What Are the Causes of High Blood Glucose?

According to the Blood Sugar Control website, glucose is a sugar produced from the foods we digest. It is created and stockpiled inside the human body, and provides energy for cells. Blood glucose level is the quantity of glucose found in the blood. There are several reasons why blood glucose levels can elevate. A high blood sugar level is also referred to as hyperglycemia.

• Insulin shots can help with high blood glucose.

Symptoms

• When the blood glucose level becomes elevated, it causes a person to feel sick. A high blood glucose count can make you feel tired, as cells are deprived of energy and cannot work proficiently. An overflow of sugar in the blood is stored in the kidneys. This results in the extra sugar being flushed out of the body through urine. Extra urine is then created, causing you to have to go to the bathroom more often. A high sugar level also spikes the metabolism rate in the body, causing you to lose not only fat weight, but also muscle weight.

Insulin

• ABC News reports that one of the main causes of spiked glucose levels is due to a lack of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the sugar travel from the bloodstream into the cells to be utilized for energy. When the pancreas, an organ that is responsible for endocrine production, does not produce proper insulin levels, the level of sugar in the body rises.

Carbohydrates

• Hyperglycemia can also be the result of an overload of carbohydrates, which are a type of sugar. A person who has diabetes cannot handle extreme levels of carbohydrates quickly enough to transfer them to energy. A person suffering from diabetes can experience an increase in sugar levels in a matter of hours after digesting foods rich in carbohydrates.

Other Factors

• A combination of other aspects can also result in hyperglycemia. High blood sugar levels can be caused by a person with diabetes not following the directions for their diabetes medication. Stress and a lack of physical activity also play a role in high sugar levels. Illness, infection or surgery can boost the level of sugar in the body. Other medicines and drugs, including steroids, can create a higher level of sugar than normal.

Risks

• An overabundance of sugar in the body can lead to adverse health issues. Over the short haul, high blood sugar levels can result in a run-down feeling, thirst, vulnerability to infections and distorted vision. Over a longer period of time, if sugar levels in the body are not managed, heart disease, stoke, kidney disease and nerve disease can occur, resulting in amputations.