People with type-1 diabetes suffer from low blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia.
According to ADA, hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar levels have dropped too low than the healthy range.
A healthy range of blood sugar level differs from person to person but in general it is 70 mg/dL.
A person who would be at a risk of low blood sugar levels may suffer from symptoms like fatigue, increase in appetite, blurred vision, inability to focus, sweating, etc.
You can check your blood sugar levels in such a case and look for food that can manage the rapid drop in blood sugar levels. The causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment are explained in detail below.
Hypoglycemia: Causes
The condition can occur due to several reasons but it might also be a side effect of the diabetes medication.
Oral insulin medications and injections are used to help your body process blood sugar. Regular use of these medicines and insulin may lead to asudden drop in blood sugar levels sometimes.
Eating less than normal, skipping meals and eating at odd times may also lead to low blood sugar levels.
Alcoholism is also a culprit that causes low blood sugar.
Other causes may include use of medicines like quinine, medical issues like hepatitis, endocrine disorder, a tumour that produces excess insulin, etc.
Hypoglycemia: Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of low blood sugar levels may differ from person to person, but the common signs include:
Hypoglycemia: Diagnosis
If you are diabetic and experience any of these symptoms, check your blood sugar levels immediately to know if there's a drop in your blood sugar levels.
In case of an emergency, you can consult a doctor if you take any medications for your diabetes.
Your doctor may ask you about the symptoms, your lifestyle and dietary habits to know the cause of the symptoms.
They will then go on to diagnose you with the help a three step method also known as whipple's triad.
The first step involves you to abstain from eating or drinking for long hours and keep a check on the signs and symptoms that follow.
A blood test may help the doctors to examine you better for the low blood sugar levels.
They may also check the signs and symptoms persist after the blood sugar levels are raised.
Your doctor may advise you to keep a track of the blood glucose levels with the help of a handheld glucose testing meter . You may be asked to check it during certain times of the day like, after a meal, or early in the morning.
Symptoms of undiagnosed low blood sugar levels may be dangerous if left untreated for long, So, if after all this you still experience these symptoms, you need to consult a doctor immediately.
Hypoglycemia: Treatment
When there is a sudden drop in blood sugar levels, carbohydrates are the solution.
If you are someone who has diabetes and had these episodes of low blood sugar levels in the past, you must always carry a high-carb snack with you to get the glucose levels back to normal immediately.
Here is a list of a few snacks that can be used during the low blood sugar levels as recommended by the American Diabetes Association.
Glucose tablets or gel
Non-soda juices
Hard sweet candies
Jelly beans
Dried fruits
Table sugar
There are various over the counter glucose tablets available in the market that can be bought with a prescription but you need to check their carb content. It must be between 15-20 grams only.
You can eat a tablet or 15 grams of carbohydrate and wait for 15 minutes before you check the blood sugar levels again.
If its still low, you need to eat the same dose agin and keep checking until the blood sugar levels begin to rise.
Make sure to eat a snack or your meal after the episode of low blood sugar level but make sure that you don't over eat else it will lead to spike in blood sugar levels which we want to avoid.
(This article is for your general information only. Before trying out any remedy or treatment, FIT advises you to consult a qualified medical professional. )
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