Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It Feels LikeCausesWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderTreatmentsComplicationsPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What It Feels Like
Causes
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Treatments
Complications
Prevention
Hyperglycemia—high blood sugar—is commonly associated with people who have diabetes, but it can also impact those without diabetes. Like hyperglycemia in diabetes, the symptoms may include increased thirst, frequent urination, nausea, blurred vision, or fatigue. These symptoms may be subtle and easily go unnoticed, so the condition often goes untreated.
Nondiabetic hyperglycemia most often occurs if your body has undergone some type of trauma or stressful event. It can also occur as an ongoing issue in those withinsulin resistanceorprediabetes, a precursor totype 2 diabetes, or other conditions that affect insulin orstress hormones.
This article explains the causes of hyperglycemia in those without diabetes, potential symptoms, complications, and when to see a healthcare provider.
What Does High Blood Sugar Feel Like?
The symptoms of nondiabetic hyperglycemia are similar to those of diabetic hyperglycemia. They can include:
The recommended blood glucose range is 80 to 130 mg/dL, but hyperglycemia is diagnosed when levels reach above 180 mg/dL two hours after eating.However, symptoms may be felt with a blood glucose level between 160 mg/dL and 180 mg/dL.
Hyperglycemia Symptoms
Why Do People Without Diabetes Get High Blood Sugar?
High blood sugar in people without diabetes is often related to stress hormones or how your body processes insulin. It can happen during an injury or stressful event or may be an ongoing issue.
Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes
Prediabetes is when blood sugar is chronically elevated but not enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. It often occurs in those who already have some insulin resistance or in those whose pancreas isn’t making enough insulin.
Other conditions, such aspolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), that increase your risk of insulin resistance can also put you at risk of hyperglycemia.
Trauma or Stress
Cushing’s Syndrome
Cushing’s syndrome is when the body is exposed to too much of the stress hormone cortisol. It can happen if there is an overproduction of cortisol in the body or it can occur with medications that contain cortisol, such ascorticosteroids.
The high cortisol can increase your risk of prediabetes and hyperglycemia.
If you have any of the following symptoms, make an appointment with your healthcare provider to get blood sugar tests for diabetes and prediabetes:
Hyperglycemia can happen suddenly after injury or illness. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, call 911 or have someone else call for you:
The aforementioned signs and symptoms can be a signal ofdiabetic ketoacidosisor worse, and if left untreated can be life-threatening. Fortunately, immediate recognition and treatment of these symptoms can lead to rapid improvement of your high blood sugar levels.
Treating Nondiabetic Hyperglycemia
In nondiabetic hyperglycemia, resolution of the trigger or stressor that is causing the high blood sugar spike usually results in the resolution of your hyperglycemia. In some cases, your healthcare provider may recommend that you to take insulin or some other form of blood sugar-regulating drug to control your blood sugar levels.
If Cushing’s Syndrome is causing hyperglycemia, your treatment will depend on the underlying cause of the high cortisol. Treatments may involve surgery or a reduction in medication.
If you do not have diabetes but have risk factors for diabetes, you may want to consult a diabetes specialist to diagnose your condition or identify prediabetes. Risk factors include obesity, a family history of diabetes, or mild symptoms of hypo- or hyperglycemia, You can also check your blood sugar levels at home with a glucose monitoring kit.
Complications of Nondiabetic Hyperglycemia
Obesity, a family history of diabetes, recent surgery, and certain medications increase your risk of complications. If nondiabetic hyperglycemia is not treated it can lead to:
Managing High Blood Sugar
Although more research needs to be done to determine the long-term impacts of hyperglycemia on patients without diabetes—especially after acute injury—one thing is clear: living a healthy lifestyle that includes eating a balanced diet and routine exercise is the best way to manage blood sugar for most people.
To better manage blood sugar:
High Blood Sugar at Night and What to Do About It
A Word From VerywellIf you have symptoms or suspect hyperglycemia, it’s important to see a healthcare provider to determine the cause. If prediabetes is causing high blood sugar, getting control of it early can help reverse it before it becomes diabetes, which puts you at risk of more serious health complications.—JAMIE JOHNSON, RDN, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
If you have symptoms or suspect hyperglycemia, it’s important to see a healthcare provider to determine the cause. If prediabetes is causing high blood sugar, getting control of it early can help reverse it before it becomes diabetes, which puts you at risk of more serious health complications.—JAMIE JOHNSON, RDN, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
If you have symptoms or suspect hyperglycemia, it’s important to see a healthcare provider to determine the cause. If prediabetes is causing high blood sugar, getting control of it early can help reverse it before it becomes diabetes, which puts you at risk of more serious health complications.
—JAMIE JOHNSON, RDN, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.High blood sugar - self-care.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage blood sugar.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin resistance and prediabetes.Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, Ahluwalia N, Guerrero-Go MA.The effects of mental stress on non-insulin-dependent diabetes: determining the relationship between catecholamine and adrenergic signals from stress, anxiety, and depression on the physiological changes in the pancreatic hormone secretion.Cureus. Published online August 24, 2019. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474Sharma A, Vella A.Glucose metabolism in Cushing’s syndrome.Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity. 2020;27(3):140-145. doi:10.1097/MED.0000000000000537Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes symptoms.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetic ketoacidosis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Cushing’s syndrome.Department of Health and Human Services.Physical activity guidelines for Americans.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.High blood sugar - self-care.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage blood sugar.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin resistance and prediabetes.Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, Ahluwalia N, Guerrero-Go MA.The effects of mental stress on non-insulin-dependent diabetes: determining the relationship between catecholamine and adrenergic signals from stress, anxiety, and depression on the physiological changes in the pancreatic hormone secretion.Cureus. Published online August 24, 2019. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474Sharma A, Vella A.Glucose metabolism in Cushing’s syndrome.Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity. 2020;27(3):140-145. doi:10.1097/MED.0000000000000537Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes symptoms.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetic ketoacidosis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Cushing’s syndrome.Department of Health and Human Services.Physical activity guidelines for Americans.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.High blood sugar - self-care.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage blood sugar.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin resistance and prediabetes.Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, Ahluwalia N, Guerrero-Go MA.The effects of mental stress on non-insulin-dependent diabetes: determining the relationship between catecholamine and adrenergic signals from stress, anxiety, and depression on the physiological changes in the pancreatic hormone secretion.Cureus. Published online August 24, 2019. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474Sharma A, Vella A.Glucose metabolism in Cushing’s syndrome.Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity. 2020;27(3):140-145. doi:10.1097/MED.0000000000000537Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes symptoms.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetic ketoacidosis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Cushing’s syndrome.Department of Health and Human Services.Physical activity guidelines for Americans.
MedlinePlus.High blood sugar - self-care.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage blood sugar.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin resistance and prediabetes.
Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, Ahluwalia N, Guerrero-Go MA.The effects of mental stress on non-insulin-dependent diabetes: determining the relationship between catecholamine and adrenergic signals from stress, anxiety, and depression on the physiological changes in the pancreatic hormone secretion.Cureus. Published online August 24, 2019. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474
Sharma A, Vella A.Glucose metabolism in Cushing’s syndrome.Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity. 2020;27(3):140-145. doi:10.1097/MED.0000000000000537
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes symptoms.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetic ketoacidosis.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Cushing’s syndrome.
Department of Health and Human Services.Physical activity guidelines for Americans.
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