If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you probably have been bombarded with dozens of words and jargon that you don’t understand. Diabetes is a complicated medical condition that can be confusing, but it’s essential that you understand the disease and how to manage it.
At Insurance4Diabetics.com, it’s our mission to ensure that you have all the information that you need, not only to get quality life insurance but to understand your condition and how it impacts your body and your health. This article is going to look at hyperglycemia, what it is, the causes, and how it can harm your overall health if it goes untreated.
Hyperglycemia and Diabetes
Diabetes is characterized by two main terms, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. While they are similar terms, there are a few key differences between them. In this post, we will only look at hyperglycemia.
To put it simply, hyperglycemia is when someone with diabetes has too much sugar in their bloodstream. Having too much sugar in your blood stream can cause some severe health problems if it goes untreated too long, and we are going to look at those later in this posts.
Hyperglycemia is characterized by glucose levels that are higher than 7.0 mmol/L when you’re fasting or 11.0 mmol/L 2 hours after you’ve eaten. Anything above those numbers is going to be considered “high” and the higher that they are, the more dangerous that the condition is.
Causes of Hyperglycemia
There are several reasons that you could end up with high blood glucose levels. It’s crucial that you understand the cause of the condition and ways that you can avoid it. The most common reason for hyperglycemia is missing a dose of medication. This could be anything from metformin or insulin. Both of these help your body control your glucose levels, and without that medication, your blood sugar levels can skyrocket.
Another common reason that diabetics experience hyperglycemia is because of carbs. Eating a lot of cabs will cause your glucose levels to go up, and in some cases, if you eat way too many cards, even your medication won’t be able to manage the levels. It’s important that you monitor how many carbs you’re eating and balance those with healthier options and medication.
The hyperglycemia could also be a from high-stress levels or anxiety. If you’re stressed, it could cause your body to do some odd things, like not being able to manage glucose levels. It’s important that you take care of yourself, both mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Signs of Hyperglycemia
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you probably know the signs of hyperglycemia, but it’s vital that you keep them in mind. It’s also a good idea to share these signs with your family and loved ones. There might be cases when they notice them before you do. Some of the main symptoms of hyperglycemia are:
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst
- Weakness
- Weight loss
- Blurry vision
These are a few of the main symptoms of hyperglycemia that you should be aware of. If you notice any of these, then you should take any actions necessary to fix your hyperglycemia. That could be anything from taking a prescription drug or insulin to going to the doctor.
Effects of Hyperglycemia
Several serious health complications come along with hyperglycemia. If the condition goes untreated, it could lead to things like cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, or bone and joint problems.
People with diabetes are much more likely to be diagnosed with heart problems like a heart attack or a stroke. In fact, anyone with diabetes has a higher chance of not only being diagnosed with heart disease, but they are also more likely to have complications early.
One common problem is diabetic ketoacidosis, which is when your body breaks down fat for energy and the whole process leads to excess ketones. These ketones accumulate in the blood and can end up in the urine. Diabetic ketoacidosis can eventually lead to a coma, which could lead to death. This is one of the most severe problems associated with hyperglycemia.
Preventing Hyperglycemia
Because of all the health problems that hyperglycemia can cause, it’s easy to see why you should manage your health as closely as possible. Luckily, there are some easy ways that you can prevent your glucose levels from creeping too high.
The most obvious way is to always take any medications or treatments that your doctor has prescribed. Those medications are the best ways to ensure that your glucose levels stay at a healthy range. Taking your medications as often as prescribed is one of the most important things that you can do for your health and your diabetes.
Another way to prevent hyperglycemia is to stick to a healthy diet. That means cutting out any sugary drinks, desserts, and excess bread. You can still enjoy your favorite snacks from time to time, but you should be practicing moderation as much as possible. A diet will not only help keep your glucose down, but it can drastically improve your overall health as well. It will help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, and much more.
Another simple change that you can make to prevent high glucose levels is to get regular exercise. Hitting the gym can help use up some of that excess blood sugar that your body can’t manage and use it as energy. You don’t have to be a marathon runner or a professional weightlifter to be healthy. Getting 30 minutes of exercise every other day is a great way to improve your overall health.
Life Insurance with Diabetes
As a person with diabetes, you might assume that you can’t get affordable life insurance protection, but more than likely, that isn’t true. There are several options for life insurance coverage that you can choose from, and all of them are excellent options for insurance protection.
One option is a guaranteed issue plan. As you can assume from the name, these policies allow you to get life insurance, regardless of your health or any pre-existing conditions that you have, like diabetes. If you purchase a guaranteed issue plans, you won’t be required to take a medical exam or answer any health questions. While it sounds like the perfect plan on the surface, there are some disadvantages that you should take note of to ensure that you’re getting the best plan.
The most notable one is that you’re going to be limited on how much coverage that you can buy. Most guaranteed issue policies will only allow you to buy around $25,000 worth of coverage. For most families, that won’t be nearly enough life insurance. Not having enough coverage is one of the worst mistakes that you could make for your loved ones.
Before you apply for one of the plans, you need to calculate how much life insurance your family needs. Add up your debts and annual income to help you determine how much that your family members need.
Working with an Independent Insurance Agent
The best way to get an affordable plan and ensure that you have the best plan available to work with an independent insurance agent. Every insurance company is different, and all of them are going to offer you different rates based on their medical underwriting or rating system that they use. There are a lot of companies on the market that specialize in working with high-risk applicants with diabetes. Those companies are going to give you a better chance of getting approved and offer you lower insurance premiums.
There are hundreds of companies on the market, and all of them are different, which means that you should spend days calling agents to get quotes, or you can let one of our agents do all of that hard work for you. Unlike a traditional agency, we are a group of independent insurance agents, which means that we don’t work with one single company. Instead, we represent dozens of highly rated companies across the nation, and we know which ones are going to offer you the best rates based on your health and needs.
Our agents have years of experience working with people with diabetes, and we understand the struggles that you could face trying to find the perfect plan. If you have any questions about getting life insurance with diabetes, please contact one of these agents.
Hopefully, this article answered any questions that you have about hyperglycemia and life insurance coverage. If not, please don’t hesitate to use our contact page or give us a call.
You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, which means that you shouldn’t wait any longer to get the life insurance protection that your family deserves. If something tragic were to happen to you, and you didn’t have life insurance, then your family would be left with a massive amount of debt and other final expenses. Life insurance is the best way to protect your family, even if something tragic were to happen to you.