Hypoglycemia is a state of low blood sugar levels… it’s always best to do a finger stick to find out the actual blood sugar level but signs of hypoglycemia include:
- lack of coordination
- wild mood swings uncharacteristic of the individual
- memory loss
- teeth-grinding and
Many type 2 diabetics experience hypoglycemia from time to time because their medications increase the production of insulin whether their body needs it or not.
Although hypoglycemia is unlikely to result in death, it is still quite dangerous. The risk of accidents increases exponentially when diabetics have low blood sugars and then drive or operate equipment.
Here are ten tips to help you know you are hypoglycemic:
1. Almost every incident of hypoglycemia makes the diabetic feel hunger, but not every incidence of hunger is caused by hypoglycemia. The sensation of hunger results whenever cells are deprived of glucose. This can occur when there isn’t enough sugar in your circulation, that is as a result of hypoglycemia. It can also result when there isn’t enough insulin in your circulation to deliver the glucose to your cells, resulting in hyperglycemia.
2. Whenever your pulse is racing 1/3 faster than normal and you have not exercised in the last 2 to 3 hours, it’s safe to assume you are experiencing hypoglycemia. Most people find it easiest to take a pulse at the carotid artery on the side of the neck. Of course, you need to know your normal resting pulse to know what is a fast pulse rate for you.
3. Blurred vision, or double vision, often indicates hypoglycemia. Blurred vision with dry skin, breath that smells like nail polish remover, and dark urine, however, indicates extremely high blood sugars and dehydration.
4. In men who ordinarily experience morning erections, the absence of an erection indicates overnight hypoglycemia. Blood sugars get too low during the night, but then spike upward just before the person gets up.
5. Another common symptom of hypoglycemia is nystagmus. If you are the person taking care of a diabetic, ask him or her to look from side to side while holding their head still. If the eyes seem to “jump” from place to place, there may be hypoglycemia. If you are the diabetic, stare at the second hand of a clock or watch. If the second hand seems to “jump” from position to position, you may be experiencing hypoglycemia.
6. A high-fat meal oddly enough, can result in low blood sugar… this is because your stomach then takes longer to empty food into your intestines.
7. Excessive use of aspirin also can trigger hypoglycemia. Taking too much liver paralyzes the mechanism by which the liver releases glucose.
8. Having a cocktail or a drink before a meal can significantly lower blood sugars. Sometimes excessive drinking with a meal likewise prevents the normal release of sugars from the liver.
9. A sudden change from cold weather to warm weather often precipitates hypoglycemia.
10. Fatalities caused by hypoglycemia itself are very, very rare. This is because cells have several fail-safe mechanisms that allow them to survive low blood sugars and because permanent cell damage requires alteration, not only of blood sugar levels but also of levels of potassium, magnesium, and protein. Insulin is not an efficient method of suicide.
The remedy for low blood sugars, as you probably would have guessed, is sugar. However, most diabetics need very little sugar to get their blood sugars back to normal. As little as 15 grams, about 1/2 oz, of sugar is enough for most diabetics to get back to normal blood sugar levels. Even when a type 2 diabetic wants to eat everything in the refrigerator… and they usually do… just a small amount of sugar equivalent to half a sugar-sweetened soft drink, a small piece of fruit, or preferably a tube of glucose, is enough to prevent blood sugar problems.