Your body’s cells rely on blood sugar, also known as glucose, for energy. It comes from the foods you eat, particularly carbohydrates. How does this work, you may be wondering. When you do consume your favourite carbohydrates, like rice? For this instance, let’s use rice. Enzymes convert the rice you just ate into glucose, your body’s primary fuel source.Â
The pancreas enters the scene, and its primary function is to release insulin, a hormone that controls glucose metabolism. Insulin then takes over, working as both a conductor and a key to open your cells’ doors. Insulin attaches to cell receptors, signalling the cells to accept glucose. Once that happens, the glucose is either used for immediate energy or stored for later use.
However, an overabundance of glucose in the bloodstream can result in high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). This can happen when cells become insulin-resistant or the pancreas fails to produce adequate insulin. High blood sugar can be very bothersome and lead to serious health problems. In this article, we will look at the symptoms and root causes of high blood sugar.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 5.3% of adults in Africa have diabetes. This number is projected to increase to 15 million by 2025. However, there is significant variation between countries, with South Africa, Mauritius, and Seychelles having the highest prevalence among the continent. In Nigeria, estimates range from 4.3% to 11.0% of the adult population having diabetes.
Symptoms of High Blood Sugar
Your body indicates trouble when blood sugar levels are too high by exhibiting a variety of symptoms. Let’s explore a few of these symptoms.
Regular Urination
Your kidneys filter and eliminate excess sugar from your body when it is present in your bloodstream. Nevertheless, the kidneys find it difficult to reabsorb all of the sugar when the concentration is high. They generate more urine in order to make up for it and flush out the extra sugar. Your body is trying to get rid of the extra sugar and get things back in balance by producing more urine. Also, you get dehydrated when you urinate frequently, which increases your thirst.
Excessive Hunger
In this symptom, your body may believe that it is deficient in glucose if your blood sugar is elevated. How does this occur? A high blood sugar level indicates that there is a lot of glucose circulating in your blood.
Even when there is plenty of glucose in the bloodstream, cells with insulin resistance may perceive a shortage of the substance. The body may release the hormone ghrelin, which increases hunger and the urge to eat more food, in reaction to what is thought to be a glucose shortage within the cells.
Blurred Vision
Elevated blood sugar levels have the potential to harm the fragile blood vessels found in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue located in the back of your eye. Blood flow to the retina may be decreased as a result of the injured blood vessels being leaky or even obstructed.
This makes it more difficult for the retina to receive a steady, clear signal from the eyes. Because of this, the effect on the blood vessels may eventually cause vision loss or blurriness. It is referred to as diabetic retinopathy.
Causes of High Blood Sugar
According to a study by Michelle Mouri and Madhu Badireddy, “the incidence of hyperglycemia has increased dramatically over the last two decades due to increased obesity, decreased activity level, and an aging population.” High blood sugar doesn’t have a single cause. Numerous risk factors are to blame for it. Let’s examine a few reasons why blood sugar levels are high.
Uncontrolled Diabetes: If you have diabetes, you may not be able to use insulin as well (Type 2 Diabetes) or create enough of it (Type 1 Diabetes), which makes it difficult to control blood sugar levels.
Obesity: Insulin resistance is linked to excess body fat, particularly abdominal fat. Elevated blood sugar levels are caused by cells that are resistant to insulin responding in an inefficient manner. Additionally, the organ that produces insulin, the pancreas, is under more stress when you’re on the obese side. This can eventually result in pancreatic exhaustion, which lowers insulin’s efficacy and raises blood sugar levels.
Dietary Decisions: Consuming too many carbohydrates, particularly simple and refined sugars, can cause sudden rises in blood sugar levels.
Physical Activity: It matters how much you move. Exercise on a regular basis improves your body’s ability to use insulin, and inactivity can lead to insulin resistance and high blood sugar.
Impact of Stress: Stress causes the body to generate hormones that can raise blood sugar levels momentarily by increasing the amount of glucose in the blood.
Medication: Blood sugar management may be hampered by some medications you may be taking, such as antipsychotics or certain steroids.
Takeaway
We unravel the personal effects of elevated blood sugar in this article. From the activities and food you choose to eat on a daily basis to the impact of stress on your blood sugar levels. Acknowledging your body’s signals, such as heightened thirst, exhaustion, and so on, is very important.
Monitoring your blood sugar levels and examining your general health are all important components of personal evaluation. This article will help you understand and manage high blood sugar so you can live a better life.
