Causes Of Low Blood Sugar

When your body cannot handle carbohydrates or refined sugar normally, it leads to high or low blood sugar.  

Low blood sugar (LBS), or reactive hypoglycemia, is a REAL health condition caused by high insulin levels. It is a reaction that happens about 4 hours after eating carbohydrates.

You do not have to take too much insulin or diabetes pills for the amount of food you eat to suffer from low blood sugar.

After eating sugar or carbohydrate, if your body produces more insulin than it needs, your blood sugar will take a dive. 

For people living with low blood sugar, skipping meals, fasting, drinking alcohol or excessive exercise can very easily lead to low blood sugar.

 

Low Blood Sugar Diagnosis

You experience low blood sugar when blood sugar levels fall below 55mg/dL. Even if your blood sugar isn’t low, very quick drops that might still be in the normal range can produce the same symptoms.

You can diagnose low blood sugar with a glucose tolerance test. It is helpful to have insulin levels drawn every hour for 4 hours. Some doctors will order a mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT).

 

Low Blood Sugar Symptoms

You might not realize you have low blood sugar. These are some of the more common symptoms that affect your quality of life:

• Sweating;

• Blurred vision;

• Shakiness;

• Weakness;

• Anxiety/irritability/nervousness/stress;

• Confusion/abnormal, such as the inability to complete routine tasks;

• Dizziness/fainting;

• Difficulty thinking;

• Hunger;

• Increased heart rate;

• Visual disturbances, such as blurred vision;

• Seizures;

• Loss of consciousness;

• Death

The symptoms are not just physical. Reactive hypoglycemia symptoms can mimic psychiatric illness.

The Hypoglycemia Support Foundation is a foundation committed to helping both the public and health professionals recognize low blood sugar. They can help you understand the symptoms and provide solutions for reactive hypoglycemia. The foundation helps support people with LBS as a medical condition. Learn more about low blood sugar through this easy-to-understand infographic.

 

Medical Conditions Causing Low Blood Sugar

• Alcoholism;
• Anorexia;
• Pancreatic Cancer;
• Gut Dysfunction;
• Hormonal Deficiency caused by the adrenal or pituitary glands;
• Early Pregnancy;
• Starvation;
• Liver or Kidney Disease

 

Causes Of Low Blood Sugar Wrap Up

Low Blood Sugar is often an undiagnosed condition because of the general symptoms that you feel. If you think you have reactive hypoglycemia, get tested. A low blood sugar diet can also help improve low blood sugar. Next week’s blog will discuss the nutritional advantage of eating a low blood sugar diet.