How to Lower Blood Sugar Fast

How to Lower Blood Sugar Fast. A blood glucose test measures the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. The test can involve a finger prick or a blood draw from your vein. Healthcare providers most commonly use blood glucose tests to screen for Type 2 diabetes, which is a common condition.

What is a blood glucose test?

A blood glucose test mainly screens for diabetes by measuring the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood.

There are two main types of blood glucose tests:

• Capillary blood glucose test. A healthcare provider collects a drop of blood — usually from a fingertip needle prick. For an infant, a provider pricks their heel. This test involves a test strip and glucose meter. You get the result within seconds.
• Venous (plasma) blood glucose test. A phlebotomist collects a sample of blood from a vein. This glucose test is usually part of a blood panel, like a basic metabolic panel. The provider sends the sample to a lab for testing.

Venous blood glucose tests are generally more accurate than capillary blood glucose tests.

Other types of blood glucose tests include:

• Fasting blood sugar test. This test can screen for diabetes. Eating food affects your blood sugar. So, fasting blood glucose tests show a more accurate picture of your baseline blood sugar.
• At-home glucose monitoring. People with diabetes use a glucose meter with a finger prick or a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Monitoring your glucose level is essential to effectively managing diabetes.

Understand Blood Glucose

The first step to managing your blood sugar is to understand what makes blood sugar levels rise.

• Glucose: The carbohydrates and sugars in what you eat and drink turns into glucose (sugar) in the stomach and digestive system. Glucose can then enter the bloodstream.
• Insulin: Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas that helps the body’s cells take up glucose from blood and lower blood sugar levels.

In Type 2 diabetes, glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells because:

• The body develops “insulin resistance” and can’t use the insulin it makes efficiently.
• The pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce insulin.

The result can be a high blood glucose level.

Track Levels

How to Lower Blood Sugar Fast. Health care professionals can take blood glucose readings and provide recommendations. If you’re diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you will need to monitor your blood sugar level regularly.

Know Diabetes by Heart can help you manage Type 2 diabetes.

Fasting Blood Glucose Level, Diagnosis and What It Means:

• Lower than 100 mg/dl – Normal – Healthy range
• 100 to 125 mg/dl – Prediabetes (Impaired Fasting Glucose) – At increased risk of developing diabetes.
• 126 mg/dl or higher– Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2 diabetes) – At increased risk of heart disease or stroke.

Tips for Success

• Eat Smart: Eat a healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins like fish and seafood. Limit sugary foods and drinks, red or processed meats, salty foods, refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods.
• Move More: Being physically active can lower your risk of developing diabetes and help you manage the disease if you already have it.
• Manage Weight: Stay at a healthy weight to help prevent, delay or manage diabetes.
• No Nicotine: Smoking, vaping, exposure to secondhand smoke or using tobacco can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, many cancers and other chronic diseases. It may also make prediabetes and diabetes harder to manage.

Who should check?

Talk to your doctor about whether you should be checking your blood glucose. People who may benefit from checking blood glucose regularly include those:

• taking insulin.
• who are pregnant.
• having a hard time reaching your blood glucose targets.
• having low blood glucose levels.
• having low blood glucose levels without the usual warning signs.
• have ketones from high blood glucose levels.

How do I check?

People with diabetes check their blood glucose levels by poking their fingertips and using a blood glucose meter or a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to measure the blood glucose level at that moment. Read on to find out how to use a blood glucose meter. To find out more about CGMs, start by talking to your doctor.

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How to use a blood glucose meter:

• After washing your hands, insert a test strip into your meter.
• Use your lancing device on the side of your fingertip to get a drop of blood.
• Touch and hold the edge of the test strip to the drop of blood and wait for the result.
• Your blood glucose level will appear on the meter’s display.

Note: All meters are slightly different, so always refer to your user’s manual for specific instructions.

Other tips for checking:

• With some meters, you can also use your forearm, thigh, or fleshy part of your hand.
• There are spring-loaded lancing devices that make sticking yourself less painful.
• If you use your fingertip, stick the side of your fingertip by your fingernail to avoid having sore spots on the frequently used part of your finger.

What are the target ranges?

Blood glucose targets are individualized based on:

• duration of diabetes
• age/life expectancy
• conditions a person may have
• cardiovascular disease or diabetes complications
• hypoglycemia unawareness
• individual patient considerations

The American Diabetes Association suggests the following targets for most nonpregnant adults with diabetes. A1C targets differ based on age and health. Also, more or less stringent glycemic goals may be appropriate for each individual. 

• A1C: Less than 7%
  A1C may also be reported as eAG: Less than 154 mg/dL
• Before a meal (preprandial plasma glucose): 80–130 mg/dL
• 1-2 hours after beginning of the meal (postprandial plasma glucose)*: Less than 180 mg/dL

What do my results mean?

