Many of us have heard of testing blood sugar levels. Either we know someone with diabetes or we’ve seen a commercial about someone testing by pricking their finger to find out what their blood sugar level is. Those who have hypoglycemia need to be very careful about their blood sugar. What is hypoglycemia?
What is:
Hypoglycemia is when your blood level is low. Hypo is low. Hyper means high. So someone with hypoglycemia has low blood sugar levels. Every cell in our body depends on glucose (sugar) for energy. Cells use energy to carry out bodily functions. When your blood sugar low blood pressure, your cells do not have enough fuel to complete their work.
Who has it?
Diabetics can become hypoglycemic when they have too much insulin in their systems due to insulin resistance or other diabetic medications.
People who do not have diabetes can also become hypoglycemic. This happens in two ways. One reason is when someone doesn’t eat for a long time, like overnight. The second reason can be from a rare tumor in the pancreas or because of a disease of the liver, heart or kidneys. There are rare cases when someone may experience a reaction to aspirin, sulfa drugs or other medications that can cause a hypoglycemic condition. to be done
People who skip a meal once in a while can suffer from low blood sugar because they skipped a meal and can experience the same symptoms and someone who is hypoglycemic. If these occur frequently, seek medical attention.
Information:
A person suffering from hypoglycemia may experience the following symptoms:
Shakiness, tremors, nervousness, sleepiness, lightheadedness or dizziness, heart palpitations or increased heart rate, irritability, weakness. confusion or anxiety, hunger, sweat, headache, paleness, difficulty, foggy or double vision.
What to do if you experience symptoms of being hypoglycemic;
Hypoglycemia is first diagnosed with a simple blood glucose test. This test determines whether your blood sugar levels are within the normal range of 70 to 110 mg/dL.
If your blood sugar levels are below normal, your doctor will first try to get your blood sugar levels to a higher level by asking you to eat or drink foods that contain sugar. Fruit juice, milk, hard candy or honey are good choices for doing this. After your symptoms stop, it’s a good idea to eat foods long lasting carbohydrates, such as crackers, soft pretzels, bread or sacrifices. These can help keep your blood glucose levels in the normal range.
To permanently treat fasting hypoglycemia, the underlying condition or cause of your hypoglycemia must be determined and then corrected. This can only be done under the guidance of a doctor.
If it is diagnosed as hypoglycemia, follow your doctor’s advice on exercise, diet and medication. It is also wise to always have a snack or drink that contains sugar on you or with you at all times. This way, as soon as you start to experience any of the above symptoms, you will have a handy snack to restore your blood sugar level and the symptoms will go away. It is good to eat small meals or snacks every 3 hours if you are hypoglycemic. Eating a variety of foods rich in complex carbohydrates, or high in fiber such as whole grain breads, rice and potatoes, Fruits and other vegetables are good choices. It is also wise to avoid alcohol and foods high in sugar, especially on an empty stomach.
