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 sad consequences. But if everyone has heard about the dangers of a high sugar content, then 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 that come with food. With a lack of carbohydrates, glucose can be formed during the breakdown of fats and proteins. If the sugar level deviates from the norm, then either the deposition of the substance in the cells (with an excess) or the energy starvation of the cells (with a deficiency) occurs.

How is the analysis carried out?

There are several ways to assess glucose levels:

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 a comprehensive analysis is required to judge changes in the concentration of sugar in the blood during the day.

When taking routine sugar tests, the following rules must be followed:

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 content is called hypoglycemia. With this disease, organs and tissues with blood flow do not receive the necessary nutrition, especially the brain and heart suffer. What causes low blood sugar? It turns out that there are many such reasons, they can be divided into frequent, rare and additional.

Common Causes

The most common causes of low blood sugar levels are:

diabetes;
malfunctions of the adrenal and pituitary glands;
the use of sugar-lowering drugs in excessive doses;
liver diseases that cause disorders of carbohydrate metabolism.

Thus, the causes that affect glucose levels can be divided into internal and external. Medical causes are often found in diabetic patients if they are given the wrong dose of insulin.

Advice! In addition to the misuse of drugs, fasting, including long-term adherence to a low-calorie diet, can provoke low blood sugar levels.

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 falls rapidly;
frequent use of alcohol;
excessive physical activity;
mental stress.

Rare causes

Relatively rare causes of low glucose concentrations, such as surgery on the stomach and intestines. 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, quite rare cases, a low concentration of sugar is provoked by factors such as:

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

How is it manifested?

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

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

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

With the onset of the next stage of hypoglycemia, it is noted:

pallor of the skin;
feeling of "running goosebumps" on the body;
visual impairment (objects double);
sweating;
the appearance of a feeling of fear;
hand tremor;
sensitivity disorder.

At the third stage, nervous excitement joins the state, a person may behave inappropriately. At the onset of the last stage, convulsions, trembling all over the body, fainting and coma appear. If a person does not receive help, he may die.

Treatment

If the concentration of sugar is lowered, it is necessary to identify the causes that could provoke this condition. An 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 impaired functioning of the endocrine glands (pancreas, pituitary gland, adrenal glands), treatment is necessary to normalize the hormonal background. If the cause of the disease was an incorrectly selected dose of insulin, it is necessary to correct it.

Patients with diabetes need to use a glucometer to monitor their glucose levels. In no case should you take or adjust the dose of sugar-lowering drugs on your own.

In addition, you need to watch your diet. People who have a low glucose concentration need carbohydrates, but not sugar and sweets, but cereals, vegetables, pasta, 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 use.

With a sharp deterioration in well-being caused by hypoglycemia, it is necessary to call an ambulance. The doctor, after clarifying the diagnosis, will make an intravenous injection of glucose. In case of loss of consciousness, the introduction of adrenaline (subcutaneously) and glucagon (intramuscularly) is necessary.

Everyone knows about the analysis for measuring glucose content. It is necessary to regularly monitor the concentration of sugar, since any deviation from the normal indicator is very dangerous. With a decrease in sugar levels, hypoglycemia develops - a serious disease that can be fatal.

We analyze low blood sugar, all the causes of this condition, and options for quick treatment.

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

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

Delay in providing assistance is fraught with complication 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 can be.

The pathogenetic mechanism of 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 falls, the concept of glucose metabolism should be understood.

For the utilization of complex carbohydrates, the normal functioning of the pancreas, which secretes insulin, is necessary. The principal importance of insulin lies in its ability to activate cytoplasmic cell proteins 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 reason for exogenous is the excessive administration of the hormone during insulin injections (incorrect calculation of bread units and lack of carbohydrate intake with food against the background of insulin injections).

Among the endogenous causes, insulinoma is distinguished - a neoplasm of the pancreas, often of a benign nature, which uncontrollably begins to produce a hormone. The secretion of insulin in this case is not subject to any physiological regulatory mechanisms. Removal of the neoplasm leads to 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 like insulin and also lower the value of simple sugars.

The frequency of deaths in hypoglycemic coma is much 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 coma, etc.

