Hypoglycemia: Too Low Sugar, Should You Pick Something Sweet on the Go?

Very Low Sugar Levels Could Result in Seizures

Most of us are familiar with the terms hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, especially in this diabetes-driven world. Hypo or hyper, the primary aim of any individual is refraining from entering into diabetes. Glycemia is the presence of glucose in the bloodstream and the difference set in depending on whether someone is suffering from hyper- or hypoglycemia.
 
Diagnosing the Inner Meaning
 
Hypoglycemia is derived from the Greek word ‘hupo’ meaning under or less. Hence logically hypoglycemia means ‘low blood sugar level.’ In contrast, hyperglycemia means ‘high blood sugar levels.’ Whatever might be the meaning, any individual’s primary goal includes being healthy maintaining consistent blood sugar levels.
 
Hypoglycemia happens when your blood glucose levels drop below the healthy range. Speaking in terms of numbers, we term it low blood sugar when the glucose numbers fall below 70 mg/dL. Commonly called as low blood sugar or low blood glucose, hypoglycemia becomes dangerous when the numbers stoop too low, even requiring immediate treatment.
 
Causes
 
There are multiple reasons behind the occurrence of low blood sugar levels and these include:
 

• Too much insulin levels in the body
• Insufficient consumption of carbs for the insulin levels consumed
• Variations in the time of consumption of insulin
• Due to the duration and type of physical activity performed
• Fat, protein, and fiber content of the meal consumed
• Menstruation
• Puberty
• Changes in the daily schedule
• Medical conditions such as hepatitis, tumor in the pancreas, or adrenal gland disorder

 
Hypoglycemia can occur with or without diabetes. In case of people without diabetes, there are chances of occurrence of hypoglycemia when individuals don’t eat for 8 hours or more. In such cases, the body lacks enough glucose to provide energy to the brain and body. Another way in which low blood sugar levels without diabetes might occur is when someone takes medications that lower blood sugars. Such medications include aspirin, steroids, birth control pills, certain antibiotics, and blood pressure tablets.
 
Symptoms
 
There are several symptoms that indicate the presence of hypoglycemia but they vary depending on the people being affected. It might start quickly but also provide clear signs that give sufficient warning that something must be done to curb its devastating effects on the body. Symptoms that commonly show the presence of hypoglycemia include:
 

• Having a shaky or jittery feeling
• Nausea, lightheadedness, or dizziness
• Nightmares
• Confusion, irritability, and impatience
• Nervousness, anxiousness, clumsiness
• Presence of sweatiness and chills
• Rapid heartbeat or unsteady heart beat
• Pale-colored skin
• Lack of energy/presence of weakness
• Numbness in the tongue, lips, or cheeks
• Loss of consciousness and seizures might occur when hypoglycemia worsens

 
Sometimes, symptoms might occur during sleep and those include nightmares, tiredness, weakness, crying out loud, and sweating through nightwear. There are some individuals who stay unaware of the presence of hypoglycemia as they don’t suffer from any of the symptoms. Called as ‘hypoglycemia unawareness,’ this is worse as we can’t detect any signs of the condition at an early stage and treat it. In turn, this increases the risk of several occurrences of low sugar levels which is dangerous for the individual. But, such unawareness might occur if you suffer from diabetes for more than 5 years, have frequent occurrence of low blood sugar levels, or consume some medications such as beta blockers.
 
During such instances, it is advisable to test blood sugar levels frequently to check whether or not the levels are too low. Never indulge in physical activity or drive any vehicle before confirming these and talking with your physician.
 
Types of Low Blood Sugar
 
Some might wonder how there can be types in low blood sugar levels. Yes, we have got different types. One is the night-time low blood sugar where sugar levels become low while sleeping. It might be due to having an active day, consuming too much insulin, drinking alcohol during the night, or doing physical activity before bedtime.
 
Another type of low blood sugar is severe low blood sugar which also has serious symptoms including incidents of seizures, feelings of confusion, acting strange, difficulty with vision, and feeling weak. Anything lower than 54mg/dL can be termed severe low blood sugar and such numbers result in passing out/fainting.
 
To avoid instances of night-time low blood sugar, try to eat a small snack before bedtime, eat your meals regularly and don’t skip any.
 
Treatment
 
Once diagnosed with hypoglycemia and if you suffer from any of the symptoms, it is necessary to take certain steps to treat it. If the blood glucose levels fall below 70mg/dL, do the following to treat the same:
 

• Follow the 15-15 rule: consume 15 grams of carbohydrates and check after 15 minutes to understand whether or not the numbers have changed. If there are no change in the numbers, have another serving and repeat the same until the glucose numbers step up to at least 70 mg/dL. Foods such as candies, fruit juices, or glucose tablets are preferred choices for instant rise in blood sugar levels
• When the next meal is an hour or so away, have some snack to maintain the blood sugar levels in a healthy range
• In case the medications taken lower blood sugar levels, take a glucose tablet or glucose gel immediately. There are other carbohydrate sources of foods, but they might not increase the blood glucose levels quick enough.

 
If none of the above treatment protocols work, it is better to get in touch with your healthcare provider who might provide a medication called glucagon—this might be injected or puffed into the nostril.
 
Conclusion
 
For someone experience low blood sugar levels, it is advisable that you have a record of the numbers, activity levels, exercise, insulin, and food habits. Consult a physician, review these data, and understand why the numbers become low. Maybe, the healthcare physician might adjust the insulin timings, exercise and meal timings, and snack routines to stabilize glucose numbers. Also, check your blood glucose numbers regularly to avoid severe consequences, consume meals at proper timings, and bring about small changes in lifestyle and exercise routines to avoid big damages to health and body.