Info About Diabetes

What are the warning signs of a diabetic coma?  If you or someone you know has diabetes, you need to know the signs and symptoms.  Hopefully it will never occur, but swift action is necessary if it does.

Someone with diabetes can go into a coma when any of the following happens:

1. Severe diabetic hypoglycemia — when the blood sugar drops to extremely low levels.
2. Diabetic ketoacidosis with a combination of severe hyperglycemia, dehydration and shock, and exhaustion.
3. Hyperosmolar nonketotic coma in which extreme hyperglycemia and dehydration alone are sufficient to cause unconsciousness.

 Warning Signs of a Diabetic Coma

 The most common signs that can precede a diabetic coma are:

• Feeling dizzy and/or light-headed.
• Sweating beyond what’s normal for you.
• Sudden fatigue, sometimes extreme.
• Pale skin, rapid heartbeat.

While any one symptom doesn’t necessarily mean a diabetic coma is looming, it is a sign that you want to test the level of sugar in your blood — pronto.

What Levels?

So now you want to know what your levels of blood sugar are — what’s normal for you, and what can signal hypoglycemia?

In general, a drop of roughly 30 points below your normal fasting levels can bring on symptoms of hypoglycemia (although this just a guideline and isn’t set in stone).  A blood sugar level of 40 or under is likely to bring on a diabetic coma, although it can occur before then.

Preventing a Diabetic Coma

Obviously, keeping your blood sugar within your normal range is your first step in preventing a diabetic coma. 

Evaluate your meals and eating times.  You don’t want a “roller coaster” blood sugar with large peaks and dips; this means watching what you eat, and how often you eat it.  Smaller, more frequent meals helps to keep levels on a more even keel.

Exercising also helps to regulate the glucose levels in your blood, especially if your normal readings tend to be high.  And what holds true for eating, holds true for exercise — moderation and consistency.