Instructions
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The Other Extreme: Hypoglycemia Hypoglycemia is traditionally defined as a blood glucose levels below 70 mg/dL. This will usually produce “adrenal” symptoms: shaking, sweating, and rapid heartbeat. If not treated, it may progress to moderate hypoglycemia, whereby the brain is deprived of the fuel it needs to function properly. Prolonged or untreated hypoglycemia can result in loss of loss of consciousness, coma, seizure or death.
People with diabetes need to know their individual symptoms of hypoglycemia and be prepared to measure their blood glucose level in order to treat this complication. Symptoms do not always follow a logical order of progression!
Hypoglycemia can cause a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. As previously stated, common symptoms include sweating, trembling or shaking, hunger, and slowed thinking or slurred speech. Changes in a person’s ability to do routine tasks or difficulty concentrating or reading can be signs that blood glucose levels are too low. Hypoglycemia can cause emotional changes, such as irritability and anxiety or giddiness and euphoria. Emotional changes may cause the person with hypoglycemia to resist treatment or become uncooperative. • Symptoms of hypoglycemia differ among individuals and may vary in the same person between episodes. For this reason, it is important for each person with diabetes to recognize his or her usual responses to hypoglycemia. Point out that people from different cultures may use other terms for hypoglycemia, such as “falling out.” • Some people with diabetes experience few or no symptoms of hypoglycemia, which increases their risk of developing severe hypoglycemia. People with “hypoglycemia unawareness” need to test their blood glucose frequently, especially at times when levels are likely to be low or when hypoglycemia might be dangerous, such as driving a car.
Encourage people to write down the symptoms they experience during hypoglycemia, and use this list to identify their own most reliable symptoms of low blood glucose. Recommend looking for causes of hypoglycemic episodes, such as a missed meal or excessive doses of medication.
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