Understanding the Symptoms of Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia refers to a condition caused by low blood glucose levels. Glucose is the body’s main source of energy and a hormone known as insulin aids cells in absorbing and using glucose.

Hypoglycemia typically occurs with several conditions but is most commonly associated with diabetes medications, such as insulin. It is particularly common in individuals with diabetes who also have issues with food, medication, or exercise. However, other drugs and conditions can also cause low levels of blood sugar in people without diabetes. There are two types of non-diabetic hypoglycemia:

  • Fasting hypoglycemia, which can be linked to a disease or some medications
  • Reactive hypoglycemia, which typically occurs a few hours after eating a meal

What are the Symptoms of Hypoglycemia?

For most people, the symptoms of hypoglycemia usually appear when their blood glucose is 70 mg/dL (milligram per deciliter) or lower. However, this number might vary between individuals and the symptoms can also be different. Common signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia include:

  • Anxiety
  • Shakiness
  • Pale skin
  • Hunger
  • Sleepiness
  • Irritability
  • Numbness of the cheeks, lips or tongue
  • Irregular or fast heartbeat
  • Sweating
  • Crankiness
  • Dizziness

As the blood sugar level goes lower, symptoms can include:

  • Confusion
  • Loss of consciousness, passing out
  • Seizures
  • Blurred vision

Causes of hypoglycemia

Possible causes in people with diabetes

People with diabetes might not be responsive to insulin (type 2 diabetes) or they might not make enough of it (type 1 diabetes). This causes glucose to accumulate in the blood stream to high levels. Therefore, most people with diabetes take medications such as insulin to correct this problem by lowering blood sugar levels.

However, too much insulin may cause blood glucose levels to drop to extremely low levels, causing hypoglycemia. Other factors that can cause hypoglycemia include eating less than you normally do especially after taking diabetes drugs, or exercising more than usual.

Possible causes in people without diabetes

Causes of hypoglycemia in people without diabetes include:

  • Excessive alcohol consumption: Heavy drinking without eating blocks the liver from releasing glucose, causing hypoglycemia.
  • Medications: Taking oral diabetes medication without a prescription is one of the possible causes of hypoglycemia. Various medications, such as quinine can also cause hypoglycemia in people with kidney failure or in children.
  • Long-term starvation: Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, might result in low blood glucose levels.
  • Some illnesses: Liver illnesses such as severe cirrhosis or hepatitis can cause low blood glucose levels and ultimately hypoglycemia. Some severe kidney illnesses can also cause hypoglycemia by keeping the body from excreting medications and causing a buildup of medications which can affect glucose levels.
  • Hormone deficiencies: Some pituitary tumor and adrenal gland disorders can cause a deficiency of hormones that are responsible for regulating glucose production. In children, hypoglycemia can occur if they have extremely low levels of growth hormone.
  • Insulin overproduction: Insulinoma (tumor of the pancreas) can cause excessive insulin release, which can result in hypoglycemia. Various other tumors can also result in overproduction of insulin-like substances in the body. Enlargement of pancreas cells can cause overproduction of insulin, causing hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia after meals

what are the symptoms of hypoglycemiaAlthough hypoglycemia typically occurs when you’ve not eaten, this is not always the case. Sometimes the symptoms can occur after eating certain foods high in sugar, triggering the body to producing more insulin than needed. This condition is known as postprandial hypoglycemia or reactive hypoglycemia and it can occur in people who have undergone stomach bypass surgery. However, it can also occur in individual who haven’t undergone this surgery.

Hypoglycemia Complications

If untreated, hypoglycemia can lead to:

  • Weakness and dizziness
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Seizure
  • Injuries
  • Falls
  • Motor vehicle accidents
  • Greater risk of dementia particularly in older adults
  • Death

What is Hypoglycemia Unawareness

Recurrent episodes of hypoglycemia can cause hypoglycemia unawareness, a condition whereby the body no longer produces symptoms that warn of low blood sugar level, such as irregular heartbeats and shakiness. As a result, the risk of severe hypoglycemia increases.

For people with diabetes and hypoglycemia unawareness, their doctors might recommend blood sugar awareness training, raise their blood sugar level goals and modify treatment.

