Low blood sugar symptoms. Low blood sugar

Glucose is a substance that is one of the central products of the metabolic reaction. Deviations from the normal content of this substance in the blood in any direction lead to dire consequences. But if everyone has heard about the dangers of high sugar levels, few non-specialists know that a lack of glucose is no less dangerous.

Sugar (glucose) is the simplest compound formed during the breakdown of carbohydrates supplied with food. With a lack of carbohydrates, glucose can be formed from the breakdown of fats and proteins. If the sugar level deviates from the norm, then either the deposition of the substance in the cells occurs (in case of excess), or energy starvation of the cells (in case of deficiency).

How is the analysis carried out?

There are several ways to assess your glucose level:

express analysis of capillary blood using test strips; such an analysis can be carried out independently using a glucometer;
laboratory analysis with sampling from a vein.

Advice! Sometimes it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis to judge changes in the concentration of sugar in the blood during the day.

When taking routine sugar tests, you must follow these rules:

Normal blood test value (in mol/l):

in adults – 3.8-5.4;
in women during pregnancy – 3.4-6.4;
in children – 3.4-5.4.

Causes of hypoglycemia

A significant decrease in sugar levels is called hypoglycemia. With this disease, organs and tissues through the bloodstream do not receive the necessary nutrition, the brain and heart are especially affected. What reasons can cause low blood sugar? It turns out that there are many such reasons; they can be divided into common, rare and additional.

Common reasons

The most common causes of low blood sugar levels are:

diabetes;
disruptions in the functioning of the adrenal glands and pituitary gland;
use of sugar-lowering drugs in excessive doses;
liver diseases that cause disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism.

Thus, the reasons affecting glucose levels can be divided into internal and external. Drug causes are often found in diabetic patients if the dose of insulin is incorrectly selected for them.

Advice! In addition to improper use of medications, fasting, including long-term adherence to a low-calorie diet, can provoke low blood sugar.

Other external causes that can lead to the development of hypoglycemia:

abuse of sweet foods; when eating sweets, the glucose level first rises sharply, then rapidly falls;
frequent drinking of alcohol;
excessive physical activity;
mental stress.

Rarely encountered reasons

Reasons for decreased glucose concentrations such as surgery on the stomach and intestines are relatively rare. Hypoglycemia in this case develops when the diet recommended after surgery is not followed.

A separate type of disease is reactive hypoglycemia. In such patients, the sugar level drops sharply during long breaks in eating and is restored immediately after the person eats something.

Additional factors

In some rather rare cases, low sugar concentration is provoked by factors such as:

the appearance of insulin-producing tumors. Such tumors can develop in the pancreas and beyond;
autoimmune diseases in which the body produces antibodies to insulin;
renal or heart failure.

How does it manifest?

There are different degrees of hypoglycemia. In a number of patients, sugar levels drop sharply only in the morning; the disease manifests itself:

But as soon as a person has breakfast, the sugar concentration stops and all unpleasant symptoms disappear. At the first stage of hypoglycemia, the following symptoms are noted:

a sudden feeling of hunger;
fatigue under any type of load;
feeling of weakness, desire to lie down;
mood swings;
decrease in blood pressure.

When the next stage of hypoglycemia occurs, the following is noted:

pale skin;
feeling of “goosebumps” running throughout the body;
blurred vision (objects appear double);
sweating;
the appearance of a feeling of fear;
hand tremors;
sensitivity disorder.

At the third stage, nervous excitement joins the condition, and the person may behave inappropriately. When the last stage occurs, convulsions, trembling throughout the body, fainting and coma appear. If a person does not get help, he may die.

Treatment

If the sugar concentration is low, it is necessary to identify the reasons that could provoke this condition. Anamnesis is collected by interviewing the patient himself or his relatives, if the patient himself is in serious condition.

In the event that low sugar levels are caused by dysfunction of the endocrine glands (pancreas, pituitary gland, adrenal glands), treatment aimed at normalizing hormonal levels is necessary. If the cause of the disease is an incorrectly selected dose of insulin, it is necessary to adjust it.

