Symptoms of low blood sugar

Symptoms of low blood sugar

Symptoms of low blood sugar are many, and attention must be paid to them for fear of severe hypoglycemic coma. Diabetic patients are more susceptible to hypoglycaemia, so what is the reason behind this?

Hypoglycemia may also occur in healthy people, as we often see Symptoms of low sugar For non-diabetics, detecting symptoms early helps avoid complications of hypoglycemia resulting from delayed treatment.

Follow along with us to learn about the most important signs of low blood sugar and how to act correctly when symptoms appear.

Symptoms of low blood sugar

How symptoms appear varies from person to person. Some people only have signs when the blood sugar level drops to very low values, while others appear Symptoms of hypoglycemia At others faster.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia often occur Hypoglycemia When fasting blood sugar falls below 70 milligrams per deciliter, the severity of symptoms increases as the deficiency increases, and hypoglycemia may occur in severe cases.

A patient with hypoglycemia shows the following symptoms:

  • Fatigue and tiredness
  • worry
  • excessive sweating
  • pale skin
  • Vertigo
  • tachycardia
  • feeling hungry
  • Shivering

Symptoms of hypoglycemia worsen if the patient's condition is not treated appropriately. Signs and symptoms of severe hypoglycaemia may include:

  • vision disturbances
  • Poor ability to focus
  • Confusion and lack of orientation
  • seizures
  • Unconsciousness
Symptoms of low blood sugar
Symptoms of low blood sugar

 Causes of low blood sugar

The production and release of glucose into the bloodstream depends on many factors, including the function of the pancreas, which is responsible for insulin secretion, in addition to the function of the liver, which stores glucose in the form of a hormone called glucagon.

An increase in the secretion of insulin in the blood leads to a decrease in glucose, as is the case in insulin-secreting tumors that arise at the expense of insulin pancreasAnd also when treating type 1 diabetes by giving insulin in an excessive dose.

lack of blood sugar low blood sugar It can happen for several reasons, including:

Diabetes Medications

These drugs work by lowering blood glucose levels and keeping it within normal limits. These drugs may cause hypoglycemia as a result of the wrong use of the drug, and this is the reason why patients with diabetes They are more likely to have low blood sugar than healthy people.

The error in using the drug may be in one of the following forms:

  • Increase the dose without consulting a doctor
  • Irregular timing of taking the medication
  • Refrain from eating a meal after taking the medicine
  • Heavy physical exertion following taking the drug

Reasons for low blood sugar in healthy people

Low blood sugar is not limited to diabetics only, as there are many causes that may lead to low blood sugar for non-diabetics, including:

  • Skipping or delaying a meal
  • Low-carb foods (carbohydrates are the most sugar-containing energy source)
  • intense exercise
  • Excessive alcohol consumption (because it affects the liver's ability to release stored glucose)
  • Taking diabetes medications by mistake
  • Excess insulin secretion for some reason (such as pancreatic tumors)
  • Having some diseases that interfere with drug absorption (such as cirrhosis of the liver or kidney failure)
Causes of low blood sugar
Causes of low blood sugar

How to treat low blood sugar

The best treatment for managing hypoglycemia is by eating a snack that contains fast-absorbing sugar, so patients who are prone to hypoglycemia are advised to keep snacks containing sugar wherever they go.

Among the foods that contain fast-absorbing sugar are: fruit drinks, honey, sugar candies, and glucose tablets.

if the sugar level does not rise and remains low 15 minutes after the first meal, eat another meal of carbohydrates and repeat the test after 15 minutes. Repeat the previous steps until the blood sugar level rises and you feel better.

In the event that the sugar did not rise after taking the previous steps, and severe hypoglycaemia symptoms appeared, which are confusion andexcessive sweating With loss of consciousness, the injured person must be transferred to the hospital in an emergency manner.

Doctors advise diabetes to keep glucagon syringes at home in case of emergency, when the patient cannot take sugar orally, as in a coma, then the sugar must be injected intravenously by another person who knows how to inject.

It is important to know how to think correctly when an individual suffers from severe hypoglycemia. It is not limited to the patient only, but the family of people with a high risk of developing hypoglycemia (such as diabetics) must learn how to manage critical cases of low blood sugar.

In addition to management methods Symptoms of low sugar In the blood, you must also know the reason that led to the decrease, in the event that it was the cause of the decrease in sugar Hypoglycemia Due to a tumor problem, then the tumor must be removed if possible.

Fast absorbing sugar foods used to treat hypoglycemia
Foods that contain fast-absorbing sugar

protection

If you have diabetes, we will give you several tips to avoid low blood sugar.

Measure your sugar level regularly in order to detect hypoglycemia early if it exists. Be aware of the signs of hypoglycaemia so that you can start treatment as soon as symptoms appear.

The existence of one Symptoms of low blood sugar Such as dizziness, anxiety or confusion, treatment should be initiated to avoid other neurological signs of severe hypoglycaemia, such as loss of consciousness and coma.

As a summary of the above, detecting symptoms and knowing the steps for correct action in such cases is necessary for everyone and is not limited to doctors only. treatment.


Sources:

  1. American Diabetes Association
  2. Webmd
  3. CDC

Frequently Asked Questions

heavy exercise and malnutrition may cause hypoglycemia, in addition to some medications that may reduce the level of sugar, as well as some diseases such as hypothyroidism, liver and kidney diseases, and pancreatic tumors.

Just feeling hungry does not cause a drop in blood sugar because the body works to adjust the sugar level to specific proportions, but abstaining from food for a long period of more than 8 hours may cause a drop in blood sugar.

In severe cases of hypoglycemia that is not treated quickly, the patient may suffer from hypoglycemic coma that may be fatal.

Elevation sugar coma is characterized by hot, dry skin with an acetone-like smell. As for hypothyroidism, the patient's skin will be cold and pale with a shiver. This can be accurately confirmed by measuring the sugar level.

Low blood sugar is associated with a low secretion of insulin in the body. Insulin introduces glucose into the cells, and therefore the lack of insulin leads to a reduction in cell nutrition, and thus contributes to weight loss.

Misuse of medicines is the main reason for this, as the wrong dose of medicine or the timing of taking it may cause hypoglycaemia.

Dry mouth is a sign of high blood sugar, not low blood sugar, and is commonly seen in people with diabetes.

When the blood sugar level is low, many symptoms appear, including: hunger, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, pale skin, excessive sweating, poor concentration, blurry vision, irritability and mood changes.

In severe cases of hypoglycemia, more serious symptoms occur, such as disorientation and loss of consciousness (hypoglycemic coma).

There are a number of reasons that lead to a sudden drop in sugar in the blood, the most common causes are diabetes medications that are given wrongly, physical exertion during intense exercise leads to the appearance of symptoms of low blood sugar.

The lack of food intake of glucose also incites the emergence of symptoms, in addition to that there are a number of diseases that lead to a drop in the level of sugar in the blood, such as liver diseases.

In fact, stress and feelings of sadness often lead to high blood sugar levels.

One of the reasons for preventing a drop in blood sugar level is not following a low-sugar diet, in addition to not using enough anti-diabetic drugs used to treat diabetes, not injecting enough insulin, or using expired insulin.

If you are planning for treatment in Turkey
you can talk to us here.

If you are planning for treatment in Turkey
you can talk to us here.

en_USEN