Under treated Diabetes

For people with diabetes episodes of hypoglycemia can be frightening and uncomfortable. This fear can cause them to modify their treatment without consulting a physician, which can cause uncontrolled diabetes. Hypoglycemia can be a life-threatening condition. Moreover, you should not change your medication dose without consulting your doctor.

Therefore, it’s extremely important to seek medical attention if you experience the symptoms of hypoglycemia or if hypoglycemia is not responding to treatment, whether you have diabetes or not.

Read more about dealing with HYPOS and HYPERS in diabetes!

symptoms of Hypoglycemia

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Facts on What is Good Blood Sugar Level

What is good blood sugar level?

This is a question everyone should know the answer to. A blood sugar test measures the amount of a particular type of sugar, glucose, in the blood. Knowing and maintaining a normal blood sugar level ensures that the body continues to function properly. It is also important to know what levels indicate high or low blood sugar levels. They could be indicators of other underlying conditions.

Test that Determines What a Normal Blood Sugar Level is.

What is Good Blood Sugar Level, normal glucose levelBlood tests vary depending on when blood is taken. The fasting blood sugar test is done after going eight hours without eating or drinking anything except water.

This is usually done before breakfast or a morning dose of insulin is taken. Good blood sugar levels are expected to fall between 70 and 99 milligrams per deciliter. If it is 126mg/dL or more, it is high. If it is 40mg/dL it is too low.

Post-Meal blood sugar level is done exactly two hours after you start to eat your last meal. This level is expected to be higher than at any other time. This is because it takes about two hours for any carbohydrates you have eaten to be converted into glucose and absorbed into the blood. Normal blood sugar levels range between 70 and 145 milligrams per deciliter. Random tests are done to measure blood sugar level at any time of the day. If sugar levels are normal then the results will not vary much. Normal blood sugar levels range from 70 to 125 mg/dL. If it is 200ml/dL, it is too high.

What It Means When Test Shows Levels are Above or Below Normal Blood Sugar Levels

When blood sugar level is high, it could mean that there is insufficient insulin in your blood. Diabetes may be the cause of this. If glucose levels remain high, it could cause damage to the eyes, kidneys and nerves. Other tests will have to be done to accurately determine whether you have diabetes. When levels fall below what is good blood sugar level, it could indicate high amounts of insulin in your system. This comes about due to the presence of a tumor that is releasing too much insulin, malnutrition, eating disorders, or hypothyroidism.

normal glucose level,   Importance of Knowing Normal Blood Sugar Levels

It is important to know what range your blood sugar should be in. To fully appreciate the importance of this, you should know what higher and lower levels mean to your health. Simple blood tests can be carried out to determine these levels. Some of the tests require a bit of preparation, but the casual (random) test needs none. Before concluding that you have any other underlying condition, it is advisable that you have a doctor carry out more tests to accurately measure your blood sugar levels.

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What are acceptable blood sugar levels?

acceptable blood sugar levels
acceptable blood sugar levels

For a diabetic maintaining an acceptable blood sugar level is key to staying healthy. Diabetics whose blood sugar levels are high must talk with their doctor to find out what their blood sugar level should be which is determined by age, weight, and diet. Diabetes is the high blood sugar in a person’s body.

This is because of the small amount of insulin, a chemical that changes the glucose (sugar) in the body into fuel that the body can manage. If the body cannot produce enough of this chemical you become a diabetic and need insulin. The average amount of glucose in an adult is 140 mg/dl two hours after eating, with diabetes this number can reach an unacceptable blood sugar levels of 200 mg/dl and higher. This can result (overtime) in death and serious health problems.

Maintaining acceptable blood sugar levels is key in any diabetic life. Maintaining this is done by using a blood glucose meter. This small unit takes a small sample of blood in a strip and measures the amount of glucose in it. Then the unit displays the results on a small screen on the side. The American Diabetes Association States that all diabetes should use these small machines to measure your blood glucose and keep it on the spot. They also support using a blood sugar chart to graph your blood sugar readings. This is helpful because it can show you what you do and how it affects your blood sugar levels. Also they encourage proper diet and exercise as prescribed by your doctor. Maintaining a good acceptable blood sugar level is very important and should be a part of anyone’s life that has diabetes (form one or two) so talk to your doctor about what your acceptable blood sugar levels are.

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