964868/.

Atkinson MA, Mcgill DE, Dassau E, Laffel L. Type 1 diabetes. In: Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 36.

Riddle MC, Ahmann AJ. Therapeutics of type 2 diabetes. In: Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 35.

Updated by: Sandeep K. Dhaliwal, MD, board-certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Springfield, VA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

Browse the Encyclopedia

norms, allowable values, diagnostic methods

1. Blood sugar norm
2. Who needs to measure glucose
3. Age indicators
4. Fasting and postprandial levels
5. How to determine glycemia
6. What determines the level of sugar
7. How to use the

meter

8. Who needs a glucose tolerance test

Image by stefamerpik on Freepik

The level of sugar in the blood is not a constant value and tends to change. There are physiological limits within which these changes are acceptable and not harmful to health.

Usually, the sugar level rises immediately after eating, and then decreases to acceptable physiological norms.

If there is a slight excess of the permissible values, this indicates that glucose tolerance is reduced. With a significant excess of the upper indicator, diabetes mellitus is diagnosed.

Low blood sugar, which is different from the norm, may indicate hypoglycemia. The disease is diagnosed by laboratory blood tests. Patients with this type of diabetes may be given injections of a glucose solution.

Blood sugar norm

The blood sugar content must be within the prescribed plasma glucose range. After sleeping on an empty stomach, this value should be within 59-99 mg per 100 ml, which is equivalent to 3.3-5.5 mmol / liter. The value after a meal (two hours later) should not exceed 141 mg per 100 ml, which, respectively, up to 7. 8 mmol / liter.

Who needs to measure glucose

Checking the level is necessary primarily for those who have been diagnosed with diabetes. Monitor indicators should be absolutely healthy people. Examination for medical reasons is necessary when:

1. Signs of hyperglycemia. They are manifested by fatigue, frequent urge to empty the bladder, thirst, weight changes.
2. Being at risk. It includes people over forty years of age who have a genetic predisposition, are overweight, with various stages of obesity.
3. Pregnancy. Between 24 and 28 weeks, pregnant women may develop gestational diabetes.

Age indicators

The average allowable blood glucose values ​​​​can vary under the influence of a number of factors:

• age;
• general condition of the body;
• power modes;
• human lifestyle.

When testing blood from a finger on an empty stomach, the following values ​​\u200b\u200bare allowed:

• children under 14 – 2. 3-3.9 mmol per liter;
• adolescents from 14 to 19 years old – 2.5-4.0 mmol per liter;
• adults 20-49 years old – 3.0-5.5 mmol per liter;
• patients over 50 years old – 3.5-6.5 mmol per liter.

If there are small deviations of a few tenths, this is acceptable.

Fasting and postprandial levels

Note! An increase in glucose levels is normal after eating food. However, even after eating, the value should not be more than 7.8 mmol / liter.

There may be deviations in the collection of capillary or venous blood. The norm for the first is 3.5-5.5 mmol / liter, for the second 3.5-6.1 mmol / liter. However, a single blood test is not enough to make a diagnosis of diabetes. Several glucose tests will be required, a curve of indicators is used for evaluation. In addition, it is necessary to combine the results of tests and the patient’s symptoms.

With a slight excess, a violation of glucose tolerance is diagnosed. If the results of a blood test from a finger show a sugar level of 5.6-6.1 mmol / l, and from a vein – 7 mmol / l, then the patient is diagnosed with the condition “prediabetes”. If in the venous blood the glucose content exceeds 7 mmol / l, and in the capillary blood – 6.1, there is a high probability that diabetes mellitus develops. A glycated hemoglobin test is required to confirm the diagnosis.

Often, blood sugar levels are below normal. If this value is below 3.5 mmol / l, the development of hypoglycemia is likely. Such changes are usually caused by physiological causes or the development of diseases. Repeated measurement of blood glucose levels is necessary for diagnosis and evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment. So, with indicators not higher than 10 mmol / liter before meals or one to two hours after eating, type 1 diabetes is recognized as compensated. The diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is made if the sugar level does not exceed 6.5 mmol / liter before meals, and during the day this value does not exceed 8. 25 mmol / liter.

How to determine glycemia

Control of sugar levels should be carried out at least once a year, even for healthy people. You can measure the level at home using a glucometer. The study should be carried out at different times of the day:

1. On an empty stomach in the morning. Before the study, it is forbidden to eat and drink for 8 hours, with the exception of water.
2. After eating. Control is carried out two hours after eating.

Diabetes patients are also advised to check their sugar levels several times a day, especially in the first period after diagnosis.

What determines the sugar level

Healthy people need to follow a proper diet without the abuse of foods high in glucose. Patients with diabetes should follow the diet and doctor’s recommendations. It is especially important for women to control sugar levels. This is due to their physiological characteristics: elevated glucose values ​​​​do not always indicate pathology and depend on age and cycle. For example, during menstruation, tests may give inadequate results.

At the age of over 50, a change in the hormonal background associated with menopause occurs in the female body. This is accompanied by changes in carbohydrate metabolism, so women over the age of 60 need to regularly check their blood for sugar.

In pregnant women, blood glucose levels up to 6.3 mmol / l are considered normal. In the case of an increase in the value to 7 mmol / l, an additional examination and consultation with a doctor is required.

How to use the meter

The glucometer is easy to use. Some devices measure indicators in the blood, some – in the blood plasma. This must be taken into account when calculating indicators.

The principle of operation of the devices is the same:

1. Wash your hands well before measuring your blood sugar. It is better to use warm water, which will help speed up blood circulation.
2. The needle is released, the puncture depth on the lancet is set.
3. The ball of the finger is pierced with the device. Important! The puncture site should not be wiped with disinfectants, this may change the study data.
4. A drop of capillary blood is applied to a special test strip. It is important that the area is completely filled with blood, otherwise the test will fail.
5. After about 10 seconds, the sugar content appears on the display.

Devices can give an error of 10-15%. The most accurate indicators can be obtained in laboratory studies when taking venous blood and plasma.

Who needs a glucose tolerance test

If hyperglycemia is suspected, the doctor prescribes repeated studies. These are tests with a sugar load, which allow you to understand how the body is ready to cope with a single intake of glucose in large quantities. This is how the work of the pancreas is checked, its ability to produce insulin in large volumes. Tests are carried out after consuming 75 g of glucose dissolved in water. Then the indicators are measured four more times with an interval of half an hour.

During pregnancy, this test is used to diagnose gestational diabetes. A glucose tolerance test is mandatory for all pregnant women at 24–28 weeks. For pregnant women at risk (a history of gestational diabetes, a body mass index of more than 30), the test is performed earlier than these dates. Includes two stages of research, which are carried out on an empty stomach and after the use of glucose.

Diabetes risk test

Answer a few questions and check if you are at risk of developing diabetes:

90 161

90 245 Yes: at least one parent, brother, sister, own child

You have reached a certain amount of points. Now you can find out how high your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is. Of course, you can’t change your age or heredity, but changing weight, nutrition and physical activity with an increased risk of developing diabetes is necessary! Also, be aware that high blood pressure, as well as previously determined elevated or “borderline” blood sugar levels, dramatically increase the risk!

Risk value:

Less than 6 points – LOW

7 – 12 points – MODERATE

Pay attention to your lifestyle. If you are overweight, and especially if you have a large waist circumference, you need to lose at least a little weight (5% of your current weight). Review your diet: include more fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains (cereals, wholemeal and bran bread) in the diet and limit the intake of animal fats (butter, hard margarine, cooking oil, sausages, smoked meats ). Physical activity significantly reduces the risk of developing diabetes.