(Hypoglycemia) Low Blood Glucose, Management, and Prevention!
How can you prevent hypoglycemia if you have diabetes?
What is hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia also called low blood glucose or low blood sugar occurs when the level of glucose in your blood drops below normal. For many people with diabetes, that means a level of 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or less. Your numbers might be different, so check with your health care provider to find out what level is too low for you. low blood glucose
Signs And Symptoms of hypoglycemia?
Symptoms of hypoglycemia tend to come on quickly and can vary from person to person. You may have one or more mild-to-moderate symptoms listed in the table below. Sometimes people don’t feel any symptoms.
Severe hypoglycemia is when your blood glucose level becomes so low that you’re unable to treat yourself and need help from another person. Severe hypoglycemia is dangerous and needs to be treated right away. This condition is more common in people with type 1 diabetes.
| Hypoglycemia Symptoms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mild-to-Moderate | Severe | |
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Some symptoms of hypoglycemia during sleep are:
- Crying out or having nightmares.
- Sweating enough to make your pajamas or sheets damp.
- Feeling tired, irritable, or confused after waking up.
You should see a doctor:
Seek a doctor’s help immediately if you have:
- What might be hypoglycemia symptoms and you don’t have diabetes.
- Diabetes and hypoglycemia aren’t responding to treatment, such as drinking juice or regular soft drinks, eating candy, or taking glucose tablets.
Seek emergency help for someone with diabetes or a history of hypoglycemia who has symptoms of severe hypoglycemia or loses consciousness.
What causes Of hypoglycemia in diabetes?
Hypoglycemia can be a side effect of insulin or other types of diabetes medicines that help your body make more insulin. Two types of diabetes pills can cause hypoglycemia: sulfonylureas and meglitinides. Ask your health care team if your diabetes medicine can cause hypoglycemia.
Although other diabetes medicines don’t cause hypoglycemia by themselves, they can increase the chances of hypoglycemia if you also take insulin, a sulfonylurea, or a meglitinide.
The other factors contribute to hypoglycemia in diabetes:
If you take insulin or diabetes medicines that increase the amount of insulin your body makes—but don’t match your medications with your food or physical activity—you could develop hypoglycemia.
The following factors can make hypoglycemia more likely:
1. Not eating enough carbohydrates (carbs):
When you eat foods containing carbohydrates, your digestive system breaks down the sugars and starches into glucose. Glucose then enters your bloodstream and raises your blood glucose level. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates to match your medication, your blood glucose could drop too low.
2. Skipping or delaying a meal:
If you skip or delay a meal, your blood glucose could drop too low. Hypoglycemia also can occur when you are asleep and haven’t eaten for several hours.
3. Increasing physical activity:
Increasing your physical activity level beyond your normal routine can lower your blood glucose level for up to 24 hours after the activity.
4. Drinking too much alcohol without enough food:
Alcohol makes it harder for your body to keep your blood glucose level steady, especially if you haven’t eaten in a while. The effects of alcohol can also keep you from feeling the symptoms of hypoglycemia, which may lead to a severe hypoglycemia.
5. Being sick:
When you’re sick, you may not be able to eat as much or keep food down, which can cause low blood glucose. Learn more about taking care of your diabetes when you’re sick.
Complications:
Untreated hypoglycemia can lead to:
- Seizure.
- Loss of consciousness.
- Death.
Hypoglycemia can also contribute to the following:
- Dizziness and weakness.
- Falls.
- Injuries.
- Motor vehicle accidents.
- Greater risk of dementia in older adults.
How can I prevent hypoglycemia if I have diabetes?
If you are taking insulin, a sulfonylurea, or a meglitinide, using your diabetes management plan and working with your health care team to adjust your plan as needed can help you prevent hypoglycemia.
The following actions can also help prevent hypoglycemia:
I. Check blood glucose levels:
Knowing your blood glucose level can help you decide how much medicine to take, what food to eat, and how physically active to be. To find out your blood glucose level, check yourself with a blood glucose meter as often as your doctor advises.
II. Hypoglycemia unawareness:
Sometimes people with diabetes don’t feel or recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia, a problem called hypoglycemia unawareness. If you have had hypoglycemia without feeling any symptoms, you may need to check your blood glucose more often so you know when you need to treat your hypoglycemia or take steps to prevent it. Be sure to check your blood glucose before you drive.