People with diabetes need to use a glucometer to monitor their glucose levels. Under no circumstances should you take or adjust the dosage of sugar-lowering medications on your own.

In addition, you need to watch your diet. People with low glucose concentrations need carbohydrates, but not sugar and sweets, but cereals, vegetables, pasta, and bread. In case of a sharp decrease in glucose, patients should carry a piece of sugar, a chocolate bar or candy with them. Patients should give up alcohol, or at least significantly reduce their consumption.

If there is a sharp deterioration in health caused by hypoglycemia, it is necessary to call an ambulance. After clarifying the diagnosis, the doctor will give an intravenous injection of glucose. In case of loss of consciousness, it is necessary to administer adrenaline (subcutaneously) and glucagon (intramuscular).

Everyone knows about the analysis for measuring glucose levels. It is necessary to regularly monitor the sugar concentration, since any deviations from the normal level are very dangerous. When sugar levels drop, hypoglycemia develops - a serious disease that can be fatal.

Let's look at low blood sugar, all the causes of this condition, and quick treatment options.

Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia is a life-threatening condition for the patient. In this case, the patient has an extremely low level of glucose in the venous blood - less than 3.7 mmol/l, and in the peripheral blood - less than 3.2 mmol/l. There are 3 stages of hypoglycemia:

mild - a person can, through his own efforts, stop the pathological condition with the help of products or medications;
severe - the patient is conscious, but is unable to independently raise the sugar level;
coma - a person loses consciousness, which requires immediate hospitalization.

Delay in providing assistance is fraught with complications of hypoglycemia, so any, even the mildest stage, is dangerous to human health. Treatment is selected taking into account the severity of the patient, as well as the presence of contraindications and restrictions. You should understand what affects the increase in blood sugar and what the consequences of a long-term lack of glucose in the body may be.

The pathogenetic mechanism for the development of hypoglycemia is the accelerated utilization of glucose by tissues, excess insulin and insufficient intake of glucose from food. In order to understand the reasons why blood sugar drops, you should understand the concept of glucose metabolism.

To utilize complex carbohydrates, normal functioning of the pancreas, which secretes insulin, is necessary. The fundamental importance of insulin lies in its ability to activate the cytoplasmic proteins of cells responsible for the transport of glucose molecules.

Thus, the state of hyperinsulism (increased hormone concentration) directly affects the level of sugars in human cells and tissues.

There are 2 types of hyperinsulism: exo- (external) and endogenous (internal).

The cause of exogenous is excessive administration of the hormone during insulin injections (incorrect calculation of bread units and lack of carbohydrate intake from food due to insulin injections).

Among the endogenous causes, insulinoma is identified - a neoplasm of the pancreas, often benign, which begins to produce the hormone uncontrollably. In this case, insulin secretion is not subject to any physiological regulatory mechanisms. Removal of the tumor leads to a complete recovery of the patient, and the prognosis of a malignant tumor largely depends on its location and the presence of metastases.

Low blood sugar also accompanies large tumors of any location that actively consume it. In addition, some malignant neoplasms (hormone-producing tumors) can synthesize substances similar to insulin and also reduce the amount of simple sugars.

The incidence of death in hypoglycemic coma is significantly less than in diabetic coma. However, a lack of blood sugar can also lead to serious health consequences - cerebral disorders, life-threatening tachyarrhythmias, arterial hypertension, epileptic seizures, hypoglycemic comas, etc.

Hypoglycemia in newborns

In the first days of life, the child may develop moderate hypoglycemia. It is especially common in premature infants, as well as with symptoms of respiratory tract pathologies and hypothermia. If the child's mother is diagnosed with diabetes, then in the first 6 hours of life her newborn baby may experience critically low glucose levels.

Hypoglycemia can also occur with insufficient breastfeeding.

Important: hypoglycemia in newborns requires urgent and competent treatment, regardless of severity.

