what to do when your blood sugar drops

On this folio:

• What is low blood glucose?
• How mutual is low blood glucose?
• Who is more likely to develop low blood glucose?
• What are the symptoms of low blood glucose?
• What are the complications of depression blood glucose?
• What causes depression blood glucose in people with diabetes?
• How can I prevent low blood glucose if I have diabetes?
• How do I treat low blood glucose?
• What if I have severe depression blood glucose and can't care for myself?
• Clinical Trials for Low Blood Glucose

What is low blood glucose?

Low blood glucose, besides called low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, occurs when the level of glucose in your blood drops below what is healthy for you lot. For many people with diabetes, this ways a blood glucose reading lower than seventy milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).^ane Your number might exist unlike, so bank check with your doctor or wellness care squad to find out what blood glucose level is depression for you.

How common is low blood glucose?

Low blood glucose is common among people with blazon i diabetes and among people with type ii diabetes who take insulin or some other diabetes medicines. In a large global study of people with diabetes who take insulin, 4 in five people with type one diabetes and nearly half of those with type two diabetes reported a low blood sugar event at to the lowest degree once over a 4-week period.²

Severely low blood glucose, divers as when your claret glucose level drops then low y'all can't treat it yourself, is less common. Amid U.S. adults with diabetes who take insulin or some diabetes medicines that assist the pancreas release insulin into the blood, 2 in 100 may develop severely low blood glucose each year.³

Who is more likely to develop low blood glucose?

You are more likely to develop low blood glucose if you lot⁴

• have type ane diabetes
• take insulin or some other diabetes medicines
• are age 65 or older⁵
• had depression blood glucose before
• have other health bug, such as kidney disease, heart disease, or cerebral impairment

What are the symptoms of low blood glucose?

Symptoms of depression blood glucose tend to come on chop-chop and can vary from person to person. As Tabular array i below shows, symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Table one. Symptoms of depression blood glucose⁶

Mild-to-Moderate	Astringent
If your claret glucose level is low, you lot may experience shaky or jittery hungry tired silly, lightheaded, confused, or irritable your heart is beating too fast or not steadily you accept a headache you lot can't see or speak clearly	If your claret glucose level is very depression, your brain may terminate working as information technology should. Yous may lose consciousness have a seizure Severe hypoglycemia is dangerous and needs to be treated right away.

Low blood glucose during sleep

Your blood glucose level can drop while you sleep and stay low for several hours, causing serious issues.⁷ Symptoms of depression blood glucose while you sleep can include

• crying out or having nightmares
• sweating enough to brand your pajamas or sheets damp
• feeling tired, irritable, or confused after waking up

Although you may not wake up or discover any symptoms, low blood glucose can interfere with your slumber, which may impact your quality of life, mood, and power to work. Having depression blood glucose during sleep can as well make you lot less probable to discover and respond to symptoms of low blood glucose during the solar day.

What are the complications of low blood glucose?

Mild-to-moderate depression claret glucose tin be easily treated. But severely low claret glucose can cause serious complications, including passing out, coma, or death.

Repeated episodes of low claret glucose can lead to

• high blood glucose levels, if worry or fright of depression blood glucose keeps yous from taking the medicines you demand to manage your diabetes^viii
• hypoglycemia unawareness, a condition in which you don't notice whatsoever symptoms of low blood glucose until your blood glucose level has dropped very low

What causes depression blood glucose in people with diabetes?

Low blood glucose levels can be a side effect of insulin or some other medicines that help your pancreas release insulin into your claret. Taking these can lower your claret glucose level.

Two types of diabetes pills tin can crusade low blood glucose

• sulfonylureas, usually taken once or twice per twenty-four hour period, which increase insulin over several hours
• meglitinides, taken before meals to promote a short-term increase in insulin

Insulin and some other diabetes medicines can lower your claret glucose level.

The post-obit may also lower your blood glucose level

• Not eating or drinking plenty carbohydrates (carbs). When you swallow foods or drink beverages that contain carbohydrates, your digestive organization breaks down the sugars and starches into glucose. Glucose and so enters your bloodstream and raises your blood glucose level. If you don't eat enough carbohydrates or skip or filibuster whatsoever meals, your blood glucose level could driblet lower than what is salubrious for you.
• Fasting. Standing to take medicines that lower your glucose level while fasting for a medical procedure or for other purposes tin can also increment the adventure for low blood glucose.
• Increasing physical action. Increasing your physical action level beyond your usual routine tin can lower your blood glucose level for up to 24 hours after the activity. Acquire more about diabetes, eating, and physical activeness.
• Drinking too much booze without plenty food. Booze makes it harder for your body to keep your blood glucose level steady, especially if you haven't eaten in a while. Alcohol can likewise keep you from feeling the first symptoms of depression blood glucose, which can lead to astringent symptoms.
• Existence sick. When y'all're sick, you may not be able to consume as much or proceed food downwards, which tin lower blood glucose.

How can I prevent low blood glucose if I have diabetes?

If you have insulin or other medicines that lower blood glucose, the following actions may help you prevent low claret glucose levels.

