Part of living with diabetes is learning to cope with some of the problems that go along with having the disease. Hypoglycemia or low blood glucose (sugar) is one of those problems. Hypoglycemia happens from time to time to everyone who has diabetes.
Hypoglycemia, sometimes called an insulin reaction, can happen even during those times when you're doing all you can to manage your diabetes. So, although many times you can't prevent it from happening, hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) can be treated before it gets worse. For this reason, it's important to know what hypoglycemia is, what symptoms of hypoglycemia are, and how to treat hypoglycemia.
What are the symptoms of hypoglycemia?
The symptoms of hypoglycemia include:
* Shakiness
* Dizziness
* Sweating
* Hunger
* Headache
* Pale skin color
* Sudden moodiness or behavior changes, such as crying for no apparent reason
* Clumsy or jerky movements
* Seizure
* Difficulty paying attention, or confusion
* Tingling sensations around the mouth
How do you know when your blood glucose is low?
Part of managing diabetes is checking blood glucose often. Ask your doctor how often you should check and what your blood glucose levels should be. The results from checking your blood will tell you when your blood glucose is low and that you need to treat it.
You should check your blood glucose level according to the schedule you work out with your doctor. More importantly though, you should check your blood whenever you feel low blood glucose coming on. After you check and see that your blood glucose level is low, you should treat hypoglycemia quickly.
If you feel a reaction coming on but cannot check, it's best to treat the reaction rather than wait. Remember this simple rule: When in doubt, treat.
How do you treat hypoglycemia?
The quickest way to raise your blood glucose and treat hypoglycemia is with some form of sugar, such as 3 glucose tablets (you can buy these at the drug store), 1/2 cup of fruit juice, or 5-6 pieces of hard candy.
Ask your health care professional or dietitian to list foods that you can use to treat low blood glucose. And then, be sure you always have at least one type of sugar with you.
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