Download Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar ↑)

Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar ↑)
(blood sugars over 11 mmol/L)
Sun Life Financial
Banting and Best
Diabetes Clinic
How you may feel:
Need to urinate a lot
Very thirsty (you may
be drinking a lot)
Sick, tired
What to do if your sugar levels are high:
Check your sugars more often:
 4 times a day or more (before meals and bedtime)
Follow the treatment your health care team planned for you.
Call your doctor or go to the emergency room if:
• You throw up when you drink fluids (more than 2 times in 12 hours)
• You are not as alert as usual or you feel drowsy or tired
If your blood sugars levels are often high or they stay high,
call your doctor or diabetes team.
Reasons for having high blood glucose (sugar):
• food, activity and medications not balanced
• stress or illness
• steroids or anti-rejection medication
Please visit the UHN Patient Education website for more health information: www.uhnpatienteducation.ca
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This information is to be used for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional
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Author: Elaine Wylie
Created: 02/2015
Form: D-5593
Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose ↓)
(blood sugar level is less than 4 mmol/L)
How you may feel:
Trembling, shaky
Sweaty
Symptoms of very low sugar:
• confusion
• seizure
Hungry
Can’t concentrate,
drowsy or tired
You need to treat the
symptoms. Teach others
when to get help for you.
• loss of consciousness
What to do:
1. Take 15 grams of glucose. Examples:
• 4 glucose tablets (such as Dex 4® glucose tablets)
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) of juice or regular soft drink
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) or 5 packets of table sugar
2. Wait 15 minutes. Then check your blood sugar again.
3. If your blood sugar is less than 4 mmol/L, take another 15 grams of glucose.
4. If your meal is more than 1 hour away, eat a snack with 15 grams of carbohydrate and
a source of protein. For example, half a sandwich or 6 soda crackers and cheese.
Reasons for having low blood glucose (sugar):
• food, activity and medications are not balanced
• missed a meal or waited too long to eat
• lost weight
• took too much medication
Based on the 2013 CDA guidelines