Low Blood Sugar Level Management
Glucose refers to the blood sugar that circulates withinside the body. Being the primary source of energy, it drives the metabolism of the body and gives us gobs of energy for various everyday activities. The levels of blood sugar are regulated through insulin, a hormone that permits the body to utilize the sugar from the meals consumed. To prevent blood glucose ranges from dropping too low, the body produces a hormone referred to as glucagon, which stimulates the conversion of stored glycogen withinside the blood. Thus, a great balance between consumption and utilization is maintained. Low Blood Sugar Level Management is very important to prevent further severe conditions.
Sugar intake may be decreased through a low-carb diet alongside optimal exercise. An increase in insulin levels or greater insulin sensitivity affects a condition called low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. It frequently follows careless diabetes management. Reactive hypoglycemia is some other subtype of recurrent hypoglycemic attacks where carbohydrate ingestion leads to an acute hypoglycemic episode.
Symptoms of Hypoglycemia:
- Hunger
- Shakiness
- Anxiety
- Sweating
- Pale skin
- Fast or irregular heartbeat
- Sleepiness
- Dizziness
- Crankiness
What Causes Hypoglycemia:
- Having prediabetes or being more likely to have diabetes
- Stomach surgery
- Medicines, such as aspirin or painkillers
- Too much alcohol consumption
- Diseases of the liver, kidney, heart, and pancreas
- Low levels of different hormones
- Certain tumors
Diagnosing hypoglycemia:
Low blood sugar is characterised by acute anxiety, sweating, and dizziness. As the blood sugar keeps to drop, signs including palpitations and shakiness start developing. When the brain is deprived of glucose, it offers rise to confusion, emotional instability, fainting, and stupor, requiring immediate clinical attention. If not well attended to, it may result in coma and in the end demise in severe cases.
How to control low blood sugar?
It is clear now, that an affected person suffering from hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, calls for immediate attention. The following are some steps that could help you save lives:
- Load the body with quick-acting Carbs: In a conscious affected person, immediate intake of high sugar food and drinks like fruit juices or regular sodas helps to raise blood sugar instantly. These need to be followed by sustainable carbohydrates, like cereal bars, fruit juice, or tender coconut. On average, an consumption of 10-20 grams of carbohydrates is a good enough amount.
- High Starch is the way to go: High starch-containing meals like biscuits and crackers make a great alternative. Do not add a whole lot of fats or protein to the meals, as it can obstruct digestion and absorption of glucose. Moreover, give quick breaks between every meals bolus, permitting the body to absorb, process, and readjust to the high sugar states, which in turn, will increase metabolism.
- Glucose management: If the patient is unconscious or comatose, activating glucose management through an IV line is crucial. Intravenous dextrose must be started with attention relying on the present blood glucose levels and age of the patient. Along with this, different fluid electrolytes want to be assessed carefully.
- Glucagon injection for quick results: In case, where the patient`s condition deteriorates rapidly, an intramuscular injection of glucagon enables short recovery. Glucagon transports the glucose from the cells returned into the bloodstream, growing blood sugar levels. In fact, carrying a glucagon injection can come in very accessible for diabetic patients on insulin.
- Consult a physician: Once the patient is stabilized, seek advice from a medical doctor to find out and treat the underlying cause that induced the hypoglycemic attack to prevent recurrent episodes. It may also require a change in the formerly prescribed medicines and a shift to new ones, making sure that they do not purpose hypoglycemia.
Thus, it is essential to recognize these tips, which would possibly seem easy to execute but are crucial in saving lives. It is usually recommended for diabetics to carry a few sweet juices or biscuits for this kind of emergency. Try not to leave your house in case your blood sugar is under 100mg/dL. But, when you have to leave, ensure to consume a snack before leaving, to prevent hypoglycemic episodes. In order to discover the root cause of your hypoglycemia and treat it effectively, consider consulting a diabetic specialist. At HealthBox Polyclinic, you will get the right suggestions, individual treatment of medications, diet, and physical activity that would facilitate the management of low blood sugar for both diabetic and non-diabetic people. Dr. Abhishek Karmalkar is a Diabetes Specialist in Pimpri Chinchwad, who is an expert in treating diabetes patients for over 10+ years with many happy patients free from diabetes. Get the best diabetes treatment under Dr. Karmalkar’s guidance.