Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia is often associated with glucose metabolism problems such as diabetes, especially type-1 diabetes (when the production of insulin by pancreas drops significantly – even there may be no any insulin produced by pancreas.). But does it also occur in people without diabetes? What are the symptoms and causes of the condition?
Interestingly, hypoglycemia is not only for diabetics. Although in general it is commonly found in diabetes, sometimes it may also affect non-diabetics.
In many cases, low blood glucose occurs when we don’t eat for many hours (such as when fasting). But sometimes it also can occur even after meal. For such case, the over production of insulin after meal is likely to blame.
If there are too many insulin in the circulation, glucose in the blood can drop (lower than normal) even after eating. Postprandial hypoglycemia is term used to call low blood sugar that occurs after meal. It is more likely to occur in people who have a personal history of gastric bypass surgery.
Insulin is a crucial hormone to regulate the amount of glucose in your bloodstream. Normally, the release of this hormone is equivalent with the amount of glucose in the circulation.
This hormone plays a key role in your glucose metabolism. It helps cells of the body to absorb glucose from the bloodstream for energy. Without adequate insulin, your blood sugar will spike easily.
In some people, (due to certain reason) the release of their insulin into the bloodstream can be higher or lower than normal. Both of these imbalances are bad.
While too much insulin in the bloodstream can lead to hypoglycemia, too low insulin can lead to hyperglycemia (when the amount of glucose in the blood is higher than normal).
You might also like to read differences between hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia!
The symptoms of hypoglycemia in non-diabetics vary, depending on how far glucose in the blood drops. But some of the common ones are as follows [reference]:
- Lack of glucose in the circulation may lead to paleness.
- Shakiness and trembling.
- Lack of energy.
- Fatigue (weakness or /and tiredness)
- Poor coordination.
- Increased hunger, which may be followed with nausea or even vomiting.
- Irritability, anxiety, agitation, or altered mental status may also occur.
- Excessive sweating /perspiration. If hypoglycemia occurs when you sleep at night, your pajamas can be damp and you may wake up with dizziness.
- Problem in concentrating (difficulty concentrating).
- Confusion, decreased consciousness or even loss of consciousness. Typically, it comes with lack of vision or blurred vision.
- Increased rhythm of your heart-beats. It’s quite possible for hypoglycemia to cause tachycardia (very fast heart-beats), especially if it lasts longer or left untreated.
- In severe case, hypoglycemia may lead to serious complication such as coma.
Again as mentioned before, low blood glucose typically occurs due to the excess insulin in the bloodstream. In diabetics, the improperly taking insulin replacement (too much insulin injected into the body) is often to blame.
How about in non-diabetics?
After getting up this morning, I washed, I made porridge, put the washer on , tidied the lounge, then just as it had cooled, I ate the porridge (I added strawberries, two dried apricots and extra milk. About five minutes later, I felt terrible – really mentally tired, shaky, and too shattered to talk or do anything. I have felt like this before , it is a horrible feeling. I once had blood tested but a negative result was registered.Can you help please
#d hueck
It’s difficult for me to make a conclusion. To keep safe, it’s much better to see your GP /doctor to find a completely evaluation and a complete guide of treatment plan you need to follow. There may be other thing than hypoglycemia behind the symptoms that you were experiencing. Thanks
Over the last week all of a sudden I have been getting really weak. I have excessive sweating for quite awhile now. I feel dizzy, tired cant seem to get enough sleep. I eat then a few minutes later feel like I havn’t eaten all day. Clammy and sweaty. I eat a piece of candy and it helps some. Im quite scared by it all.
When I feel the beginning stages of Low Blood sugar, I recognize it and immediately get food. The best food for me to get has fat and protein. Like milk, eggs, meat like chicken, hamburger, steak or fish.
This will help get me out of the downward spiral within a couple of minutes. I never try candy, or eating anything sugary, as for me that tends to raise the sugar level momentarily, but I can get a second crash which I want to avoid.
The food also seems to help negate the affects of adrenaline that also can pour out because the body feels an emergency is at hand.
What leads to this situation is a few days of not eating very well, and to make things worse, not sleeping enough. For me as a Low Blood Sugar person, I must pay attention to how much food I ate the day before and what type. If it was too much carbohydrates, and not enough protein and fat, I know I am edging closer and closer to the possibility of an Low Blood Sugar Episode.
The release of insulin can be too much. The way I understand it, is that the body expected me to eat more food than I did, and there is an over balance of insulin, that drops the glucose levels too fast, and then the adrenaline comes out to tell you something is really wrong and start fixing it now. That is where the feeling hot, shakiness, heavy breathing, weakness comes from, the adrenaline.
Within 2 minutes of eating this way, I start to feel the beginnings of positive results, although to feel close to normal it may take up to half an hour as the body digests the food, and starts to balance the insulin.
Don’t panic, get food, and if you can’t have someone get it for you. Don’t use a lot of energy, as there is little glucose energy to draw upon. Nuts are great to have at your disposal at all times, and are especially good to eat in times between meals, to avoid this problem all together for that time period.
Remember: Blood Sugar Getting Low?—–> Get Food —-> Milk-Meat-Eggs-Nuts All Help alot
Thanks Mules for your post and advice, you have hit the nail on the head. I have similar episodes as you and think that I am peri diabetic as diabetes runs in my family.
I have kept it in check by doing as you suggest and empty calorific sugary foods are definitely to be avoided.
I find a glass of milk dairy or other keeps me going as I am preparing the food to eat.
I have type 2 diabetes. Normally I run high glucose levels. Recently though I have found some low readings (57). It’s a little scary that my blood sugar dropped about 200 points in 3 hours, leading to the reading of 57, and I had no symptoms at all. Obviously I need to change my bolus calculation, but what can be done if you don’t get any symptoms of hypoglycemia?
Hi Ray, I hope all the best to you. The symptoms of hypoglycemia vary, depending on how severe it is.
The symptoms usually appear when the level of blood sugar drops lower than 70 mg/dL. If you in doubt to your condition, take a finger-stick test immediately or seek medical help promptly!
A comprehensive treatment plan is usually required to deal with the problem, these include appropriate diet, moderate exercise, and if necessary medicines. Also, it’s important to familiarize yourself with early symptoms of your hypoglycemia so you can prepare yourself better to take steps and treat it properly.
15/15 rule may help. Eat about 15 grams of carbs (for examples; 4 -6 ounces of fruit juice or two tablespoons raisins) and then wait for about 15 minutes to allow the sugar gets absorbed into your bloodstream. If you don’t feel better, eat more carbs (do this carefully) or seek medical help if necessary!
But sometimes diabetes, especially if you have had it for a long time (decades), would make hypoglycemic unwariness more likely.
Hypoglycemic unwariness is a condition of when hypoglycemia can occur without signs and symptoms. In such case, see a doctor for more guidance. In general, your doctor may ask you to test the level more often, adjust your insulin doses so they work more effectively according to your diet and physical activity, or if necessary the use of a continuous glucose monitor!
Thanks for the infomation from all who have told their stories. I never knew that the symptoms I was experiencing were from low blood sugar even though eating seemed to cure the problem. Symptoms were; feeling tired and weak, occasional sweating, and generaly feeling like the bodys slowing down like a fire slowly being extinguished!!