How To Get Low Blood Sugar Up

Treating Mild To Moderate Hypoglycemia

If you start feeling any of the symptoms listed above, check your blood sugar as soon as possible, then follow the chart below to treat low blood sugar. If you have any concerns, or cant test immediately, its best to treat first and check when possible.

Treatment Plan For Lows

*** Remember that IOB calculations CANNOT be accurate unless your Active Insulin Time or Duration of Insulin Action time is set to at least 4.5 hours or LONGER!

More grams of carbs than these will likely be needed:

• If you forget and take 2 boluses/injections for a meal, or
• If you took a meal bolus but never ate the meal .

Quick treatment reduces stress hormone release and the chances of your glucose rising sharply afterward. Plus youll quickly feel better and your brain, muscles, and cells will thank you for resupplying the fuel that shortens their misery.

What Is Blood Sugar

Glucose, a simple sugar, is the bodys main energy source.

And your blood sugar levels, or blood glucose, is simply a measurement of much glucose you have in your blood!

Generally speaking, most of the glucose floating around in your bloodstream comes from eating carbohydrate-rich food like potatoes, rice, fruits, sugar, and so on:

Your blood then delivers the glucose to your muscles, brain, liver, kidneys, etc, so they can burn it as fuel and produce energy.

Kind of like how Uber Eats drivers deliver pizza to hungry lazy people!

Anyways

The body likes to keep blood glucose levels it in a relatively tight range not too high and not too low.

Were not going to go too deep into the mechanisms of blood sugar regulation today, but it is managed by different hormones such as insulin , and glucagon and adrenaline and cortisol .

You can study this picture for a more detailed explanation:

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Your Diabetes Devices And Hypoglycemia

Several insulin pumps are now available that make managing blood sugar levels easier, particularly when connected to a glucose meter or a CGM.

Some of the most important advantages of CGM devices are the improved insulin control and the ability to detect trends and lows early. With improved technology, it is now possible for parents to track blood sugar trends in their kids even when they are hundreds of miles apart .

In addition, automated insulin delivery systems, also known an artificial pancreas or a hybrid closed-loop system, will automatically adjust insulin to match your bodys need to help you spend more time in your target range.

Resources that provide people with T1D and their families with more detailed information about pumps and CGM devices are available through JDRF here. For people looking for a deeper understanding of technology that helps people with T1D better manage their blood sugar, JDRF resources are available here.

How To Treat A Low Blood Sugar Level Yourself

Follow these steps if your blood sugar level is less than 3.5mmol/L or you have hypo symptoms:

You do not usually need to get medical help once you’re feeling better if you only have a few hypos.

But tell your diabetes team if you keep having hypos or if you stop having symptoms when your blood sugar level is low.

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Severe Low Blood Sugar

As your low blood sugar gets worse, you may experience more serious symptoms, including:

• Feeling weak.
• Having difficulty walking or seeing clearly.
• Acting strange or feeling confused.
• Having seizures.

Severe low blood sugar is below 54 mg/dL. Blood sugar this low may make you faint . Often, youll need someone to help you treat severe low blood sugar.

People with diabetes may experience low blood sugar as often as once or twice a week, even when managing their blood sugar closely. Knowing how to identify and treat it is important for your health. Learn how to treat low blood sugar.

What Causes Low Blood Glucose In People With Diabetes

Low blood glucose levels can be a side effect of insulin or some other medicines that help your pancreas release insulin into your blood. Taking these can lower your blood glucose level.

Two types of diabetes pills can cause low blood glucose

• sulfonylureas, usually taken once or twice per day, which increase insulin over several hours
• meglitinides, taken before meals to promote a short-term increase in insulin

The following may also lower your blood glucose level

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What Foods Can Help Raise Blood Sugar Fast

Because your blood sugar comes from the foods and beverages you consume, one of the easiest ways to raise your blood sugar fast is to grab a quick snack.

The American Diabetes Association recommends the 15-15 rule if your blood sugar dips below 70 mg/dL: Eat at least 15 grams of carbohydrates, then wait 15 minutes to recheck your blood sugar.

If youre still below 70 mg/dL, have another 15 grams of carbs, wait 15 minutes, and check your levels again.

Among the foods you can try for a quick blood sugar boost are:

• a piece of fruit, like a banana, apple, or orange
• 2 tablespoons of raisins
• 4 Starbursts
• 1 tablespoon of sugar in water

Foods that contain protein or fat, such as peanut butter, ice cream, and chocolate, may be helpful if your blood sugar level has dropped but isnt below 70 mg/dL.

These higher-fat foods, as well as whole-grain bread and other high-fiber foods, take longer to absorb into your bloodstream. Because of this, these foods wont raise your blood sugar as quickly as foods that have more simple carbohydrates.

How Can I Be Better Prepared For Hypoglycemia

You can take some steps to be ready for hypoglycemia:

• Be aware of the symptoms and treat them early.
• Carry some fast-acting carbs with you all the time.
• Check your glucose levels frequently, especially around meals and exercise.
• Inform family, friends and co-workers so they know what do if you need help.
• Talk to your healthcare provider regularly to make and update your plan.
• Wear a medical bracelet that lets people know you have diabetes. Carry a card in your purse or wallet with instructions for hypoglycemia.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Hypoglycemia is quite common in people with diabetes. If not treated, it can cause troubling symptoms, and even serious health problems. Fortunately, you can avoid hypoglycemic episodes by monitoring your blood sugar. You can also make small adjustments to eating and exercising routines.

