Fixing low blood sugar
I’ve passed out with hypoglycemia more times than I can count. It’s a rubbish way to spend a day, so let me teach you how to avoid it.
Hypoglycemia is a fancy way of saying ‘low blood sugar’, and it’s something all type 1 diabetics will have to deal with it. Sugar is your body’s main source of energy, so when it doesn’t have enough of it different symptoms will give you a warning.
If you don’t deal with hypoglycemia quickly, things can soon get dangerous. However, once you know what to do you’ll find it an easier thing to live with, and more of a mild inconvenience than a life threatening event.
Once you get the hang of carb counting, hypoglycemia should also be easier to manage.
Dextro are a man’s best friend.
What is hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia (a nice sounding word for low blood glucose) is what happens when a diabetic’s blood sugar is lower than normal. Blood sugar readings under 4 can be considered hypoglycemia, and it’s usually caused by injecting too much insulin. More often than not, hypoglycemia can be treated fairly quickly by eating some fast acting sugar, but if left unattended it can have serious side effects.
What can cause hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia, or a hypo, is generally caused by having too much insulin. You might have miscalculated how many carbs were in a meal, or overcorrected for high blood sugar. Hypoglycemia happens when your body doesn’t have enough sugar in its blood stream, and it will let you know all about it with a series of helpful symptoms.
What are the hypoglycemia symptoms?
Signs that your blood sugar is low can include any or all of the following:
Shakiness
Headaches
Blurred vision
Irritability
Dizziness
Sweating
Confusion
Unusual clumsiness
Seizures
You’ll start to notice these symptoms with more ease the better you control your blood sugar. I spot my blood sugar is going low by seeing black spots over my eyes, or just getting a strange spider-sense that comes with years of it happening.
What is a hypoglycemic attack?
A hypoglycemic attack is an episode of low blood sugar that creeps up on you very suddenly without warning. While more often than not you’ll get symptoms of low blood sugar, hypoglycemic attacks can come on out of nowhere. They’re particularly common at night or when you’re busy focussing on something else, when you might not be as sensitive to warning signs as usual. When one comes on, you need to eat something sugary as soon as possible, as your body is likely going into survival mode such is its need for glucose.
Hypoglycemic attack signs can include any of the following:
Sudden dizziness
Confusion or difficulty talking
Intense sweating
Blurred vision or spots in front of your eyes
Fatigue
Irritability (more than usual)
Drunk behaviour, such as stumbling or acting clumsily
Nausea
Going pale
A fast pulse
How can you spot hypoglycemia at night?
Low blood sugar can hit you at night like some kind of sleep paralysis demon, when you’re asleep and unaware of any early warning signs. If hypoglycemia strikes, you’ll likely wake up feeling confused, dizzy, and very, very sweaty. It’s always safest to have some sugar close by, such as on a bedside table or in a drawer, as you’ll need to take it fast.
What to do if your blood sugar is consistently low?
If you regularly experience hypoglycemia, it’s important to talk to your diabetic specialist to see what their advice is. They might advise that you lower your insulin ratio, or adjust your background insulin which could be playing a part.
What can you do to fix hypoglycemia?
Take some fast-acting sugar, such as Dextro or full sugar Coke
Sit down and allow sugar to kick in
Eat some long-acting carbohydrates to prevent your body falling back into hypo
There are lots of ways you can treat hypoglycemia - it really all just comes down to taste and practicality. Here’s my personal review on the things I’ve found to help the most.
Dextro
Dextro do a wonderful range of life saving products. Their sweets come in a few different flavours, such as lemon, orange, tropical fruit or the enigmatic ‘original’.
Having tried all of them, lemon certainly ranks up there as a favourite. It tastes a bit like lemon meringue, only loads sweeter. Three or four of these little rectangles will raise your blood glucose level in no time, and the packet will fit happily in your pocket.
Lucozade sweets
These are basically the same as Dextro, only they all taste like Lucozade. If that’s your thing, go ahead. Again, three or four will fix your blood sugar level and leave you feeling a bit like an athlete.
Stock up now, if you're in the mood.
Gluco Tabs
These are a bit different to the other two options in the sense that they’re massive and round, instead of being small and rectangular.
They also taste a little more powdery, and from a practical point of view, don’t fit as easily in your pocket when out and about.
If impractical powdery stuff is your bag, fill your boots.
Full sugar Coke
Once you’ve got used to drinking diet drinks, their full sugar alternatives will taste like the sweetest thing in the world. Which when you’ve got low blood sugar is exactly what you need! Full sugar Coke is a great way to get your sugar levels back up, although it will leave your teeth feeling a little fuzzy.
The great thing about Coke is how fast it goes into your blood stream, and how easy it is to consume. A can or a glass of it will sort you out.
Lucozade
Lucozade was designed to give people energy, making it the perfect diabetic companion. Just like Coke, it will get into your blood stream fast and get your sugars where they need to be.
However, it’s not the cheapest option out there. As something you’ll need semi-regularly, the cost could add up if you rely on this as your only sugar solution. It also fails on the pocket test.
Sugar water
As a last resort, putting a few teaspoons of sugar into a glass of water will do the trick. But really, this should only be a last resort. It’s one of the weirdest things you’ll ever taste, and while taste might not be the main thing you’re after when you’re feeling low, why punish yourself?
Sweets and chocolate
While some sweets do have enough sugar to sort you out, it’s a risk we don’t think is worth taking. About six or seven Fruit Pastels might do it, but you’d need to carry a lot around with you and there’s no guarantee. Jelly Babies could also help, but again, not that efficient.
As for chocolate, that’s not going to work. The sugars in chocolate are released slowly, meaning they won’t act fast enough to make a difference.
Our best advice would be to have sweets and chocolates as a treat, not as a medical aid. They are tasty and you can have them thanks to our super helpful carb counting guide.
You might want to read about: Spotting diabetes | Carb counting | Correcting highs | Illnesses | Repeat prescriptions