However, not everyone has symptoms.

Hypoglycemia: When Are Blood Sugar Levels Dangerous?

Caring for someone with diabetes and seeing them experience low blood sugar can also be scary and overwhelming.

Healthcare provider taking an older person’s capillary blood glucose from finger to test at home

Maskot / Getty Images

Level 2 hypoglycemiais defined as a blood glucose concentration less than 54 mg/dL (3.0 mmol/L).

A blood sugar this low requires immediate action to resolve symptoms of hypoglycemia.

If you experience a blood sugar this low and do not have symptoms, you may have hypoglycemia unawareness.

A review of your treatment plan is warranted to prevent reoccurrence.

In this instance, you cannot treat your blood sugar on your own.

Hyperglycemia: When Are Blood Sugar Levels Dangerous?

High blood sugar can happen occasionally without resulting in harm or damage.

Contact yourdiabetes care team, physician, or certified diabetes care and education specialist for education and support.

High blood sugar is considered dangerous when it presents with ketones, which is more common intype 1 diabetes.

High blood sugar can be dangerous when it causes symptoms for people withundiagnosed diabetes.

bang out 2 diabetes develops gradually, and people can haveprediabetesor undiagnosed diabetes without knowing it.

Over time, high blood sugar levels can progress to diabetes or cause complications of diabetes.

DKA triggers when insulin is absent, and the body cannot use glucose for fuel.

It instead starts to burn fat and produce ketones for energy.

It is different fromketosis.

DKA causes the blood to become acidic.

It warrants immediate medical attention.

From this, cell damage can occur.

If it continues to progress, it can cause coma or death.

DKA tends to develop slowly; the first symptoms are usually intense thirst and excessive urination.

Although uncommon, this emergency can cause blood sugars to rise above 600 mg/dL.

This will help to prevent your blood sugar from dropping again.

Your diabetes treatment team can give you individualized recommendations.

Treatment methods are highly individualized based on a person’s specific needs and situation.

These situations warrant immediate treatment.

When blood sugars are chronically high, they increase the risk of a person developing diabetes complications.

Low blood sugar can also be due to drinking alcohol and physical activity.

Many people with diabetes benefit from having acontinuous glucose monitor.

This wearable technology can be programmed to alarm when blood sugar is trending high or low.

Any change in one of these variables can increase the risk of high and low blood sugars.

Extremely low and high blood sugars can become immediate dangers, and prompt action must be taken.

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