As a rule, therapy consists of intravenous injections of 40% glucose, and in the absence of positive dynamics to return the criterion to normal, hormones (hydrocortisone and glucagon) are injected intramuscularly.

Basic material on this topic:

Why does blood sugar drop in a healthy person?

Signs of low blood sugar are observed in healthy people during high-intensity physical activity. The combination of exercise with fasting or limited nutrition also leads to a sharp drop in the indicator.

Low blood sugar levels in women are recorded during menstruation.

Severe hypoglycemia can also occur with alcohol abuse. The consumption of alcoholic beverages leads to the active consumption of energy necessary for the work of enzymes that decompose ethanol. In most cases, alcoholic hypoglycemia occurs in people with chronic alcoholism. However, it is possible that transient hypoglycemia may develop in people who drink alcohol occasionally, especially on an empty stomach.

Symptoms of low blood sugar in women

Symptoms accompanying low blood sugar in an adult can be divided into 2 groups: autonomic and neuroglycopenic. The first appear as:

mental disorders (anxiety, insomnia, increased feelings of fear and anxiety, as well as increased aggression);
sweating;
hand tremors and muscle hypertonicity;
pallor;
high blood pressure;
digestive disorders: nausea or vomiting;
increased feelings of hunger or thirst.

Neuroglycopenic manifestations are characterized by:

headaches;
memory loss;
decreased attention;
loss of orientation in space;
double vision;
tremors of the limbs and generalized convulsive seizures;
urinary incontinence, involuntary urination or bowel movements;
loss of consciousness leading to fainting, the extreme form is coma;
disruption of normal breathing or circulatory processes.

Observation of one or a group of symptoms in a person requires immediate measurement of glucose levels and its correction if necessary. It should be noted that the described symptoms are identical for people of both sexes.

Normal blood sugar levels in women

The maximum permissible glucose level for a woman is:

for venous blood – 6.2 mmol/l;
and for capillary blood – 5.6 mmol/l.

The criterion value for venous and capillary blood increases to 6.5 and 5.5 mmol/l, respectively.

Minimum values: 3.5 – 4 mmol/l for both sexes.

If the biomaterial for research was taken urgently, and no more than two hours have passed since the last meal, then the range of normal values shifts slightly. In this case, the maximum permissible norm is 10 – 11 mmol/l.

After 60 years, the functional activity of pancreatic cells decreases, so normal values are in the range from 4.5 to 7 mmol/l (on an empty stomach).

How to increase blood sugar at home?

If sugar levels are detected at a level of 3 - 3.5 mmol/l, it is enough for a person to consume 10-15 grams of carbohydrates. The best option is the consumption of simple sugars (for example, dextrose), since they do not require time to break down and immediately enter the systemic circulation from the oral cavity.

You can give the patient a glass of juice or water with sugar dissolved in it, eat chocolate, jam, etc.

Severe hypoglycemia is relieved by taking large amounts of carbohydrates. So, you immediately need to consume at least 15–20 grams of simple sugars, and later 20 grams of complex sugars (bakery products or cookies).

Algorithm for relieving mild levels of glucose deficiency in the body:

use to measure the value of the indicator to verify the state of hypoglycemia;
consume 15 grams of simple sugars;
re-measure your sugar level.

In the absence of positive dynamics, points 2 and 3 are repeated until the indicator is returned to normal values.

If a person is unconscious, then he is given an injection of 1 mg of glucagon intramuscularly. Glucagon is a protein hormone that can activate the process of glycogen degradation in liver cells. This ultimately leads to increased glucose levels.

During hospitalization, the patient is given intravenous glucose 40%, which quickly returns him to consciousness.

In addition, there are special gels and tablets based on the simple sugar dextrose. It is important to correctly calculate the dosage, since its excess can put a person into an equally dangerous state of hyperglycemia.

What foods increase blood sugar?

The daily sugar intake for humans is 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women. Their excessive consumption leads to a load on the pancreas and excessive storage.

