Type 2 Diabetes: Low Blood Sugar/Hypoglycemia
What is it :
A blood sugar less than 70mg/dl is a low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. Your body needs glucose to use as fuel. If your blood sugar gets too low you usually can tell by how you feel. It can get worse quickly, so you need to treat it quickly .
Signs and symptoms :
It's important to recognize a low blood sugar as early as possible. By doing this, the reaction will not progress to a severe reaction. Symptoms will vary from person to person.
- Shaky
- Sweaty
- Fast heart beat
- Anxious
- Hungry
- Blurred vision
- Weakness or sudden fatigue
- Irritable
- Dizzy and/or headache.
- In its extreme form it can cause you to become confused, disoriented and even make you unconscious
What causes it:
- Too much of certain diabetes medications
- Too little food, skipping a meal or eating later than usual
- More activity than usual
- Too much alcohol
How to treat it:
If you have symptoms of hypoglycemia, test your blood sugar. If it's less than 70mg/dl, or if you can't test, act quickly. You need:
- 15 grams of fast acting glucose: That could be:
- 4 flavored glucose tablets
- 4-6 ounces of fruit juice
- 8 oz of low fat milk
- 4 oz of “regular” soda, not diet soda
- If your blood sugar is 50 mg/dl or less, you need to treat with 30 grams of fast acting glucose.
- Wait 15 minutes and test your blood sugar to make sure it is back up to a safe zone.
- If your next meal is more than 30 minutes away, eat a healthy snack.
- If you have symptoms of a low blood sugar before a scheduled meal, you need to treat first, wait 15 minutes, re-check and then eat your meal. The fat and proteins in your meal could delay the work of the carbohydrate and cause a more severe decrease in your blood sugar.
How NOT to treat low blood sugar:
Chocolate, donuts, cake, pie, candy bar, cheese, meat, etc. are NOT good choices to treat a low blood sugar. All of these foods have a high fat content. The fat in these foods makes them stay in the stomach longer, so it doesn't get into your blood stream quickly - where you need it to be. The dietitian will show you how to fit these foods in your meal plan when you can take the time to enjoy them.
How to prevent low blood sugars:
Pay attention to when and why you go low. Do you see a pattern? Is it always before a certain meal or after exercise? You may have to talk to your health care team to get a change in your medication or learn how to prevent low blood sugars when you exercise. Be sure your family and friends and co-workers know how to recognize and help you treat a low blood sugar.
