People can experience dizziness differently. Some may feel a whirling sensation in their heads, as though the room is spinning, known as vertigo. Others may feel lightheaded and like they may faint.
A review from 2018 highlights how 49.3% of people with diabetes describe hyperglycemia as making them feel lightheaded or dizzy. When you have diabetes, dizziness can be one of the first signs that your blood glucose — also known as blood sugar — is no longer at safe levels. High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, can cause you to feel dizzy and nauseous.
Hyperglycemia can occur when insulin, the hormone responsible for turning the food you eat into energy, does not work as it should. This can be because your pancreas doesn’t produce it, known as type 1 diabetes.
It can also happen if your body cannot react to insulin effectively or is not able to produce enough of it, known as type 2 diabetes. However, dizziness can occur due to high blood sugar from both types of diabetes.
How do you feel when your blood sugar is high?
High blood sugar can cause many different symptoms, including dizziness. According to the American Diabetes Association, other symptoms you may experience include:
- feeling tired
- nausea
- vomiting
- weight loss, if you are hyperglycemic for multiple days
- very frequent urination (needing to pee more than usual)
- blurry vision
- extreme thirst
However, this can easily lead to dehydration, worsening your dizziness.
However, this can easily lead to dehydration, which worsens your feelings of dizziness. This can happen even if you do not have diabetes. This is because dehydration, in general, can make you feel dizzy.
Treatment
Following your doctor’s treatment plan is the most effective way to manage your blood sugar levels. Examples can include taking medications and certain lifestyle measures like exercise.
Medication
Taking a dose of regular or fast-acting insulin can help lower blood sugar levels. According to the University of California, you can lower your blood sugar levels by 50 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) with 1 unit of insulin.
Rapid-acting insulin works after 15 minutes and includes:
If you need help covering the cost of medications, Optum Perks’ free Discount Card could help you get up to 80% off prescription medication. See how much you can save on your medication here.
Exercise
You can manage high blood sugar levels through aerobic exercise, which involves increasing your heart rate. A 2017 study notes how doing low intensity exercise for 60 minutes can be the most effective for not only lowering but maintaining a healthy blood sugar level after a spike.
Any intensity higher than 50% may cause your blood sugar levels to then rise after the initial decline. This can make levels difficult to balance after exercise.
Free prescription coupons
Seriously … free. Explore prices that beat the competition 70% of the time.
Get free cardPrevention
The best way to prevent hyperglycemia is to practice good management of your blood sugar levels if you have diabetes. It is important to learn to pick up on the early warning symptoms of high blood sugar — like dizziness — as it can allow you to treat it before it gets too low.
After eating a meal, exercise can help to keep blood sugar down. However, according to a 2017 review, waiting 30 minutes after a meal to exercise is most effective at stopping post-meal blood sugar spikes.
Ketoacidosis
If your blood sugar is consistently high for many hours, check your urine for ketones.
Ketones build up when your body begins to digest fat for energy, which happens when you do not have enough insulin to transport glucose to your tissues. This is known as ketoacidosis.
According to the American Diabetes Association, you should check your urine for ketones if your blood sugar levels are above 240 mg/dl. If you have ketones in your urine, do not exercise and speak with a healthcare professional immediately. They will help you find the safest way to lower your blood sugar levels.
Summary
Dizziness can be a sign of diabetes, or that you need to take action to lower your blood sugar levels. Both exercise and taking insulin can help.
In some cases of severe illness, you may feel dizzy due to high blood sugar levels. If you do not have diabetes but have high blood sugar levels causing you to feel dizzy, speak to a healthcare professional as soon as possible.
Knowing what signs to look for can help you understand how to manage your blood sugar levels if you have diabetes.
Download the free Optum Perks Discount Card to save up to 80% on some prescription medications.