The glycemic index calculated for foods is of particular importance in relieving hypoglycemic syndrome. It reflects the rate at which simple carbohydrates are digested by the human body and lead to an increase in blood glucose concentrations.

Table of foods that increase blood sugar based on the glycemic index.

Product name	Glycemic index value
Wheat flour bread	100
Bun	97
Pancakes	96
Honey	85
Boiled potatoes	84
Pumpkin	78
Watermelon	77
Melon	76
Raw carrots	72
A pineapple	71
Dumplings	70
Jam	67
Raisin	66
Pasta with cheese	65
Store-bought mayonnaise	58
Buckwheat porridge	62
Ketchup	57
Spaghetti	57
Peaches (canned)	56
Cookie	55
Freshly squeezed apple juice	53
Grapefruit	47
Coconut	46
Freshly squeezed orange juice	45
Dried figs	39
Al dante pasta	36
Freshly squeezed carrot juice	35
Dried apricots
Prunes
Wild rice
Apple
Plum
Quince
Natural yogurt, 0% fat
Beans
nectarine
Pomegranate
Peach

To relieve mild sugar deficiency, foods with a low hypoglycemic index are suitable, for example, fatty foods, vegetable or meat stews, as well as freshly baked baked goods.

It should be emphasized that plant foods high in fiber do not have a quick and effective effect in the pathological state of hypoglycemia, so their use is not advisable.

Prevention

Prevention measures consist of a combination of the following recommendations:

a balanced diet that excludes excess consumption of carbohydrates and alcohol;

compliance with the dosage regimen if insulin injections are necessary.

It should be noted that following one rule while neglecting the rest will not bring the desired effect. If one of the family members is diagnosed with diabetes, then relatives should know about methods for relieving hypo- or hyperglycemia in order to provide timely and error-free assistance.

Up to 15 thousand people disappear in Russian forests every year. It is difficult to get lost in modern forests or fall into the clutches of a predatory animal. Where are so many people disappearing to?

Fresh air, a multi-hour marathon, a voracious appetite and a lack of sufficient food supplies create all the conditions for the development of hypoglycemia.

A sharp decrease in glucose concentration is dangerous due to its complications in the form of loss of consciousness and hypoglycemic coma, from which not everyone recovers.

The upper threshold at which hypoglycemic changes can be diagnosed is 3.3 mmol/l (without food load). Often the attack is asymptomatic. Only by quickly understanding the situation can you take urgent measures to normalize your sugar levels in order to survive.

Why is low sugar dangerous?

In healthy people, the body regulates the glycemic level itself. In diabetics, it is not possible to simulate this process artificially. The main source of energy for the body has always been glucose. Even in its short-term absence, brain neurons starve.

Symptoms of deficiency can be recognized by a person’s behavior: first there is anxiety, an incomprehensible fear, he does not control his actions, his consciousness is confused. At a level of 3.5 mmol/l, the glycogen reserve turns on, and the brain, which runs on glucose, turns off.

Within 15 minutes the person is still able to work, although he sits down like a car that is running out of gas. Glycogen in the muscles is quickly consumed, severe weakness appears, profuse sweat breaks out in a wave, blood pressure drops, the person turns pale, arrhythmia develops, the head is dizzy and the vision becomes dark, the legs give way.

Low blood sugar: what to do? If urgent measures are not taken to normalize the victim’s condition, he will fall into a glycemic coma with possible cardiac arrest and death.

Why do there be sudden drops in sugar?

People with a sweet tooth develop hypoglycemia when they regularly consume large amounts of sweets. The overloaded pancreas and its beta cells work at the limit of their strength, synthesizing maximum insulin. Glucose is absorbed by tissues. After short-term euphoria, weakness and increased appetite develop.

The cause of low sugar is not only culinary addictions, but also pancreatic diseases of an oncological nature. Severe pathologies of the kidneys, liver, and hypothalamus are also accompanied by hypoglycemia.

With a hypocaloric diet, a sharp decrease in glucose is also possible. If there is no diabetes, then its indicators are normalized after eating, since endogenous insulin will deliver glucose to the cells in a timely manner.

