Most diabetics should know the warning signs of allowing their blood sugar levels to get too high, a condition known as hyperglycemia.

Those warning signs include:

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Blurred vision
• Frequent urination
• Increased thirst
• Dry mouth
• Shortness of breath
• Confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Increased hunger
• Abdominal pains

If the blood sugar level gets too high, it can cause someone to lose consciousness and go into a diabetic coma. My brother’s wife did not know she was diabetic. She had been complaining of some of the symptoms listed above for several days until one day, my brother came home from work to find his wife unconscious. He took her to the hospital where she died less than a day later.

That should have been a warning to me, but several years ago, I was not taking my diabetic medication nor was I eating a diabetic diet. I also wasn’t taking any medication for my high blood sugar.

I should have recognized the symptoms listed above as I was constantly thirsty and urinating numerous times a day, had a dry mouth and huge appetite. One day, I didn’t feel right and then a couple hours later, I found myself in the bathroom with uncontrollable vomiting. I was so dizzy that I couldn’t stand up. With no health insurance, we had no alternative but to call 9-1-1. When paramedics arrived, they tested my blood sugar level and found it over 300. My blood pressure was also dangerously high. I ended up spending 3 days in the hospital until doctors could get my blood sugar back down close to what it should be and I was placed on a medication to help with the dizziness – also known as vertigo. For nearly a month, I had to walk with a walker because of the vertigo.

Many diabetics are so concerned about trying to keep their blood sugar levels low enough, that sometimes they end up with too little blood sugar in their systems, a condition known as hypoglycemia. They also are not aware that hypoglycemia can be nearly as dangerous and fatal as having excessively high levels of blood sugar.

So, what are the warning signs of allowing your blood sugar level to get too low?

• Feeling shaky
• Being nervous or anxious
• Sweating, chills and clamminess
• Irritability or impatience
• Confusion
• Fast heartbeat
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• Hunger
• Nausea
• Color draining from the skin (pallor)
• Feeling Sleepy
• Feeling weak or having no energy
• Blurred/impaired vision
• Tingling or numbness in the lips, tongue, or cheeks
• Headaches
• Coordination problems, clumsiness
• Nightmares or crying out during sleep
• Seizures

As you can see, many of the symptoms of hypoglycemia are similar to those of hyperglycemia.

When blood sugar levels get too low, it causes the body to release epinephrine (adrenaline). This causes the pounding heart, sweating, tingling and anxiety. It basically causes the ‘fight or flight’ feeling.

If not treated immediately, the effects of hypoglycemia can be the same as hyperglycemia, both of which could land one in the hospital or morgue.

If you are a diabetic or prediabetic, known the warning signs of both excessively high and low blood sugar levels. Knowing these signs could well save you life or the life of someone close to you.