How to Bring Blood Sugar Down Quickly – What To Know, A Guide


Posted by Prescription Hope - See Editorial Guidelines (Last Updated On: Fri Apr 28 2023)

When a person has diabetes, they often struggle with their blood sugar levels constantly going high. So, when they are struggling with severe hyperglycemia, how can they bring their blood sugar down quickly?

Therefore, in this article, we will get into safe and natural ways for how a person can bring their blood sugar down quickly. First, here’s a quick takeaway answer for you before we get into the details.

How to Bring Blood Sugar Down Quickly? When a person is experiencing severe high blood sugar, they should take steps to bring their blood sugar down as quickly as possible. They can do this by injecting a correction dose of short-acting insulin, drinking lots of water, and exercising. Patients must be aware of low blood sugar symptoms to prevent their blood sugar from coming down too much. If a patient is suffering from DKA due to severely high blood sugar, they must seek immediate medical attention.

Complications of High Blood Sugar

Bring blood sugar down quickly

Patients that have been suffering from diabetes for some time often end up struggling with other health complications. Other complications can arise due to constantly elevated blood sugar levels that can damage nerves and organs.

Long-term complications of high blood sugar may include:

  • Heart disease
  • Neuropathy
  • Kidney damage or kidney failure
  • Diabetic retinopathy (Can lead to blindness)
  • Cataracts
  • Problems with feet due to nerve damage – this can lead to infections and amputations in severe cases
  • Bone problems
  • Joint problems
  • Infections of gums and teeth

Having this in mind, it makes sense as to why someone would want to bring their blood sugar down quickly.

Tips for Bringing Blood Sugar Down Quickly

blood sugar down quickly

As someone that has been contending with diabetes for some time, I can vouch for how difficult it is to bring your blood sugar down at times.

The image here is taken from the data my CGM provides me. As you can see, for the last two days at the time of taking this photo, about 60% of my blood sugar readings were above 180 mg/dL

Many different factors can contribute to high blood sugar, and suffering from it becomes very frustrating. But here are some tips that I use in my daily life to help bring my blood sugar down quickly.

Inject Correction Dose

The first step in bringing your blood sugar down is to inject a correction dose of short-acting insulin. The correction factor varies from person to person as it is specific to the severity of your condition. For example, my correction factor is 1 unit of insulin for every 30 mg/dL over 140 mg/dL. So, if my blood sugar is 250, then I would inject about 3.5 units of insulin to correct my blood sugar. You should check your blood sugar within an hour after injecting your correction dose to ensure your glucose is coming down.

Drink Water

Hydration is crucial in aiding one in lowering their blood sugar levels. Being dehydrated can lead to increased glucose levels because your blood becomes more concentrated with glucose. So, by drinking enough water, the glucose in your bloodstream becomes less concentrated, lowering blood sugar levels. Drinking lots of water can also help your body flush out excess sugar through the urine.

Exercise

Exercising, even for just 10-15 minutes, can prove to be very beneficial for bringing blood sugar down quickly. Exercise can even mean just going on a brisk walk outside. During exercise, your body will pull sugar from the blood for energy, causing a reduction in blood sugar levels. It is essential to mention here that exercising when your blood sugar is over 250 mg/dL and you have ketones in your urine can cause more harm. Having ketones in your urine is a sign that your body is breaking down fats for energy. Exercising under this condition can increase blood sugar levels, even more, causing serious problems.

Can Oral Diabetes Medications Lower Blood Sugar Quickly?

Oral diabetes medications, though they can help increase one’s insulin sensitivity, will not bring blood sugar down quickly. You should never take an extra dose of your oral diabetes medication, thinking that it will help bring your blood sugar down faster.

However, if you have missed a dose of your medication, this could explain why you might be having hyperglycemia. Following your doctor’s orders for what you should do if you miss a dose should be part of the process of bringing your blood sugar down.

Be Aware of Low Blood Sugar

Those experiencing hyperglycemia will, more than likely, want to bring their blood sugar down as quickly as possible. However, patients must make sure they do not go overboard.

Overriding your correction factor and injecting more insulin than what is needed can be life-threatening. Doing this can cause one’s blood sugar levels to drop too fast and may result in hypoglycemia. This is particularly dangerous if you choose to exercise also, as it can cause your blood sugar to fall farther.

Having your blood sugar drop too low can cause you to then binge eat. This will almost inevitably spike your blood sugar high again, creating a glucose roller-coaster. Having your blood glucose levels dip and spike dramatically only causes you to become exhausted and irritable. Not to mention, a glucose roller-coaster is only detrimental to your overall health.

When to See a Doctor

There are certain times where you must see a doctor and potentially go to the ER. Hyperglycemia can be life-threatening if you are experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is a condition where your body begins to burn fat for energy versus glucose. If left untreated, DKA can lead to a coma and even death.

If your blood sugar is exceeding 250 mg/dL, then you should check your urine for ketones. This can be done using a ketone test strip, which is relatively inexpensive. It uses a color-coded system to indicate the amount of ketones in your urine. If you have moderate to heavy to ketones, then you should see your doctor.

If your blood sugar is exceeding 250 mg/dL, and you are experiencing shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, confusion, or stomach pain, then you should seek immediate medical attention.

During DKA, one’s blood can become acidic. Therefore, blood that is pumped throughout the body is unable to provide the proper nutrients to all the organs. Treatment for this requires insulin that is continuously administered intravenously and IV fluids to correct dehydration.

Conclusion

The best advice anyone can give you on this subject is, take steps to prevent your blood sugar levels from going high in the first place. Living a healthy lifestyle and avoiding poor quality foods can do this. There are natural ways to increase your insulin sensitivity, which can help prevent large spikes in your blood sugar levels.

If you are struggling to afford your medication, then Prescription Hope may be able to help you save money. We work directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide patients with the prescription drugs they need at a set, affordable cost. Enroll with us and start saving money.