Low Blood Sugar

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by an abnormally low level of blood sugar (glucose), your body’s main energy source.Hypoglycemia is commonly associated with diabetes. However, a wide variety of conditions, many of them rare, can cause low blood sugar in people without diabetes. Like fever, hypoglycemia isn’t a disease itself — it’s an indicator of a health problem.

What does this mean?

In simple layman’s language, hypoglycemia is the body’s inability to properly handle the large amounts of sugar that the average American consumes today. It’s an overload of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and stress.

Who is at risk for hypoglycemia?

While patients who do not have any metabolic problems can complain of symptoms suggestive of low blood sugar, true hypoglycemia usually occurs in patients being treated for diabetes (type 1 and type 2). Patients with pre-diabetes who have insulin resistance can also have low sugars on occasion if their high circulating insulin levels are further challenged by a prolonged period of fasting.

In some cases, this form of hypoglycemia appears to be associated with malfunctions or diseases of the liver, pituitary, adrenals, liver, or pancreas. These conditions are unrelated to diabetes. Children intolerant of a natural sugar (fructose) or who have inherited defects that affect digestion may also experience hypoglycemic attacks. Some children with a negative reaction to aspirin also experience reactive hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia Diet

Hypoglycemia can occur from certain illnesses, such as liver disease and some types of tumors. These conditions cause a type of hypoglycemia called organic hypoglycemia. They usually require specific medical treatment or surgery. There is another type of hypoglycemia. In some people, the body simply responds differently to the digestion of foods.

Blood sugar regulation

During digestion, your body breaks down carbohydrates from foods — such as bread, rice, pasta, vegetables, fruit and milk products — into various sugar molecules. One of these sugar molecules is glucose, the main energy source for your body.

What Are the Symptoms of Hypoglycemia?

Some symptoms of hypoglycemia are caused when the body releases extra adrenaline (epinephrine), a hormone that raises blood sugar levels, into the bloodstream to protect against hypoglycemia. High blood levels of adrenaline can make the skin become pale and sweaty, and a person can also have symptoms such as shakiness, anxiety, and heart palpitations (a fast, pounding heartbeat).

Thumbnail Sketch of Treatment

The first basic treatment is to avoid all foods that contain elemental sugar. This includes almost all desserts and junk foods. (Actually that wouldn’t be so bad for a “healthy” person would it?) It also includes all non diet soft drinks. A lot of people find that caffeine also stimulates the release of blood glucose and precipitates a reaction.

How do you treat hypoglycemia?

The quickest way to raise your blood glucose and treat hypoglycemia is with some form of sugar, such as 3 glucose tablets (you can buy these at the drug store), 1/2 cup of fruit juice, or 5-6 pieces of hard candy.

Ask your health care professional or dietitian to list foods that you can use to treat low blood glucose. And then, be sure you always have at least one type of sugar with you.