Hypoglycemia in newborns

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

Also, hypoglycemia can 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 when the criterion returns to normal, hormones (hydrocortisone and glucagon) are administered 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 in the case of high-intensity exercise. The combination of sports with fasting or restricted diets also leads to a sharp drop in the indicator.

Low blood sugar in women is recorded during menstruation.

Also, severe hypoglycemia can be observed with alcohol abuse. The use of alcoholic beverages leads to the active expenditure of energy necessary for the work of enzymes that decompose ethanol. In most cases, alcoholic hypoglycemia occurs in people with chronic alcoholism. However, the development of transient hypoglycemia in people who drink alcohol occasionally, especially on an empty stomach, is not excluded.

Symptoms of low blood sugar in women

Symptoms that accompany low blood sugar in an adult can be divided into 2 groups: autonomic and neuroglycopenic. The first one appears as:

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

Neuroglycopenic manifestations are characterized by:

pain in the head;
memory loss;
decreased attention;
loss of orientation in space;
double vision;
tremor of the extremities and generalized convulsive seizures;
urinary incontinence, involuntary urination or defecation;
loss of consciousness leading to fainting, extreme form - coma;
violation of normal breathing or circulatory process.

The observation of one or a group of symptoms in a person requires an immediate measurement of the glucose value 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 allowable glucose 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 the study was taken urgently, and no more than two hours have passed since the last meal, then the interval of normal values is slightly shifted. In this case, the maximum allowable rate 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 sugars are detected at a level of 3 - 3.5 mmol / l, it is enough for a person to consume 10-15 grams of carbohydrates. Simple sugars (such as dextrose) are considered the best option because they do not take time to break down and are immediately released into 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 stopped by taking large amounts of carbohydrates. So, immediately you need to consume at least 15 - 20 grams of simple sugars, and later 20 grams - complex (baked goods or cookies).

The algorithm for stopping a mild degree of lack of glucose in the body:

using to measure the value of the indicator, make sure of the state of hypoglycemia;
eat 15 grams of simple sugars;
re-measure the 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 hormone of a protein nature that can activate the process of glycogen degradation in liver cells. Ultimately, this leads to an increase in glucose levels.

During hospitalization, the patient is intravenously injected with glucose 40%, which quickly returns him to consciousness.

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

What foods raise blood sugar?

The daily norm of sugar for a person is 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women. Their excessive use leads to a load on the pancreas and excessive deposition.

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

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

Product name	Glycemic index value
Bread made from wheat flour	100
Bulka	97
Pancakes	96
Honey	85
Boiled potatoes	84
Pumpkin	78
Watermelon	77
Melon	76
raw carrot	72
A pineapple	71
Dumplings	70
Jam	67
Raisin	66
Pasta with cheese	65
Mayonnaise purchased	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
Pasta in al dante	36
Freshly squeezed carrot juice	35
Dried apricots
Prunes
Wild rice
Apple
Plum
Quince
Natural yoghurt, 0% fat
Beans
nectarine
Pomegranate
Peach

Foods with a low hypoglycemic index, such as fatty dishes, vegetable or meat stews, as well as freshly baked bakery products, are suitable for stopping a mild sugar deficiency.

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

Prevention

Prevention measures consist of a combination of the following recommendations:

rational nutrition, excluding excessive consumption of carbohydrates and alcohol;

compliance with the dosing regimen, if necessary, insulin injections.

It should be noted that the observance of one rule while neglecting the others will not bring the desired effect. If one of the family members has diabetes mellitus, then relatives should know about the methods of stopping conditions of hypo- or hyperglycemia in order to provide timely and accurate assistance.

Up to 15,000 people go missing in Russian forests every year. It is difficult to get lost in modern forests or fall into the clutches of a predatory beast. Where are so many people disappearing to?

Fresh air, many hours of marathon, wolfish appetite and the lack of sufficient food supplies create all the conditions for the development of hypoglycemia.

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

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 orienting in the situation, you can take urgent measures to normalize sugars in order to survive.

Why is low sugar dangerous?

In healthy people, the body regulates the glycemic level itself. In diabetics, this process cannot be simulated artificially. Glucose has always been the main source of energy for the body. Even with a short-term absence of it, brain neurons starve.