In diabetes mellitus, the body either does not produce insulin, or it is not active enough, since the sensitivity of cellular receptors is reduced. Therefore, part of the glucose is not absorbed, but is transformed into fats.

If your blood sugar drops sharply, what to do depends on the specific circumstances. In healthy people, a sharp decrease in sugar is possible with long breaks in food or insufficient calorie content, as well as if there was active muscle activity in the fresh air on an empty stomach (postmen, loaders, road workers, lumberjacks, summer residents, mushroom pickers, hunters).

Reduces sugar by drinking alcohol. Within a few hours you can notice this result. And with prolonged drinking, and even without normal nutrition, you can fall into a coma even with a low concentration of alcohol in the blood.

Doctors have the term “brothel death”, when after active sex on an empty stomach, older people die from a heart attack, and forty-year-olds die from hypoglycemia. Therefore, in Japan, geisha begin communication with a client with a tea ceremony and a lot of sweets.

A clear example of hypoglycemia is the death of promising Russian hockey player Alexei Cherepanov, whom the Americans wanted to buy for $19 million, so their health was carefully examined. The athlete died right during the match, because he went out on the ice hungry, and spent the night before without normal rest, on a romantic date. The nineteen-year-old leader of the national team was saved from a heart attack in the last minutes of the match, but all he needed was an injection of glucose into a vein.

Under Soviet rule, the standards for emergency care in case of loss of consciousness, for unknown reasons, included an injection: 20 cubes of 40% glucose. While the doctor is collecting anamnesis (heart attack, stroke, alcoholism, traumatic brain injury, poisoning, epilepsy...), the nurse should immediately administer glucose intravenously.

In addition to non-medicinal glycemia, which occurs in practically healthy people, there is also a medicinal variant of the pathology. Diabetics often experience hypoglycemic conditions, because hypoglycemia is one of the common side effects of many sugar-lowering drugs, not to mention overdoses.

Some non-hypoglycemic drugs are also capable of reducing sugar to a critical level. The mental health of the victim also plays a role.

Those at risk are primarily experienced diabetics, since a decrease in the performance of the pancreas and adrenal glands contributes to a reduction in the production of glucagon and adrenaline, which protect the body from hypoglycemia. The patient and his entourage need to know how to provide first aid to the victim, since minutes count in this situation.

Prerequisites for hypoglycemia in diabetics

Patients with diabetes have their own reasons for the development of hypoglycemic conditions; they are mainly associated with poor diet and inadequate treatment.

Why do glucose levels drop in diabetics?

Insulin overdose associated with inaccurate dose calculations, malfunction of the glucometer and syringe pen.
A mistake made by doctors who incorrectly drew up a treatment regimen.
Uncontrolled use of sulfonylurea drugs that provoke hypoglycemia.
Replacement of medications without taking into account the duration of their prolonged effects.
Retention of insulin and other hypoglycemic drugs in the body due to poor kidney and liver function.
Inappropriate insulin injection (instead of pinching under the skin - an intramuscular injection).
If you massage the injection site immediately after the injection, hypoglycemia increases.
Inadequate physical activity, especially when hungry.
Skipping a meal time or having a weak snack.
A low-calorie diet for losing weight without taking into account your insulin levels.
When drinking strong alcoholic drinks, sugar can drop very sharply.
With malabsorption, when food is poorly absorbed, with autonomic neuropathy, which slows down the evacuation of stomach contents, even after a hearty lunch, the sugar level may remain below normal.

Signs of hypoglycemia can be observed in the warm season, since the need for insulin in the summer for many diabetics decreases.

Blood sugar has dropped: symptoms, what to do

The condition can be recognized by the following signs:

Uncontrolled appetite is a frequent companion to impending hypoglycemia. In diabetics, many medications provoke either a decrease in appetite or ravenous hunger.

After hard physical work, hunger may simply be a sign of fatigue, or it may also be one of the symptoms of glucose fluctuations, when cells lack energy and send signals to the brain. When a diabetic feels hungry, the first thing they need to do is check their sugar levels using a glucometer.