If you have hypoglycemia unawareness or have hypoglycemia often,
ask your health care provider about a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). A CGM checks your blood glucose level at regular times throughout the day and night. CGMs can tell you if your blood glucose is falling quickly and sound an alarm if your blood glucose falls too low. CGM alarms can wake you up if you have hypoglycemia during sleep.
III. Eat regular meals and snacks:
Your meal plan is key to preventing hypoglycemia. Eat regular meals and snacks with the correct amount of carbohydrates to help keep your blood glucose level from going too low. Also, if you drink alcoholic beverages, it’s best to eat some food at the same time.
IV. Be physically active safely:
Physical activity can lower your blood glucose during the activity and for hours afterward. To help prevent hypoglycemia, you may need to check your blood glucose before, during, and after physical activity and adjust your medicine or carbohydrate intake.
For example,
you might eat a snack before being physically active or decrease your insulin dose as directed by your health care provider to keep your blood glucose from dropping too low.
V. Work with your health care team:
Tell your health care team if you have had hypoglycemia. Your health care team may adjust your diabetes medicines or other aspects of your management plan. Learn about balancing your medicines, eating plan, and physical activity to prevent hypoglycemia. Ask if you should have a glucagon emergency kit to carry with you at all times.
| Possible Cause | Prevention |
| Skipped Meal | Skipped Meal Eat at least 3 times per day, no more than 3-4 hours apart. |
| Delayed Meal | Carry a snack with you in case you can’t eat at your normal time. |
| Not eating enough carbohydrates |
Use a list of carbohydrates to make sure you have some at each meal. |
| Too much medication |
Talk with your diabetes provider about how to adjust your medication dose. |
| More physical activity than usual |
Keep emergency glucose with you when you exercise. Check your blood sugar often. Talk with your diabetes provider about adjusting your medication for exercise. |
| Drinking alcohol | Always eat something when you drink alcohol, and drink alcohol only in moderation (2 drinks per man, 1 drink per woman). |
Treatment Of Hypoglycemia:
How do I treat hypoglycemia?
If you begin to feel one or more hypoglycemia symptoms, check your blood glucose. If your blood glucose level is below your target or less than 70, eat or drink 15 grams of carbohydrates right away.
Examples include:
- Four glucose tablets or one tube of glucose gel.
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of fruit juice—not low-calorie or reduced sugar.
- 1/2 can (4 to 6 ounces) of soda—not low-calorie or reduced sugar.
- 1 tablespoon of sugar, honey, or corn syrup.
- 2 tablespoons of raisins.
Wait 15 minutes and check your blood glucose again. If your glucose level is still low, eat or drink another 15 grams of glucose or carbohydrates. Check your blood glucose again after another 15 minutes. Repeat these steps until your glucose level is back to normal.
If your next meal is more than 1 hour away, have a snack to keep your blood glucose level in your target range. Try crackers or a piece of fruit.
*People who have kidney disease shouldn’t drink orange juice for their 15 grams of carbohydrates because it contains a lot of potassium. Apple, grape, or cranberry juice are good options.
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Treating hypoglycemia if you take acarbose or miglitol
If you take acarbose or miglitol along with diabetes medicines that can cause hypoglycemia, you will need to take glucose tablets or glucose gel if your blood glucose level is too low. Eating or drinking other sources of carbohydrates won’t raise your blood glucose level quickly enough.
What if you have severe hypoglycemia and you can’t treat yourself?
A. Someone will need to give you a glucagon injection if you have severe hypoglycemia:
- An injection of glucagon will quickly raise your blood glucose level.
- Talk with your health care provider about when and how to use a glucagon emergency kit.
- If you have an emergency kit, check the date on the package to make sure it hasn’t expired.
B. If you are likely to have severe hypoglycemia, teach your family, friends:
- And coworkers when and how to give you a glucagon injection.
- Also, tell your family, friends, and coworkers right away after giving you a glucagon injection or if you don’t have a glucagon emergency kit with you.
C. If you have hypoglycemia often or have had severe hypoglycemia:
- You should wear a medical alert bracelet or pendant.
- A medical alert ID tells other people that you have diabetes and need care right away.
- Getting prompt care can help prevent the serious problems that hypoglycemia can cause.
Simple Guide to Help You Fight Hypoglycemia:
If you have been diagnosed with hypoglycemia and you are looking for ways to get rid of this in your life, it is important that you understand and know everything about the condition. Of course, the best treatment for hypoglycemia and any other diseases is prevention, so take time to know the causes and the triggers of such conditions.