• Inquire your doctor or health care team how to check your claret glucose level. The most common mode to do and so is by using a blood glucose meter. If yous take hypoglycemia unawareness or have low claret glucose often, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) may be a proficient option. The CGM measures your blood glucose level at regular times and tin sound an alarm if it drops below your target range.
• Make certain your regular eating plan includes meals, snacks, and beverages with enough carbohydrates to help go on your blood glucose level in your target range. Carry a source of fast-acting carbohydrate, such equally glucose tablets or a juice box, with you. As well, if y'all beverage alcoholic beverages, it's safer to eat some food at the same time.
• Be prophylactic during practise or concrete activity. Concrete action can lower your blood glucose during the activity and for hours afterward. You may need to check your blood glucose before, during, and after physical action and adapt your medicine or saccharide intake to prevent low claret glucose. For example, you might swallow a snack before physical activity to prevent low blood glucose.
• Work with your dr. or health care squad to prevent depression blood glucose. Ask your team if any of your diabetes medicines can cause low blood glucose and how y'all can prevent and care for symptoms. Work with your physician or health care team to conform your diabetes direction plan as needed.

Some CGMs let you rails your blood glucose levels using a small sensor attached to your arm or abdomen and view the information on your smartphone.

How do I care for low blood glucose?

If you begin to feel one or more symptoms of depression claret glucose, check your blood glucose level. If your blood glucose level is below your target or less than 70 mg/dL, follow these steps

1. Eat or drinkable 15 to 20 grams of glucose or carbohydrates correct away. Examples include
   • four glucose tablets or one tube of glucose gel.
   • ane/two cup (4 ounces) of fruit juice—not low-calorie or reduced-carbohydrate juice. If you take kidney disease, don't beverage orange juice because it has a lot of potassium. Apple, grape, or cranberry juice are good options.
   • 1/2 tin (iv to 6 ounces) of soda—non low-calorie or reduced-sugar soda.
   • 1 tablespoon of sugar, dearest, or corn syrup.
2. Wait 15 minutes and check your claret glucose level once again. If your glucose level is still low, eat or drink another 15 to 20 grams of glucose or carbohydrates.
3. Cheque your claret glucose level again after some other xv minutes. Repeat these steps until your glucose level is back to your target range.
4. If your next meal is more than than one hour abroad, accept a snack to keep your blood glucose level inside a range that is healthy for yous. Try crackers or a piece of fruit.

If your blood glucose is beneath your target, take fifteen to xx grams of glucose or carbohydrates right away.

Treating depression blood glucose if you take medicines that slow down digestion

Some diabetes medicines dull down the digestion of carbohydrates to keep blood glucose levels from rise too loftier afterward you eat. If y'all develop low blood glucose while taking these medicines, you will need to take glucose tablets or glucose gel right away. Eating or drinking other sources of carbohydrates won't raise your blood glucose level apace enough.

What if I accept astringent depression blood glucose and can't treat myself?

Glucagon—a hormone that raises blood glucose levels—is the best way to care for severely low claret glucose. Available equally an injection or a nasal spray, glucagon will chop-chop raise your blood glucose level. Your md can prescribe you a glucagon kit for utilise in example of an emergency.

If your blood glucose level drops very low, you won't be able to treat it by yourself. Exist prepared to address severely low blood glucose past

• talking with your doctor or health care team about when and how to employ a glucagon emergency kit. If yous accept an emergency kit, regularly bank check the date on the package to brand sure information technology hasn't expired.
• teaching your family, friends, and coworkers when and how to give you glucagon. Tell them to telephone call 911 correct away afterwards giving y'all glucagon or if yous don't take a glucagon emergency kit with you.
• wearing a medical warning identification bracelet or pendant. A medical warning ID tells other people that you take diabetes and demand care right abroad. Getting prompt care tin assistance foreclose the serious problems that depression claret glucose levels tin can cause.

Clinical Trials for Low Blood Glucose

The NIDDK conducts and supports clinical trials in many diseases and weather condition, including diabetes. The trials look to find new ways to forbid, notice, or treat affliction and amend quality of life.

What are clinical trials for depression blood glucose?

Clinical trials—and other types of clinical studies—are role of medical research and involve people similar you. When you lot volunteer to have part in a clinical study, yous help doctors and researchers learn more about affliction and meliorate wellness care for people in the future.

Researchers are studying many aspects of low blood glucose levels in diabetes, such as

• how to diagnose and treat low blood glucose among people with diabetes
• medicines that can treat symptoms of low claret glucose in people with hypoglycemia unawareness
• educational approaches to reduce fear of low claret glucose, which tin brand information technology harder for you lot to control your diabetes

Notice out if clinical studies are right for you.

Sentry a video of NIDDK Managing director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers explaining the importance of participating in clinical trials.

What clinical studies for low blood glucose are looking for participants?

You can view a filtered list of clinical studies on low blood glucose that are federally funded, open, and recruiting at www.ClinicalTrials.gov. You can aggrandize or narrow the list to include clinical studies from manufacture, universities, and individuals; even so, the National Institutes of Health does non review these studies and cannot ensure they are rubber. Ever talk with your health intendance provider earlier you participate in a clinical written report.

References

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Source: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/low-blood-glucose-hypoglycemia

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