The risk of severe hypoglycemia increases significantly if:

Diabetics, and anyone prone to hypoglycemia, should keep a diary to monitor their glycemic profile with a description of all the specific symptoms of their conditions.

Blood sugar has dropped - what to do?

For whatever reason, your blood sugar drops, it is vital to urgently replenish the glucose deficiency. While the victim is conscious, you need to give him foods with fast carbohydrates and a high glycemic index, which are immediately absorbed into the blood.

Sugar cube, honey, candy, jam, sweet juice and ripe fruits with high fructose content (banana, dates, apricots, melon, grapes) are suitable. This will help relieve symptoms already at the first stage of the pathological condition.

Hypoglycemia is dangerous due to repeated attacks; in order to prevent the next hypoglycemic wave, complex carbohydrates are needed, which are absorbed more slowly. A sandwich with butter and sweet coffee or tea, as well as porridge, are quite suitable.

If the victim is already unconscious, it is useless to try to feed him - an immediate injection of glucose-containing medication is necessary, followed by calling an ambulance.

The rapid onset of hypoglycemic conditions primarily threatens diabetics with type 1 disease, when an overdose of a drug or a violation of the schedule for taking it can lead to a sharp drop in sugar. Diabetics, as a rule, know about their problems, so they always have glucose tablets with them, which quickly relieves an attack.

The risk of hypoglycemic consequences will significantly reduce compliance with the food intake: snacks every 3-4 hours. Diabetics with type 1 disease should measure their sugar on an empty stomach, before each injection and at night.

With type 2 diabetes there is no such strict schedule, but it is advisable to record glucometer readings in a diary once a week. Your doctor will give you more precise recommendations, taking into account the type of medication and the body’s reaction.

How to prevent an accident

If the glucometer has recorded a decrease in sugar levels by 0.6 mmol/l below your norm, you need to eat easily digestible carbohydrates. Even in the absence of symptoms of hypoglycemia, such changes in sugar levels cannot be ignored, because an asymptomatic decrease in sugar levels is even worse.

Low blood sugar - what are the causes of this phenomenon? A decrease in blood sugar in an adult and a child is no less dangerous than an increase, because at this moment the brain is at great risk. The condition when a person has low blood sugar is called hypoglycemia. What does this mean? This means that for some reason the body does not have enough glucose, but it is, in some way, fuel for organs and systems. Thanks to it, cells receive the necessary amount of energy for normal functioning. A drop in blood sugar is a dangerous condition that can lead a person to a coma. To avoid such serious consequences, those at risk should regularly measure their blood glucose levels and listen to their body. So, what does blood sugar depend on?

Why do glucose levels decrease?

It often happens that sugar levels are remembered when people talk about diabetes. Those who have been diagnosed with this disease know what to do if the levels are elevated. But it also happens that the blood sugar level decreases. This can happen in completely healthy people. This does not always become very dangerous; often this phenomenon is temporary and does not lead to serious pathologies.

In order to behave correctly when blood sugar is below normal and not panic, you should know the reasons for such changes in the body. The degree of development of this process can be mild, moderate and severe.

If a person can cope with the first and second ones on their own (the main thing is to know the causes of low blood sugar and how to deal with it), then a severe stage of hypoglycemia can result in serious irreversible processes that require immediate medical attention in order to quickly bring blood sugar levels to normal .

If a person has diabetes, a drop in sugar levels can occur for the following reasons:

excessive consumption of simple carbohydrates;
drinking strong alcoholic drinks and eating a small amount of food;
uneven hourly intervals between meals;
taking medications in combination with antidiabetic drugs;
taking an increased dose of insulin;
taking older generation antidiabetic drugs.

Unfortunately, low glucose levels can also occur in healthy people. Why does blood sugar drop in people without pathologies?

