Hypoglycemia is the condition of having low blood sugar. Although diabetic patients are most susceptible to suffer from it as a side effect of taking certain medications associated with their disease, the condition can occur in people who do not have diabetes. While hypoglycemia is not a disease, its presence is often a sign that a person has some type of health problem.
In a typical healthy person, glucose levels vary between 70 and 100 mg/dL. But anytime that a person’s glucose level drops below 50 mg/dL, several symptoms associated with hypoglycemia usually become noticeable and cause levels of discomfort that vary depending on the severity of the condition and the overall health of the individual. As soon as a person notices that the symptoms are present, the most popular solution is to consume foods and drinks that contain heavy doses of sugar — such as soft drinks, juices, and fruits.
However, depending on the severity and frequency of the individual’s condition, a doctor may need to prescribe medication to alleviate the pain that is experienced as a result of the symptoms or take further action to treat the underlying root of the issue. In order to help you determine whether you may suffer from hypoglycemia and need to talk to your doctor about finding the right treatment for your persistent suffering, review the following list of the 10 most common symptoms that accompany the presence of the condition.
1. Irregular Heartbeat
If you are experiencing a rapid heart rate or your heart rate is irregular, this could be a symptom of hypoglycemia. No matter if it is or not, though, any issues with your heart rate could be dangerous and should be discussed with your doctor. But there is a good chance that your low levels of glucose in your bloodstream are the root of your heart problems.
There are hemodynamic variations that can be directly attributed to hypoglycemia. These variations could include an increased heart rate, a drop in a person’s systolic blood pressure, a decrease in a person’s central blood pressure, a change in a person’s stroke volume, a change in a person’s cardiac output, an increase in a person’s myocardial contractility, or a reduction of a person’s peripheral arterial resistance.
If a person’s peripheral arterial resistances does decrease, the result typically forces the pulse pressure to widen. Again, if you are experiencing any pain in your chest or discomfort stemming from an irregular heartbeat, you need to be able to thoroughly describe the symptom to your doctor. Although this symptom of hypoglycemia can end up causing devastating results, you can avoid many associated risks by quickly bringing it up to your doctor.
2. Fatigue
Sugar acts as fuel for blood cells to function properly. When your bloodstream is not sustaining sufficient levels of glucose, the effectiveness of your blood cells suffers. People who have suffered from hypoglycemia and experienced this symptom of fatigue have described the experience as a “drugged feeling.”
Although persistent feelings of fatigue can be an indicator of hypoglycemia, there are many other factors that can affect how much energy a person has. However, your low-energy feeling may be a symptom of the fact that your glucose level is low. Consult your doctor to find the best solution for your condition.
3. Pale Skin
When you have hypoglycemia and have been consistently battling drops in your glucose levels, there are often damages to your appearance that become noticeable over time. One example of a change to your appearance that could be a symptom of hypoglycemia is pale skin.
The paleness that you are noticing appears as a result of other symptoms working in unison and affecting one another. When your glucose levels fall, you typically experience a rush of adrenaline that leads to sweating and shaking (as described below). This sweating and shaking over time can lead to your face appearing sickly and pale.
4. Shakiness
An important reason to consistently monitor your glucose levels is to prevent the onset of uncontrollable shakes throughout your body. When glucose levels do suddenly drop, the harm caused to the central nervous system can lead to dangerous outcomes.
This is due to the fact that the central nervous system responds to low glucose levels by releasing chemicals, called catecholamines, in order to promote the production of glucose. With so much activity in your body directed at restoring normal amounts of glucose in your bloodstream, your body will often respond with non-stop, uncontrollable shaking; even worse, you could experience a tremor.
5. Anxiety
Although many factors lead to feelings of anxiety, one possible reason is a significant drop in a person’s glucose levels. After glucose levels fall, the adrenal glands usually respond by releasing higher doses of epinephrine, which is a hormone that is also known as adrenaline.
Consequently, a person’s liver then receives a message that it needs to produce greater amounts of sugar. Having excessive amounts of adrenaline causes a person to feel a rush that can create an anxious feeling. If you are experiencing daily anxiety and believe hypoglycemia is to blame, explore solutions with your doctor.
6. Sweating
If you are suffering from hypoglycemia, one of the symptoms that will almost always be present is excessive sweating. When your glucose levels dip, your autonomic nervous system is quickly triggered to create higher levels of perspiration. The sweating can occur at any time of the day. However, the timing will usually correlate with moments when your glucose levels are at their lowest.
Also, you will notice that your perspiration is not resulting from high temperatures in your environment. One possible way to decrease the number of times that you sweat uncontrollably throughout the day is to frequently eat snacks.
7. Hunger
Another common sign that you have hypoglycemia is persistent hunger. Even when you have just finished eating a meal or have been consuming snacks all day, you will often still feel hungry if your blood sugar is low. Your hunger is your body’s method to inform you it needs more sugar.
The solution could be as simple as adjusting your daily diet so that it contains the recommended amount of sugar for your body type. If that’s the case, there are tips that could help: snacking on raisins in between meals, eating hard candies, or drinking small amounts of fruit juice throughout the day.
8. Irritability
A symptom of hypoglycemia that usually appears quicker than others is a feeling of irritability. As levels of your blood sugar decline over time, you may find that your mood also drops.
If you are commonly experiencing mood changes that are not typical of your normal behavior, this could be a sign that you need to increase your glucose level. This neurological symptom will only get worse the longer that it is ignored; irritable behavior will soon turn into fits of anger and uncontrollable crying. So if you do notice these mood changes, you should describe the symptom to your doctor.
9. Tingling Sensation Around the Mouth
People who suffer from hypoglycemia often report that they have trouble speaking during episodes. The difficulty with forming words stems from a tingling sensation in areas around the mouth. The symptom is also sometimes described as a feeling of numbness in the lips.
If your blood sugar has dropped to an unsafe level, the tingling sensation is a way that your body tries to inform you that there is a problem. However, the tingling sensation is not limited to areas around the mouth; although, the mouth is where the feeling is most commonly reported to occur. Talk to your doctor about treatment.
10. Crying Out During Sleep
If you are regularly waking up during the night and noticing that your sudden awakenings come with a crying out, this could be a symptom of nocturnal hypoglycemia. Because people are unable to consume foods and drinks that contain sugar when they are sleeping, blood glucose levels can easily decline during nighttime hours.
Along with crying out, you may notice that you are waking up in a state of confusion or with an uneasy feeling. In addition, sweating and experiencing nightmares during sleep are other signs of low glucose levels. A helpful tip is to always eat a snack before bed.
