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Be Aware of Low Blood Glucose Level and Seek Advice to Improve the Condition

Low blood glucose level is a condition when the level of glucose in your blood drops below a certain point. It is also called as hypoglycemia. It may be caused when you eat too little or exercise more than usual or even if you have taken some diabetes medicine. Typically the low values considered as hypoglycemia are fasting glucose levels of 40mg/dL or 2.2mmol/L in women and below 50mg/dL or 2.8mmol/L in men. As high levels of blood glucose prove harmful for the body so do low blood glucose levels too lead to complications. There are several symptoms that need to be treated right away.

Causes of low blood glucose levels

Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas and helps the cells to absorb glucose from the blood. This glucose is the energy that they require to carry out various activities. Insulin helps keep the glucose levels in control. However, too much insulin in the blood causes hypoglycemic episodes. Similarly even if you skip meals and snacks or even if you do not eat enough meal your glucose levels may go low. Among the non diabetics it may be caused due to reactive hypoglycemia which is the overproduction of insulin by the body. It is a very common cause in overweight people. Low glucose levels may be caused due to a disease of the adrenal glands, weakening of pituitary glands, reduction in liver function; alcohol ingestion and sometime even cancer may be a cause.

Even diabetics may experience hypoglycemia. Low blood glucose levels may often be the result of medicines being taken to manage diabetes. These medicines usually work by taking the sugar out of the blood and providing it to the body’s cells that may make levels in the blood go down. Sometimes, there could be other reasons that may lead to lowering of blood glucose. If you take a hot shower or bath after having an insulin injection, it causes blood flow to increase through the blood vessels in the skin which can lead to quicker absorption of insulin than usual. Another possibility is if you inject the insulin shot into a muscle instead of a fatty layer under the skin. Likewise if you inject in a part of the body that is mostly used in a particular action or sport it may increase the chance of getting hypoglycemia.

Signs and symptoms of low blood glucose level

There can be different symptoms in different people when their blood glucose levels fall. Symptoms seen often may include a feeling of hunger or hunger pains, shaky feeling, and feeling sweaty or cold. Some may experience headaches, irritability, and crankiness. You may also feel drowsy, weak or unsteady and dizzy when walking. Blurring of vision, double vision, confusion, seizures and even losing consciousness may be among the symptoms of low blood glucose level. For diabetics very high glucose levels as well as very low levels of glucose are equally harmful. It is necessary to remember how your body reacts when the levels are low and understand that the levels have gone too low the next time it happens so that you can take steps to counter it.

Diagnosis and control
If you are experiencing the symptoms of low blood glucose levels contact your doctor and if possible get a home blood glucose apparatus or have test done to confirm the status. If the tests show your glucose level below 2.5mmol/L you have hypoglycemia. Test may also be conducted to find out if you have any tumor in the pancreas. If any other causes are detected specific treatment may be taken. When you experience symptoms of hypoglycemia, during exercises or sport try eating complex carbohydrates before you begin exercising or consume carbohydrates like glucose which you may get from sports drinks.

If you are feeling the symptoms of low blood glucose levels contact your doctor and have tests done immediately to prevent future problems.

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Duration : 0:1:1

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I went to the doctor wednesday and my blood sugar was elevated. They put me on a 2200 calorie diabetic diet. Is it really dangerous? And how important is it to follow this diet all the time. Like if im going out to eat and can’t follow it completely is it okay? And can I have some sugar or none at all? Im a lil confused as to what all this is. I didn’t have it with my first daughter. Any advice will help. Thanks in advance.
They didn’t tell me to check my sugar at all. They just put me on the diet.

Stick to the diet as much as possible. If you’re eating out, look for salads + protein and pick a non-sugary dressing. Or go for something that has a lot of protein and avoid the carbs. So like you could order a steak, but ask them to substitute steamed vegetables for the potato that comes with it.

It’s not just avoiding sugar, it’s avoiding simple carbohydrates. White rice, white bread, potatoes, juices, soda – avoid all of that. That’s easy to do at home. Eating out takes some thinking but it doable. Look up the menu online before you go and plan out what will work so you don’t feel pressured at the restaurant.

Normal Blood Glucose Levels – Advice and Information

Normal blood glucose levels vary very little from person to person. There is a set range within which your glucose levels should fall in, anything outside this and you could end up with some kind of problems. Glucose mainly is a kind of an energy source in the body. It is created whenever you consume any form of carbohydrates. The pancreas produces a hormone called insulin which ultimately helps in regulating the glucose in the blood.

The normal range should be anywhere between 70-150 mg/dl. Your sugar levels may vary within this range depending on your meals and the time of the day. When your sugar levels go beyond the 150mg/dl mark, you could end up with a condition called hyperglycemia or high blood sugar. On the other hand, if your levels are below 70 mg/dl, then you may be suffering from hypoglcemia. Sugar levels which fall very low could eventually prove to be fatal. The normal signs of hypoglycemia are fatigue, tiredness, nausea, personality problems, and in some severe cases even coma. High blood sugar on the other hand usually leads to the more common condition of diabetes. Diabetes if not kept under control, could cause nerve, eye and kidney damage.

The best way to know your normal blood glucose levels is through a blood test. A test confirms your normal range and also helps you to determine if you could be suffering from any kind of the above problems. There are numerous different tests that you could take.

The fasting glucose level test is usually performed when check for diabetes, it is done after fasting fro 8 hours. The normal range for this test should be between 70-99 mg/dl. There is also another test called the postprandial blood sugar test, which is done 2 hours after eating a meal, and the normal range for this test should be between 70-145 mg/dl.

A person could also do a random blood test for checking his sugar levels, here the normal range should be between 70-125 mg/dl. If the results fall outside this range frequently, then it could indicate a upcoming problem.

Lastly there is one more test called the oral glucose tolerance test or OGTT. This test is performed after giving a glucose drink to the person. This is normally done when a person, requires to get himself checked for diabetes.

In the end it is very important that a person get his glucose levels checked often, as some of the sugar related disorders can strike without any prior warning. Also please consult your doctor or physician for the best advice and information on normal blood glucose levels and any symptoms you may be having.