When you finish the blood glucose check, write down your results and note what factors may have affected them, such as food, activity, and stress. Take a close look at your blood glucose record to see if your level is too high or too low several days in a row at about the same time. If the same thing keeps happening, it might be time to change your diabetes care plan. Work with your doctor or diabetes educator to learn what your results mean for you. It can take time to make adjustments and get things just right. And do ask your doctor if you should report results out of a certain range right away by phone.

Keep in mind that blood glucose results often trigger strong feelings. Blood glucose numbers can leave you upset, confused, frustrated, angry, or down. It’s easy to use the numbers to judge yourself. Remind yourself that tracking your blood glucose level is simply a way to know how well your diabetes care plan is working, and whether that plan may need to change.

Low blood glucose levels

Hypoglycemia is when blood sugar concentrations fall below 70 mg/dL. It is most common in people with type 1 diabetes. Some other causes of hypoglycemia can include:

• malnourishment
• anorexia
• insulin misuse, or diabulimia
• prolonged alcohol consumption
• cortisol deficiency
• serious illness
• some medications
• some rare tumors, which may consume glucose or produce chemicals similar to insulin

Some early signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia include:

• tingling lips
• trembling in the hands and other parts of the body
• pale face
• sweating
• palpitations or increased heart rate
• anxiety
• dizziness or lightheadedness

Less commonly, the person may experience seizures or lose consciousness. Left untreated, severe hypoglycemia can be fatal, particularly among those with type 1 diabetes.

Normal blood sugar v. high blood sugar

A blood glucose test is used to measure blood sugar, and it’s recommended everyone be screened for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes by age 35. Those with a family history of diabetes, symptoms or risk factors, or certain ethnic backgrounds may need to get checked sooner. 

Normal blood sugar would be 99 mg/dL or lower after a blood test in which the patient fasted overnight. A blood sugar of 100 mg/dL or higher is considered abnormal. A range of 100-125 mg/dL falls under the category of prediabetes, while a blood sugar of 126 mg/dL or higher is considered type 2 diabetes. At least two abnormal blood sugar test results are needed to make a diagnosis. Hemoglobin A1C, a marker of blood glucose over a three month period is also helpful to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. 

“High blood sugar is very dangerous in the long-term. This is largely because it damages our blood vessels and nerves and can increase the risk of infection. Chronically high blood sugar levels can affect vision and lead to peripheral neuropathy, which is losing sensation in the feet and/or hands due to damaged nerves. Damaged blood vessels can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral vascular disease,” said Dr. Wood.

What impacts blood sugar levels?

Insulin is a hormone released from the pancreas when we eat that moves glucose from blood to the body’s tissues and helps to deliver energy to our cells. Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the body does not make insulin, which can result in dangerously high blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes is different in that the body makes insulin, but the body becomes resistant to it, causing blood sugar levels to spike.

It’s not common for patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes to experience symptoms. However, symptoms of high blood sugar or hyperglycemia include excessive thirst, urinating frequently, fatigue, dry mouth, weight loss and blurry vision.

Patients with symptoms or any risk factors should contact their doctor to have their blood sugar levels evaluated. Prediabetes can be reversed, and certain medications as well as lifestyle modifications can help prevent the progression from prediabetes to diabetes.

If you have diabetes, you should try to keep your blood glucose (sugar) as close to target range as possible. This will help to delay or prevent complications related to diabetes.

Know your blood sugar 

Blood sugar is the amount of sugar in your blood at a given time. It’s important to check your blood sugar level, because it will:

• determine if you have a high or low blood sugar level at a given time
• show you how your lifestyle and medication affect your blood sugar levels
• help you and your diabetes health-care team make lifestyle and medication changes to improve your blood sugar levels

How to check

A blood glucose meter is used to check your blood sugar at home. You can get these meters at most pharmacies or from your diabetes educator. Talk with your diabetes educator or pharmacist about which one is right for you.

Before using your meter, make sure you’re trained on how to use it. Ask your health-care provider about:

• how and where to get a blood sample
• how to use and dispose of lancets (the device that punctures your skin)
• the size of the drop of blood needed
• the type of blood glucose strips to use
• how to clean the meter
• how to check if the meter is accurate
• how to code your meter (if needed)

A flash glucose meter is a newer type of device that uses sensors to measure blood sugar and doesn’t require finger pricks. Instead, a sensor is inserted just underneath your skin (usually the upper arm) and measures your blood sugar levels. You use a hand-held scanner that you swipe over the sensor to read your blood sugar levels, including coverage in Canada and what individuals have to say about their personal experiences with this technology. 

A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a device that checks blood sugar level continuously throughout the day  and also uses a sensor inserted under your skin. CGM, however, has continuous display of blood sugar and provides alarms for alerting the user of low and high blood sugar and integrates with insulin pump devices.

Blood Sugar: 5 FAQs