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Hyperglycemia

High blood sugar

What is high blood sugar?

When your fasting blood sugar (glucose) is at or above 11 mmol/L, you may: 

  • Feel thirsty 
  • Need to go pee more often than usual, especially during the night
  • Feel more tired than usual

Target levels can be different for everyone and should be set and agreed upon by you and your healthcare team.

What causes high blood sugar?

High blood sugar can happen when food, activity and medications are not balanced. It can be caused by any of the following:  

  • missing a dose of your medication or insulin 

  • eating more carbohydrates than usual  

  • being stressed 

  • being sick  

  • accidentally over-treating a low blood sugar  

  • change to or starting certain medications 

  • your body reacting to something you may not be aware of

a group of plates of food

What do I do if I have high blood sugar?

Follow the treatment recommended by your doctor, diabetes educator or other member of your health-care team. 

If high blood sugar seems to happen a lot or more than usual, you may need to call or see someone on your health-care team to: 

  • Adjust your eating pattern  

  • Adjust your physical activity 

  • Adjust your medication and/or insulin

If your blood sugar remains high for longer than a few meals and is over 14 mmol/L before meals, check for ketones using a blood ketone or urine ketone test, whichever you have. If ketones are present, follow instructions from your healthcare provider or call them to find out what to do next.

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What is diabetic ketoacidosis?

Diabetic ketoacidosis, known as DKA, is a life-threatening diabetes complication. It is caused by a severe lack of insulin or your bodies lack of response to the insulin provided. Without insulin your body can’t move sugar into the cells for energy so instead it breaks down fat releasing harmful chemicals called ketones which can build up and make you seriously ill very quickly. If you have very high blood sugar or high levels of ketones, you should seek medical treatment right away.