Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar: Hypoglycemia Symptoms

DISCLAIMER: The content on " symptoms of low blood sugar " & www.diabetes-blood-sugar-solutions.com is for informational purposes only and not to be used as medical advice. By reading beyond this notice you agree to the terms in the disclaimer . You should contact your physician or health care team with concerns about your diabetes or health.Thanks for staying safe folks!

Related:

Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar (hypoglycemia symptoms)
Hypoglycemia: definition and concerns
Causes of Hypoglycemia: common and rare
Treating Hypoglycemia: The fastest fixes

Symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia symptoms) vary from person to person and even from day to day. As a diabetes educator I recommend that people taking insulin, or insulin producing pills, know the symptoms of low blood sugars. Informing friends and family about symptoms of low blood sugar is also an option as they can help recognize and treat hypoglycemia.

• Urgency to eat or hungry

• Sweating

• Shaking or trembling

• Generalized weakness

• Tiredness or drowsiness

• Racing heart or palpitations

• Dizziness

• Headache

• Anxiety

• Difficulty concentrating or confusion

• Short-term clumsiness or decreased co-ordination

• Can't find the "right" word; drawing "blanks"

• Seeing bright lights/vision changes (not a typical symtpom)

• Nausea (not a typical symptom)

• Tingling of lips, face or legs if walking (not a typical symptom)

• Combative, belligerent, argumentative (this is likely severe hypoglycemia)

• Loss of consciousness (severe hypoglycemia)

Some folks with diabetes have hypoglycemia symptoms but their glucose meters show they're not low.

This can happen if you've had high glucose levels for some time and suddenly drop into lower ranges. Sort of like living in Fiji where it's hot and moving to Calgary, Canada for the summer. It seems cold in comparison. Of course, once you've lived in Calgary a while, the summers start to feel enjoyable again. Trust me. So for blood sugars, this means that your body will eventually become accustomed to the healthier lower blood sugars and will start to fell better there.

If having hypoglycemia symptoms always try to verify the low blood sugar with a fingerstick glucose test. The values for lows are listed here. Hypoglycemia should be treated immediately so it does not progress to some of the more serious low blood sugar symptoms. Some people without diabetes have hypoglycemia symptoms but may not have low blood sugar levels as explained under "reactive hypoglycemia".

Hypoglycemia can also happen while you are sleeping. Symptoms of low blood sugar during the night are:

• Crying out or have nightmares.
• Awaking with damp pajamas, sheets or pillowcase from sweating.
• Feeling tired, irritable, or confused when you wake up.
• Waking for no reason (although this may also be sleep apnea - check your blood sugar if you awake early).
• Difficulty waking.
• Unexplained high blood sugars in the morning

If you have diabetes and experience mild hypoglycemia more than once a week, or more often than your physician advises, call your health care provider. You should contact your physican or health care team immediately after experiencing a severe low sugar requiring someone else's help.

<<< PREVIOUS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NEXT >>>

Related:

Treating Hypoglycemia: The fastest fixes.
Causes of Hypoglycemia: common and rare
Hypoglycemia: definition and concerns.
Back to symptoms of low blood sugar.
To Home: How to manage blood sugars

Reference: Canadian Diabetes Association 2003 clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetes in Canada. Can J Diabetes 2003;27(Suppl 2):S1-152. 2005