Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)
What is hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia means that the blood sugar is too low. This is usually
less than 70 mg/dl.
What causes hypoglycemia?
Anything that lowers your blood sugar can cause hypoglycemia. Too much
insulin, too much of some diabetes pills, too much activity, too little food
skipping meals - all can cause hypoglycemia.
How will I feel when my blood sugar is too low?
When your blood sugar is too low you may feel
- sweaty
- nervous
- anxious
- weak
- hungry
- fast heartbeat, heart racing
- numb at nose or mouth
- irritable
- headache
- confused
Other people may see that you are having a reaction before you realize it.
They may see that you are
- irritable
- not thinking clear
- slurring your words
- confused
- not sleeping well
- acting sleepy or groggy
Will I have all of these signs?
Each person can have different signs or signals when they have a low blood
sugar reaction. You may have several of these signs or you may have
different ones. Some people really do not have any symptoms and can not
feel the hypoglycemia.
Do these feelings always mean I am having a low blood sugar reaction?
NO, they don't. You can have the signs of a reaction when your blood
sugar is coming down, even if it is not too low yet. This can happen more
if your blood sugar has been too high for a while. You can't depend on the
way you feel to know when the blood sugar is too low. You need to check
your blood sugar if you think it might be low. If you feel symptoms and
your blood sugar is less than 70, you are having a hypoglycemic reaction.
What if I feel symptoms but can not test my sugar right then?
You will need to go on and treat yourself as if the sugar was 50 - 69 mg/dl.
But then try to keep your testing supplies available so you can test when you
need to.
How do I treat a reaction?
When you have a hypoglycemia reaction, you need to eat or drink something
right away. It is important to take
enough carbohydrate to raise
your blood sugar but not so much that your sugar shoots too high.
You must treat the reaction to get your sugar back in goal range, it will not
come back on it's own. If you do not treat a hypoglycemia reaction the
sugar can continue to go own and you might pass out. Even if you are not
having a symptoms, you should eat something to increase your blood sugar if you
test and it is less than 70.
Of course too high a blood sugar is bad for your long term health, but too
low blood sugar can bad for right now.
What are some good foods to treat hypoglycemia?
You need to treat a low blood sugar reaction with carbohydrate, like fruit
juice, a regular cola (even though you really shouldn't' have any at home),
raisins, hard candy or a piece of fruit. There are some special glucose
tablets that you can keep in your car or desk at work.
Here is a low blood sugar treatment page (pdf)
(doc) you can keep in your diabetes
log.
What if I have a reaction when I am away from home?
A low blood sugar reaction can happen any time, so it is important to keep
something to treat a reaction with you. Glucose tablets, hard candy (Life
Savers) or even sugar packets are easy to keep on hand.
Wear or carry some identification that says you have diabetes, so that you
can get proper treatment if you can not take care of yourself. Never drive
if you know your blood sugar is low.
What should I do after a reaction?
When you are sure the reaction is over, it is very important to make note in
your diabetes log. Record what the blood sugar levels were, how you felt
and what you did to treat it. Think back over why that reaction might have
happened. Did you exercise more than usual, eat different or skip a meal,
or take a different medication. This can help you learn how to prevent
future hypoglycemia reactions.
How can I tell the difference between a high and a low blood sugar?
The symptoms of high blood sugar and low blood sugar can be very much alike.
The very best way to know if you are having a low blood sugar reaction is to
test your blood. If you can not check your blood sugar there is one other
clue. The symptoms of low blood sugar come on fairly fast but the symptoms
of high blood sugar usually come on slower.
In a pinch, if you think you are having a low blood sugar reaction and can
not test, go on and treat yourself for hypoglycemia.