Post Time: 2025-09-01
Understanding Blood Sugar Levels: When a Reading of 300mg/dL Is Cause for Concern
A blood sugar reading of 300 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher is considered high and can be indicative of various health issues. This level indicates that the body's cells are not responding properly to insulin, leading to elevated glucose levels in the bloodstream.
Managing Blood Sugar: Causes of Elevated Levels
Elevated blood sugar levels often result from a combination of factors, including genetics, obesity, physical inactivity, and an unhealthy diet. Consuming high amounts of processed foods and sugary drinks can also lead to increased blood sugar levels. Moreover, certain medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or Cushing's syndrome may cause elevated glucose readings.
Blood Sugar Ranges: What You Should Know
It is essential to understand the various blood sugar ranges that indicate different health statuses. Normal fasting glucose levels are between 70 and 99 mg/dL, while postprandial (after meal) values typically range from 100 to 140 mg/dL. However, a reading of over 180-200 mg/dL is considered high normal or pre-diabetic.
Blood Sugar Symptoms: What You Need to Know
Individuals with blood sugar readings at the higher end of this scale often experience symptoms such as excessive thirst and urination due to increased glucose levels in the urine. High blood pressure, fatigue, blurred vision, and frequent infections are also common signs that may indicate high or low blood sugar.
Elevated Blood Sugar: How It Affects Your Body
When left unmanaged, elevated blood sugar levels can lead to long-term complications such as cardiovascular disease, kidney damage (nephropathy), nerve damage (neuropathy), and vision loss. Moreover, a consistently high level of glucose in the bloodstream increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Understanding Your Blood Sugar Numbers: Breaking Down a Reading
Each number on your blood sugar monitor tells you something different about your body's handling of insulin. The first reading (usually taken fasting) indicates how well your pancreas is functioning and whether or not you're able to maintain normal glucose levels between meals.
If you take insulin, you know that hypoglycemia is the greatest risk of this life-saving therapy, a risk that can even be life-threatening. The danger of hypoglycemia is even greater if you experience hypoglycemia unawareness, the condition that often masks the symptoms that allow you to recognize when your blood sugar is dangerously low. Advances in technology like continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and automated insulin delivery have helped manage hypoglycemia and hypo unawareness, but are they enough? This panel includes two people living with T1D and two expert medicine for high blood sugar clinician-researchers at the forefront of trying to avoid hypoglycemia. Moderated by Dr. Alan Mosts, they take a deep dive into hypoglycemia and hypo unawareness, exploring who is at risk, the challenges of living with it, and how you can best manage it. Content warning: This conversation includes high blood sugar glucose discussion of potentially fatal outcomes from severe hypoglycemia. Our highly-regarded speakers are Dr. Pratik Choudhary, University of Leicester (UK); Dr. Jason Gaglia, Joslin Diabetes Center (Boston); Lisa Hepner, Director, Producer and Writer, The Human Trial; and Eritrea Mussa, The 208 mg/dl blood sugar diaTribe Foundation. The panel is moderated by Dr. Alan Moses. Musings is made possible by our generous sponsors: Platinum: AstraZeneca Gold: Abbott, Lilly, Novo Nordisk Silver: Dexcom, Genentech, Ionis, and Vertex