Low Blood Sugar

Low blood sugar symptoms are trembling, rapid heart rate. Causes are eating too small meals or skipping meals. For treatment, healthy and nutritious diet plan should be followed.

What is a Low Blood Sugar Level?

The human brain depends on glucose, in order to function properly, at all times, even in a state of rest or sleep. This glucose is absorbed by the body, from various foods that you eat, after which it is stored in the body.

The blood carries glucose to every cell in your body, as it is the main source of energy. The amount of glucose present in your blood is known as blood sugar. In case the levels of blood sugar fall below the normal range, a condition known as hypoglycemia occurs.

What is low blood sugar range?

Every individual is different and the normal blood sugar range may vary a bit from one person to the other. According to the low blood sugar levels chart, a person’s blood sugar level is said to fall, in case the reading goes below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/ dl). This can happen within a matter of 10 to 15 minutes; the person affected usually shows signs of low blood sugar levels, which include anxiety, trembling, fatigue, weakness, perspiration and a rapid heartbeat. If immediate steps are not taken to get this problem under control, the blood sugar level could continue to fall to 50 mg/ dl or even 40 mg/ dl and the patient will go through behavioral changes, like confusion, nervousness, dizziness, speech problems and weakness. In some cases, a person’s blood sugar may go as low as 20 mg/ dl. The low blood sugar levels symptoms that are evident in such instances include loss of consciousness and seizures.

Under normal circumstances, a person’s blood sugar levels are the highest after a meal and it takes several hours for the levels to fall. However, people who suffer from low blood sugar after eating need to get checked for type-2 diabetes. It is also possible to see signs of low blood sugar levels in children, which is very stressful for the parents. In order to improve the quality of the child’s life it is important for parents to make sure that their children follow a healthy diet, take the required medication if necessary and get an adequate amount of exercise. Monitoring levels of blood sugar regularly is also very important.

There are many women who face the problem of low blood sugar levels during pregnancy, as their bodies cannot absorb the glucose from the food properly. In such cases, it is important to have a doctor monitor the condition carefully, just so that the symptoms do not get out of hand.

Low Blood Sugar Treatment

In order to avoid the symptoms of the condition, most people seek a low blood sugar cure. However, it is important to understand that the treatment of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is long term, or rather more of a lifestyle change, which involves low blood sugar prevention.

How to treat low blood sugar?

In case a person’s blood sugar falls, the consumption of something sweet works as a quick-fix method. Hence, the patient can consume any one of:

2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar
½ Cup of regular soda
3 to 4 sugar tablets
4 or 5 pieces of any hard candy (not sugarless)

In order to prevent regular episodes of low blood sugar, it is important to consult a doctor and take the right medication. In addition to that, people also need to ensure that they follow a low blood sugar diet plan. In fact, one of the best ways to beat hypoglycemia is following a healthy and nutritious diet plan on a long term basis. Skipping meals can be very dangerous for people suffering from hypoglycemia. In fact, it is strongly recommend that people suffering from regular low blood sugar consume 5 to 6 small meals during the day. While designing a meal plan, it is important to consult a doctor, as well as a nutritionist.

Low Blood Sugar Causes

It is important for people to know what the reasons for low blood sugar are, so that the right preventative steps can be taken. In most cases, people could suffer from the problem of low blood sugar, due to four main factors. The main reasons for low blood sugar are:

Eating meals that are too small or skipping meals, because of which the body does not get an adequate amount of food to absorb the glucose from
Increasing the levels of physical activity to a very high or strenuous level, without compensating for it, by increasing the consumption of food
Taking an excessive amount of oral diabetes medication or insulin
Consuming a high amount of alcohol.

Any of these factors could lead to a reaction within a matter of minutes. The symptoms that may be show up when the levels of blood sugar fall too low include fatigue, nervousness, irritation, increased hunger, anxiety, rapid heartbeat and dizziness to name a few. If the levels of blood sugar in the body continue to drop, the symptoms usually become more severe.

Low Blood Sugar Symptoms

Although hypoglycemia is more common in people who are diabetic, it is also possible for people to suffer from low blood sugar symptoms without diabetes too. Given below are some of the diabetes low blood sugar symptoms:

Trembling
Rapid heart rate
Dizziness
Nervousness
Perspiration
Fainting
Hunger

As the levels of sugar continue to fall, the symptoms may become more severe. Some of the serious side effects of low blood sugar include:

Changes in behavior and personality
Confusion
Irritation
Lack of patience
Numbness in the lips and tongue, which causes speech problems
Blurred vision
Seizures
Convulsions

In many cases, a person could suffer from a low blood sugar headache too. The low blood sugar symptoms children include paleness, tremors, cold and clammy hands, extreme weakness and irritability.

A lot of information on low blood sugar symptoms and causes as well as its treatment is easily available through various resources. However, such information is not a substitute for medical assistance and therefore it is absolutely essential for people to avoid attempts at self-treatment and/or self-medication. Seeking professional medical care, in case the signs of low blood sugar are seen frequently, is very important.

Submitted on January 16, 2014