Deficiency symptoms can be recognized by a person's behavior: first, anxiety wakes up, an incomprehensible fear, he does not control his actions, his consciousness is confused. At a level of 3.5 mmol / l, the glycogen reserve is turned on, the brain that works on glucose is turned off.

For 15 minutes, a 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 covers the wave, pressure drops, the person turns pale, arrhythmia develops, the head is spinning and darkens in the eyes, the legs give way.

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

Why there are sharp drops in sugar

In the sweet tooth, with the regular absorption of a large amount of sweets, hypoglycemia develops. An overworked pancreas and its β-cells work to the limit of their strength, synthesizing maximum insulin. Glucose is absorbed by tissues. After a short-term euphoria, weakness and increased appetite develop.

The cause of low sugar is not only culinary addictions, but also diseases of the pancreas of an oncological nature. Severe pathologies of the kidneys, liver, 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, the body either does not produce insulin, or it is not active enough, since the sensitivity of cell receptors is reduced. Therefore, part of the glucose is not absorbed, but is transformed into fats.

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

Reduces sugar consumption of alcohol. Within a few hours you can see the 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, the elderly die of a heart attack, and forty-year-olds die of hypoglycemia. Therefore, in Japan, geisha begin communication with a client with a tea ceremony and a large number of sweets.

A good example of hypoglycemia is the death of promising Russian hockey player Alexei Cherepanov, whom the Americans wanted to buy for $ 19 million, so his health was examined carefully. The athlete died right during the match, as he went out on the ice hungry, and spent the night before without a 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, and all he needed was an injection of glucose into a vein.

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

In addition to non-drug glycemia, which occurs in practically healthy people, there is also a medical variant of the pathology. Hypoglycemic conditions are common in diabetics, because hypoglycemia is one of the common side effects of many sugar-lowering drugs, not to mention overdoses.

Able to reduce sugar to a critical level and some non-hypoglycemic drugs. The mental health of the victim also plays a role.

At risk, first of all, diabetics with experience, since a decrease in the efficiency of the pancreas and adrenal glands helps to reduce 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 in this situation minutes count.

Causes of hypoglycemia in diabetics

In patients with diabetes, the reasons for the development of hypoglycemic conditions are different, they are mainly associated with malnutrition and inadequate treatment.

Why does glucose level drop in diabetics?

Overdose of insulin associated with inaccurate dose calculations, malfunction of the glucometer and syringe pen.
The mistake of physicians who incorrectly compiled a treatment regimen.
Uncontrolled use of sulfonylurea drugs that provoke hypoglycemia.
Replacement of medicines without taking into account the period of their prolonged exposure.
Delay of insulin and other hypoglycemic drugs in the body due to poor kidney and liver function.
Illiterate injection of insulin (instead of injection under the skin - intramuscular injection).
If you massage the injection site immediately after injection, hypoglycemia increases.
Inadequate physical activity, especially when hungry.
Skipping meals or light snacking.
A low-calorie diet for losing weight without taking into account the norm of your insulin.
When drinking strong alcoholic beverages, sugar can drop very sharply.
With malabsorption, when food is poorly digested, with autonomic neuropathy, which slows down the evacuation of the contents of the stomach, even after a hearty meal, the sugar level may remain below normal.

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

Blood sugar dropped: symptoms, what to do

You can recognize the condition by the following signs:

Uncontrolled appetite is a frequent companion of impending hypoglycemia. In diabetics, many drugs provoke either a decrease in appetite or a wolf's hunger.

After hard physical work, hunger may simply be a sign of fatigue, or it may be one of the symptoms of glucose fluctuations, when cells do not have enough energy and they send signals to the brain. When hungry, a diabetic should first check his sugar with a glucometer.

The risk of earning severe hypoglycemia increases significantly if:

A diabetic, and indeed 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 dropped - what to do?

For whatever reason, sugar has not fallen, it is vital to urgently fill the glucose deficiency. While the victim is conscious, it is necessary to give him foods with fast carbohydrates and a high glycemic index, which are immediately absorbed into the blood.

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

Hypoglycemia is dangerous with 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 cereals, are quite suitable.

