Insulin enables the glucose to enter the cells and provide the fuel your cells need. Extra glucose is stored in your liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. If you haven't eaten for several hours and your blood sugar level drops, another hormone from your pancreas signals your liver to break down the stored glycogen and release glucose into your bloodstream.
This keeps your blood sugar within a normal range until you eat again. Your body also has the ability to make glucose. This process occurs mainly in your liver, but also in your kidneys.
If you have diabetes, you might not make enough insulin type 1 diabetes or you might be less responsive to it type 2 diabetes. As a result, glucose tends to build up in the bloodstream and can reach dangerously high levels.
To correct this problem, you might take insulin or other drugs to lower blood sugar levels. But too much insulin or other diabetes medications may cause your blood sugar level to drop too low, causing hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can also occur if you eat less than usual after taking diabetes medication, or if you exercise more than you normally do. Some critical illnesses. Severe liver illnesses such as severe hepatitis or cirrhosis can cause hypoglycemia.
Kidney disorders, which can keep your body from properly excreting medications, can affect glucose levels due to a buildup of those medications.
Long-term starvation, as can occur in the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, can result in too little of substances your body needs to create glucose. Hypoglycemia usually occurs when you haven't eaten, but not always. Sometimes hypoglycemia symptoms occur after certain meals high in sugar because your body produces more insulin than you need.
This type of hypoglycemia, called reactive hypoglycemia or postprandial hypoglycemia, can occur in people who have had stomach bypass surgery. It can also occur in people who haven't had this surgery. Immediate treatment is critical. For people at risk for low blood sugar, having a glucagon kit — a medication that raises blood sugar levels — is important.
Talk with your doctor for more information. You may also want to talk with friends, family members, exercise partners, and co-workers about how to care for you if your blood sugar drops too low. Wearing a medical identification bracelet is a good idea. It can help emergency responders care for you properly if you need emergency attention. Treat low blood sugar as soon as possible. Avoid driving if you are experiencing low blood sugar, as it can increase your risk for having an accident.
Regularly checking your blood sugar level can help you keep it in your target range. As mentioned above, some good choices include granola bars, fresh or dried fruit, fruit juice, pretzels, and cookies. If you plan to exercise for an hour or more, consume additional carbohydrates during your workout. Exercise gels, sports drinks, granola bars, and even candy bars can provide the body with a quick burst of glucose during exercise.
Moderate to intense exercise can cause blood glucose to drop for up to 24 hours after exercise. Avoid intense exercise immediately before bed. Not eating the right foods or taking the right medications at the right times can cause your blood sugar to drop. Check in often with your doctor so they can adjust your treatment plan if and when necessary. Read this article in Spanish. The singer and actor shares why using the "time in range" metric to help manage his type 1 diabetes has been a "life-changing" discovery.
The risk factors for type 2 diabetes are complex and range from genetic to environmental to lifestyle choices. Learn more. My diagnosis was a wake-up call. It was time to take care of my health. Learn more about its symptoms, causes, and treatment. I learned that the best type 2 diabetes diet is the one that works for you.
For those who are familiar with injectable glucagon, there are now two injectable glucagon products on the market—one that comes in a kit and one that is pre-mixed and ready to use. Speak with your doctor about whether you should buy a glucagon product, and how and when to use it.
The people you are in frequent contact with for example, friends, family members and coworkers should be instructed on how to give you glucagon to treat severe hypoglycemia. If you have needed glucagon, let your doctor know so you can discuss ways to prevent severe hypoglycemia in the future. Find products for dealing with low blood glucose. If someone is unconscious and glucagon is not available or someone does not know how to use it, call immediately.
Do NOT:. Low blood sugar is common for people with type 1 diabetes and can occur in people with type 2 diabetes taking insulin or certain medications. If you add in lows without symptoms and the ones that happen overnight, the number would likely be higher. Too much insulin is a definite cause of low blood sugar. Insulin pumps may also reduce the risk for low blood sugar. Accidentally injecting the wrong insulin type, too much insulin, or injecting directly into the muscle instead of just under the skin , can cause low blood sugar.
What you eat can cause low blood sugar, including:. Exercise has many benefits. The tricky thing for people with type 1 diabetes is that it can lower blood sugar in both the short and long-term. Nearly half of children in a type 1 diabetes study who exercised an hour during the day experienced a low blood sugar reaction overnight.
The intensity, duration and timing of exercise can all affect the risk for going low. Many people with diabetes, particularly those who use insulin, should have a medical ID with them at all times. In the event of a severe hypoglycemic episode, a car accident or other emergency, the medical ID can provide critical information about the person's health status, such as the fact that they have diabetes, whether or not they use insulin, whether they have any allergies, etc.
Emergency medical personnel are trained to look for a medical ID when they are caring for someone who can't speak for themselves. Medical IDs are usually worn as a bracelet or a necklace.
Traditional IDs are etched with basic, key health information about the person, and some IDs now include compact USB drives that can carry a person's full medical record for use in an emergency. As unpleasant as they may be, the symptoms of low blood sugar are useful. These symptoms tell you that you your blood sugar is low and you need to take action to bring it back into a safe range.
But, many people have blood sugar readings below this level and feel no symptoms. This is called hypoglycemia unawareness. Hypoglycemia unawareness puts the person at increased risk for severe low blood sugar reactions when they need someone to help them recover. Melmed S, et al. In: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. Elsevier; Hypoglycemia low blood sugar. American Diabetes Association. Mahoney GK, et al. Severe hypoglycemia attributable to intensive glucose-lowering therapy among US adults with diabetes: Population-based modeling study, Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Cryer PE, et al. Hypoglycemia in adults with diabetes mellitus. Castro MR expert opinion. Mayo Clinic.
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