No matter whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, I am sure you know how important it is to keep your blood sugar levels within a certain target range, but do you know why? Do you know why high sugar levels in your bloodstream is dangerous? Or do you know what the effects are of low blood sugars? Another way to look at this is in two parts...
effects in the short term and effects in the long term.
Immediate Effects of Poor Control 1.
High Blood Sugars or Hyperglycemia: In type 1 diabetes...
if your blood sugar becomes high this can lead to "ketoacidosis" which if not treated quickly can be fatal.
This is a medical emergency and you would need to be admitted to hospital immediately.
In type 2 diabetes...
the symptoms are fortunately much less dramatic.
The warning signs are:

• frequent urination
• thirst
• fatigue
• irritability
• blurred vision
• poor concentration and mood changes

Treatment usually includes adjusting your medications or your diet and increasing your physical activity.
2.
Low Blood Sugars or Hypoglycemia: This can be caused by several different factors...
the most common are:

• not enough food or a delayed meal
• stress
• too much exercise
• having injected too much insulin, or with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas producing too much insulin

Treatment to raise your blood sugar levels would then include:

• taking glucose tablets...
  three 5g tablets
• a sweet drink...
  eg.
  3/4 cup of Lucozade

It is always a good idea when this happens to identify the reason for your low blood sugars so you can take action to prevent this happening again.
Long-term Effects of Poor Control: are really related to higher than normal blood sugars.
When you have too much sugar in your body, the sugar molecules attach to proteins which form the basic blood vessel, cartilage and skin structure.
This causes:

• hardening of your arteries
• wrinkles or reduced skin elasticity
• stiffening of your joints

All organs in your body depend on your blood vessels, so damage to your blood vessels can lead to damage to every organ in your body and the amount of damage done is revealed in the level of your HbA1c which is taken every three months.
It even affects the formation of low density lipoproteins (LDL) causing them to be increased which leads to an increased risk of heart disease.
The end result of this is sickness, premature aging and pretty much a reduction in life expectancy.
This can all be improved by:

• following a healthy eating plan...
  reducing refined carbohydrates, and reducing or eliminating trans fats
• increasing your physical exercise