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

The lightning-fast onset of hypoglycemic conditions primarily threatens diabetics with type 1 disease, when an overdose of the drug or a violation of the schedule for taking it can lead to a sharp drop in sugar. Diabetics, as a rule, are aware of their problems, so glucose tablets, which quickly relieve an attack, are always with them.

The risk of hypoglycemic consequences will significantly reduce the compliance with the meal regimen: snacks every 3-4 hours. Sugar for diabetics with type 1 disease should be measured on an empty stomach, before each injection and at night.

With type 2 diabetes, there is no such rigid schedule, but once a week it is desirable to write down the readings of the glucometer in the diary. More precise recommendations, taking into account the type of medication and the reaction of the body, will be issued by the doctor.

How to prevent an accident

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

Low blood sugar - what causes this phenomenon? A decrease in blood sugar in an adult and a child is no less dangerous than its increase, because the brain is at great risk at this moment. The condition when a person has low blood sugar is called hypoglycemia. What does it say? This means that for some reason the body lacks glucose, and in fact it is in some way a fuel for organs and systems. Thanks to it, the cells receive the necessary amount of energy for normal life. 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 bodies. So, what determines the level of sugar in the blood?

Why does glucose level go down?

It often happens that the level of sugar is remembered when talking about diabetes. Those who have been diagnosed with such a disease know what to do with elevated rates. But it also happens that the level of sugar in the blood decreases. This can happen in perfectly 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 to panic, you should know the reasons for such a change 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 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 turn into serious irreversible processes that require immediate medical attention to quickly bring blood sugar levels to normal .

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

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

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

The following factors play an important role in this:

overdose of alcoholic beverages;

excessive physical activity;
exposure to certain drugs;
metabolic disease;
problems with the kidneys, pancreas, liver;
insufficient intake of carbohydrates (for example, with a carbohydrate-free diet);
meals 1-2 times a day and long breaks between meals;
abuse of sweets;
a decrease in glucose in the morning, if more than 8-10 hours have passed since yesterday's meal.

And although this is rare, 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 have different intensity. If the level drops slightly, then the person may not feel any special symptoms. Over time, with the exclusion of the cause of this phenomenon (for example, a normal meal or a decrease in the number of cakes, pastries or sweets eaten), sugar returns to normal.

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

mild nausea;

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

If you experience several 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 kind of sweetness (for example, candy).

The average decrease in blood sugar has the following picture:

severe irritation;
muscle cramps;
tearfulness;
drowsiness;
violation of coordination of movement when walking;
unclear consciousness;
poor orientation in space;
fast fatiguability.

All of these symptoms of low blood sugar are due to poor brain function.

If the glucose level is low, then the brain suffers first of all, it cannot function normally, which affects the person's well-being. If eating sweets or drinking sweet juice does not help, you should consult a doctor. At the same time, it should be remembered what preceded such a condition, so that the doctor would quickly find out why sugar fell and take appropriate measures.

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

Symptoms of low sugar that occur with severe hypoglycemia include:

a significant decrease in body temperature;
violation of cerebral circulation (stroke);

involuntary muscle contraction;
coma.

If sugar drops to a critical level, then 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 when a person is sleeping. At the same time, he sweats profusely, may walk in his sleep or fall out of bed, make unusual noises, he may have nightmares, which increases anxiety.

Children belong to a category of people who practically do not feel that they are not all right with their health and low blood sugar. Their behavior is not much different from when they have normal performance. Symptoms of low blood sugar in them appear at 2.2-2.6 mmol / l. Adults feel the 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 the glucose level, analyzing the symptoms, the doctor recommends eating or drinking something sweet. If after that the symptoms disappear, the problem goes away on its own. But if the signs of low blood sugar remain unchanged or increase, the doctor examines the patient, asks him about lifestyle, diet, weight jumps, treatment of other diseases and taking appropriate medications.

In order not to be mistaken in the diagnosis, the doctor also needs the following information:

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

Only after that the necessary treatment is prescribed.

Low blood sugar is not a sentence yet. 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 when the sugar level is low.

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

The day before the test, you can not drink alcoholic beverages.
You should only drink water.
You do not need to brush your teeth on the day of the test: sugar, which is part of any paste, can lower sugar.

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