1. Changing your Diet:
Diet plays a big role in the treatment of hypoglycemia. As hypoglycemia happens when you have low blood sugar, you have to be aware and you have to monitor your blood sugar levels. Of course, if you have problems with your blood sugar levels, one way to address it immediately is by taking in sugar and carbohydrates to level your blood sugar.
You may drink fruit juice or soda when you are feeling the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Candy bars or honey can also help as well.
- As treatment for hypoglycemia,
- it is important that you also maintain a well-balanced diet.
- You have to make sure that you have the necessary nutrients and enough sugar that can help you maintain a good level of blood sugar.
- It is also important that you do not skip meals or delay your eating time.
If you have hypoglycemia,
- It helps also to eat smaller but more frequent meals.
- This allows you to attain balance in your blood sugar as well.
- Avoid alcohol. Drinking alcohol is also seen as one cause of hypoglycemia, do get rid of it before you put yourself at risk of developing the condition.
- Caffeine should also be avoided as well.
2. Avoid stress:
Stress more or less has the same symptoms and signs as that of hypoglycemia, and aside from that, it can also decrease the capability of your immune system to fight diseases and infections, thus make sure that you manage the everyday stress in your life to also avoid hypoglycemia.
3. Have regular exercise:
Exercising can also help you get away with hypoglycemia as this will help you balance your blood sugar levels as it regulates your metabolism. However, it is important that you do not also overdo it as this can also be a cause of developing hypoglycemia.
4. Watch your eating habits:
Aside from eating healthy and having a healthy and well-balanced diet that can supply you with enough sugar and maintain a stronger immune system, it is also important to look into your eating habits.
- To help you attain balance in your blood sugar levels, smaller but more frequent meals can be helpful in fighting hypoglycemia.
- You can also take vitamin supplements to help you deal with your health and help you attain balance in your blood sugar levels.
- However, you have to take note that you have to ask for advice from your doctor before taking any supplements.
These are just a few of the things that you can do as a treatment for hypoglycemia but remember always that if your condition does not change for the better, it is important to go see your doctor for advice.
Tips to Help You Overcome This Condition:
hypoglycemia is a condition that results when blood sugar drops at very low levels. Although the symptoms of hypoglycemia can vary from person to person, the most common symptoms of this condition include the feeling of tiredness, nervousness, sweaty and may lead you to feel irritable and impatient. You may also experience being a little shaky, hungry, or confused.
If you have Type 1 diabetes,
you may also be more prone to having hypoglycemia. Thus, it is important that you have to let your family members, housemates, or friends know or that you are diabetic or you have low blood sugar so they will also know what to do in cases when you are not capable of telling them. If you want to get rid of hypoglycemia or if you want to lower your chances of suffering from such conditions, here are 5 tips that you might find useful.
1. Learn the causes of hypoglycemia.
It is when you know the causes that can help you fight it off from the start. Hypoglycemia can occur if you skip meals or you delay eating your meals. Eating too little can also trigger hypoglycemia as well as drinking alcohol, thus if you want to get rid of this condition, make sure you avoid these culprits as well.
2. If your blood sugar is low:
which you can determine by testing it, you can also help yourself by eating carbohydrates right than including some fruit juice. Supplying your system with sugar in the form that is easily absorbed by the body, can help you regain balance. One important thing to keep in mind is to take in sugar that is easily be absorbed by the body and not those in the form of complex carbohydrates that may take time.
3. Explore alternative treatments:
Although there are medical ways on how to treat hypoglycemia, it also helps to explore alternative treatments. Acupressure is one of the alternative treatments that can help you overcome hypoglycemia.
4. Eat small but frequent meals throughout the day:
This will help you attain that balance in your blood sugar level. Aside from this, you also have to take note of what you are eating. You may need to increase foods with fiber as well as complex carbohydrates.
5. See your doctor for underlying problems you have with hypoglycemia:
Of course, one of the ways on how to treat hypoglycemia is to make sure that the underlying conditions are also treated. Even before trying to find treatments for hypoglycemia, it is important that you are correctly diagnosed with the disorder. It is important that you are being diagnosed correctly.
You may also ask for advice from your doctor on supplements that you can take to help you overcome hypoglycemia as well. But of course, the best treatment is always prevention. Eat small but frequent meals, do not skip pr delay your meals, avoid drinking alcohol, and make sure that you eat a balanced diet.
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Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment for any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”
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