After a diabetes diagnosis, doctors are quick to warn people about spikes in glucose levels, but little is said about blood sugar crashes, known as hypoglycemia. They’re just as dangerous as a spike and can lead to a coma or even death. A sugar crash can occur when sufficient carbs aren’t consumed or after administering too much insulin.
A blood sugar crash encompasses a wide range of symptoms. Some people experience only one or two signs, while others will have multiple symptoms. They can include shakiness, sweating and fatigue to headache, irritability, paleness, and a fast or irregular heartbeat. Some people feel hunger or nauseous, dizziness or lightheadedness, or a tingling or numbness of the cheek, lips or tongue.
If not addressed immediately, symptoms worsen. They include confusion, blurry vision, slurred speech, and loss of coordination. The individual may have a seizure, lose consciousness, and be unresponsive. There are multiple ways to prevent blood glucose crashes, but requires work on the part of the person with the disease.
Monitoring
Constant monitoring is required to determine if sugar levels are elevated or decreasing. Individuals use a continues glucose monitor (CGM) or a traditional monitor and test strip method.
Regulation
To regulate blood glucose levels, those with diabetes need to eat a variety of foods consisting of long and fast acting carbohydrates. Both are needed to ensure glucose levels remain steady. A sugar crash can be alleviated by eating or drinking something sweet to increase glucose levels.
Too Much Insulin
Without testing, there’s no way to know if sugar levels are dropping. Levels that are too high often mimic symptoms of being too low. Taking too much insulin in an effort to compensate for high glucose levels will result in a sugar crash. Some types of medications also have the potential to reduce glucose levels and its something that individuals need to be vigilant about.
Not Eating
One of the directives from doctors to diabetics is to lose weight or to watch their weight carefully. That leads many to try dieting. Not eating regular meals, eating irregularly, or forgetting to eat are sure ways to cause a sugar crash.
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