The following factors play a big role in this:

overdose of alcoholic beverages;

excessive physical activity;
exposure to certain medications;
metabolic disease;
problems with the kidneys, pancreas, liver;
insufficient consumption of carbohydrates (for example, on a no-carbohydrate diet);
meals 1-2 times a day and long breaks between meals;
abuse of sweets;
decrease in glucose in the morning, if more than 8-10 hours have passed since yesterday's meal.

And although this happens rarely, you need to know the causes of low blood sugar in order to help yourself in time.

Symptoms of low glucose

The decrease in blood sugar can vary in intensity. If the level drops slightly, then the person may not feel any special symptoms. Over time, if the cause of this phenomenon is eliminated (for example, a normal meal or reducing the number of cakes, pastries or sweets eaten), sugar returns to normal.

With a slight decrease in sugar levels, noticeable symptoms may include the following:

mild nausea;

weakness, dizziness;
blurred vision;
feeling of hunger;
irritability;
anxiety;
sweating (especially in the back of the neck);
chills;
cardiopalmus;
tingling sensation in your fingers and toes or numbness in these areas.

If you experience more than one of these symptoms, it may indicate low blood sugar. What to do in this case? The lack of sugar can be replenished by eating some sweets (for example, candy).

The average decrease in blood sugar looks like this:

severe irritability;
muscle cramps;
tearfulness;
drowsiness;
impaired coordination of movement when walking;
unclear consciousness;
poor spatial orientation;
fast fatiguability.

All of these symptoms of low blood sugar are caused by poor brain function.

If the glucose level is low, then the brain suffers first of all; it cannot function normally, which affects a person’s well-being. If eating sweets or drinking sweet juice does not help, you should consult a doctor. In this case, you should remember what preceded this condition, so that the doctor quickly finds out why the sugar dropped and takes appropriate measures.

But a more significant drop in sugar already seriously affects human health.

Symptoms of low sugar that occur with severe hypoglycemia are:

significant decrease in body temperature;
cerebrovascular accident (stroke);

involuntary muscle contraction;
coma.

If sugar drops to a critical level, this means that irreversible processes in the brain or serious problems in the functioning of the cardiovascular system are possible. Sometimes blood sugar can drop while a person is sleeping. At the same time, he sweats a lot, may sleepwalk or fall out of bed, make unusual noises, and may have nightmares, which increases anxiety.

Children belong to a category of people who practically do not feel that their health is not all right and their blood sugar levels are low. Their behavior is not much different from when they have normal indicators. Symptoms of low blood sugar appear at 2.2-2.6 mmol/l. Adults feel a problem already at 3.8 mmol/l.

What to do?

If a person is healthy, then the normal glucose level ranges from 3.2 to 5.5 mmol/l. This figure is the same for men and women. For children from birth to school age, the numbers will be lower.

Not all signs of low blood sugar are the basis for a diagnosis of hypoglycemia. After measuring glucose levels and analyzing symptoms, the doctor recommends eating or drinking something sweet. If the symptoms disappear after this, the problem goes away on its own. But if signs of low blood sugar remain the same or increase, the doctor examines the patient, asking him about his lifestyle, eating habits, weight changes, treatment of other diseases and taking appropriate medications.

To avoid making a mistake in diagnosis, the doctor also needs the following information:

whether the patient experienced severe stress (emotional stress);
does he have problems with the endocrine system;
whether he has epilepsy (this provokes low blood sugar);
whether there was carbon monoxide poisoning;
Is the pancreas healthy (pathologies of this organ can lower glucose levels).

Only after this is the necessary treatment prescribed.

Low blood sugar is not a death sentence. The main thing is not to panic and contact a specialist in a timely manner. He will explain how to eat, what to avoid, what actions to take if your sugar level is low.

If you know that tomorrow you need to take tests on an empty stomach, then to obtain objective data you should know the following rules:

The day before the test, you should not drink alcohol.
You should only drink water.
There is no need to brush your teeth on the day of the test: the sugar included in any toothpaste can lower your sugar level.

Low blood glucose can be expressed in different ways - from mild to severe. But any of these conditions must be under control.