So you've overdone it on the sugar. We've all been there—gone a little too hard at the dessert table, or the donuts at work or the nighttime bowl (or box) of sweet cereal. You're not alone in that. But if you have diabetes, the consequences can be a bit more intense, and it's important to take action to get your blood sugar stabilized.
But don't worry—this dietitian is going to walk you through what happens when you eat a lot of sugar with diabetes and how to get back on track.
Blood Sugar Basics: What You Need to Know to Keep It Balanced
What Happens in Your Body When You Eat Too Much Sugar
With diabetes, eating too much sugar can cause more than just the jittery feelings of a sugar high. It can cause several other symptoms—and it's important to understand what you're feeling and what is happening in your body.
Hyperglycemia
After consuming an excess amount of sugar, you might enter a state of high blood glucose called hyperglycemia, per the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Hyper means high or above, and glycemia refers to the amount of glucose (or sugar) in the blood.
Being in a state of hyperglycemia causes a few different things to happen. A common symptom people with diabetes experience is intense thirst—they feel like they can't get enough to drink. This is called polydipsia.
Paired with polydipsia, you may also experience polyuria—the frequent need to urinate. These are both telltale signs that your blood sugar is high. Further, you may experience headaches, blurred vision and possible feelings of fatigue.
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If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, I recommend checking your blood glucose. If you monitor your blood sugar (which, if you have diabetes, you should be monitoring your blood sugar regularly), it will likely be above 180 mg/dL after eating excess amounts of sugar. This value can be different for different people, and it's important to talk to your health care practitioner or endocrinologist about your unique blood sugar targets.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis
According to the ADA, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can occur if hyperglycemia goes untreated. Many experts recommend testing for ketones if your blood glucose goes above 240 mg/dl.
It's important to note that ketoacidosis is not the same as ketogenesis, which happens when you severely reduce your carbohydrate intake or follow the keto diet. Ketoacidosis can be life-threatening and requires medical treatment.
Talk to your health care team about ketoacidosis and what to watch for. While there are strips to test for ketones in your urine, if you're feeling tired, have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, trouble breathing or confusion, you should call your health care practitioner immediately.
What to Do If You've Eaten Too Much Sugar
Try one (or more) of these tips when you've eaten too much sugar to help bring your blood glucose levels down.
1. Use Insulin If You Need It
Depending on the type and severity of your diabetes, you may take insulin to help manage it. After eating excess sugar and experiencing hyperglycemia, you may require insulin to help your blood sugar stabilize. However, this is unique to every individual.
The type of insulin, dosage and time of dosage are different for everyone. You must consult with your health care team about your specific insulin needs and follow the recommendations they provide you. If dosed and used correctly, insulin helps to stabilize blood sugar after eating too much sugar. Don't take extra oral medications typically used for Type 2 diabetes without your health care practitioner's advice.
2. Move Your Body
One of the worst things you can do after eating too much sugar is sit it out. Moving your body will engage your muscles and get them to use up some of that sugar in your blood.
However, it's important to test your blood sugar before you get moving. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if it's above 240 mg/dL, it may be too high for you to exercise safely. If blood sugar is above 240 mg/dL, test your urine for ketones. As counterintuitive as it may sound, exercising when urine ketones are elevated can result in ketoacidosis.
If your blood sugar is below 240 mg/dL, go for a walk, ride your bike, turn on a 20-minute playlist and dance—just move your body! This will help to naturally bring your blood sugar down. Just be careful about overdoing it because too much exercise can result in low blood sugar (it's all about balance!).
3. Drink Water
Remember when we talked about polyuria—the increased and frequent need to urinate? All that peeing can cause dehydration. You're excreting a lot of fluid, so it only makes sense that you need to replenish those fluids.
Make sure to drink plenty of plain water after eating a lot of sugar to help hydrate and dilute the excess sugar in your bloodstream. It's a good idea to make sure you're staying well-hydrated in general, too, since dehydration has been linked with higher blood sugar levels over time.
4. Check Your Blood Sugar Regularly
It's important to understand the severity of being in a state of hyperglycemia if you have diabetes. It can have very dangerous consequences, so it's extremely important to monitor your blood sugar and ensure that it is stabilizing over time.
According to the CDC, your health care practitioner should advise you on how often to test your blood sugar. Typically, it's about every four hours or before and after meals, depending on what type of diabetes you have.
If you enter a state of hyperglycemia, you will probably be advised to check it more often until your blood sugar has stabilized. However, this is unique to the individual. Have a conversation with your health care practitioner about how often you should monitor your blood sugar after eating too much sugar.
5. Make a Game Plan
Let's say you consumed excess sugar and dealt with the consequences. Now it's time to think about what you can do to prevent that from happening again. It's important to reflect on the why. Why did you overeat those foods and what can you do to prevent this from happening again?
I encourage you to reflect on your dietary habits and eating patterns. Are you eating enough during the day? Is each meal a nourishing balance of all three macronutrients—carbs, fats and protein? Are your snacks an appropriate portion to hold you over between meals and keep your blood sugar stable? Are you getting enough fiber? Are you drinking enough water?
These questions are a starting point. The purpose is to increase your awareness of your habits. After all, we can't truly solve a problem without getting to the root of it. I encourage you to work with a registered dietitian to create a healthy and sustainable eating style that will nourish you, stabilize your blood sugar and keep you feeling satisfied and never deprived. This will help reduce the risk of your blood sugar going too low, resulting in becoming "hangry" and reaching for anything in sight—typically refined carbs that offer quick energy, but that can also result in overeating and high blood sugar.
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The Bottom Line
If you've consumed an excess amount of sugar, it's important to avoid beating yourself up. Instead, show yourself some compassion. We've all been there. With that said, overdoing it on sugar if you have diabetes can pose some pretty serious consequences, so you must be prepared.
It's also important to remember that other things besides food can affect blood sugar. Lack of physical activity can result in higher blood sugars, as can stress and lack of quality sleep. Take an honest assessment of all your habits and work with your health care team to come up with a holistic plan to help keep your blood sugar stabilized—and what to do if it does go too high.
