Signs of High Blood Sugar You Might Be Missing

High blood sugar is also called hyperglycaemia. Symptoms can develop gradually, which means they are easy to miss or blame on a busy week, poor sleep or stress.

Common high blood sugar symptoms

Possible symptoms include:

• Feeling unusually thirsty
• Passing urine more often than usual
• Feeling tired or low in energy
• Blurred vision
• Unexplained weight loss
• Recurrent infections, such as thrush

These symptoms can have other causes too. The only way to know what is happening is to speak to a healthcare professional and, where appropriate, have a test.

When is high blood sugar an emergency?

For people with diabetes, very high glucose with nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, deep or rapid breathing, confusion, extreme tiredness or fruity-smelling breath can be a sign of diabetic ketoacidosis. This is a medical emergency and needs urgent care.

Call 999 if someone is seriously unwell, confused, difficult to wake or has severe breathing difficulty. Otherwise, follow your diabetes sick-day plan or contact NHS 111, your diabetes team or GP for urgent advice.

Do not rely on symptoms alone

Some people feel few or no symptoms despite high glucose readings. Others feel symptoms at levels that are not especially high for them. Tracking readings alongside how you feel can help you and your care team spot changes.

Start logging your glucose results with Pulse to build a clearer record over time.