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Best Foods For Low Blood Sugar

For patients with diabetes, monitoring blood sugar levels is a part of daily life.

Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can occur for many people with diabetes who are on certain medications, including insulin and sulfonylureas. It can occur for a variety of reasons including skipping a meal, exercising strenuously, taking too much insulin or consuming alcohol, especially on an empty stomach.

Low blood sugar can be as minor as a slight inconvenience or as serious as a life-threatening emergency. Thats why it is important to boost blood sugar before it becomes problematic.

Angela Norton, a diabetes educator at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, has diabetes herself, so she knows firsthand the tips and tricks of keeping blood sugar on track. Although blood glucose is considered normal if above 70 mg/dL, Norton says patients with diabetes should not wait until they reach below that threshold to take action.

Treat when you feel the symptoms, even if your blood sugar is not below 70, because as long as it is less than 100, it may be dropping fast, she says.

When it comes to treatment, Norton shares these five foods to help boost low blood sugar.

1. CandyWhen hypoglycemia occurs, patients should follow the 15-15 rule. Consume 15 grams of carbohydrates to raise blood glucose and check your levels again after 15 minutes. When the numbers return to normal, eat a snack to stay on track.

Gummy candies contain carbohydrates, which have a large impact on blood sugar levels.

How Do I Treat Low Blood Glucose

If you begin to feel one or more symptoms of low blood glucose, check your blood glucose level. If your blood glucose level is below your target or less than 70 mg/dL, follow these steps

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Raising Your Blood Sugar

If Your Childs Blood Sugar Is Less Than :

It is important to use quick-acting carbohydrate. Do not just eat a snack if your blood sugar is too low. Food does not bring the blood sugar up quickly.

If your childs blood sugar is low at bedtime, always recheck the blood sugar and make sure it is over 90 before falling asleep.

Do not take too much carbohydrate for a low blood sugar because your blood sugar will go too high later on.

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Foods To Boost Low Blood Sugar

People with diabetes try hard to keep their blood sugar from getting too high, but sometimes they succeed too well. Certain diabetes medications — including insulin injections and pills such as chlorpropamide — can sometimes make blood sugar too low, a condition called hypoglycemia. People with diabetes can also get low blood sugar simply by skimping at mealtime, drinking too much alcohol, or overexercising.

Low blood sugar is usually mild and easy to fix, but if you wait too long, you can lose consciousness. If your blood sugar level drops below 70 milligrams per deciliter or if you notice signs of hypoglycemia — shakiness, dizziness, light-headedness, confusion, anxiety, weakness, heart palpitations, blurry vision, hunger, or sweating — you can bring your level up again with a quick, sugary snack. If you are away from home and experience symptoms, and you can’t test your blood sugar first, it’s better to have a small snack before you become even more ill.

Here are some proven sugar-boosting options:

• One-half cup of fruit juice
• One-half cup of non-diet soda
• 1 cup of milk
• A small handful of hard candy
• 1 tablespoon of either sugar or honey
• 3 or 4 glucose tablets

About 15 minutes after your snack, check your blood sugar again. If you’re still below 70, try another dose of sugar. Check again 15 minutes later, and keep the pattern up until your blood sugar is in a normal range.

References

What Is Low Blood Glucose

Low blood glucose, also called low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, occurs when the level of glucose in your blood drops below what is healthy for you. For many people with diabetes, this means a blood glucose reading lower than 70 milligrams per deciliter .1 Your number might be different, so check with your doctor or health care team to find out what blood glucose level is low for you.

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Whats Considered Low Blood Sugar

Your blood sugar tends to fluctuate throughout the day. Itll be lower when you first wake up, especially if you havent eaten for the past 8 to 10 hours.

Your blood sugar will go up once you eat. Depending on when you last ate, heres whats considered to be a normal blood sugar range:

Low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, is when your blood sugar levels fall below 70 mg/dL.

The point at which low blood sugar symptoms become noticeable is different from one person to the next.

Some people may feel jittery, irritable, or lightheaded when their blood sugar level falls to 70 mg/dL. Other people may not feel any symptoms until well below that mark.

A quick, simple blood test can measure your blood sugar level. If you have diabetes or another medical condition that sometimes causes episodes of low blood sugar, its important to regularly check your blood sugar with a home test.

If a test shows that your blood sugar is below normal, you can take steps to adjust it quickly.

Symptoms of low blood sugar vary from person to person and can even be different from one episode to the next. You may experience specific symptoms the first time your blood sugar dips, and different symptoms the next time.

The most common mild to moderate symptoms of low blood sugar include:

• jitters or shaking

More severe symptoms of hypoglycemia include:

• inability to eat or drink
• seizures
• unconsciousness

Symptoms Of Fluctuating Blood Sugar

Symptoms of high blood sugar without diabetes are,

• Increased thirst, dry mouth

• Shakiness
• Anxiety

A person with low blood sugar may also have a tendency to faint or lose consciousness.

So its important to keep an eye on any of the above symptoms to figure out for yourself if you have high or low blood sugar. If necessary, you can check it yourself. Remember the normal levels are 80 to 100 mg/dl. Any lower that, you should speak to a doctor as soon as possible.

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How To Stop Anxiety From Low Blood Sugar

Did you know that low blood sugar can trigger both anxiety and depression?

I dont think this gets talked about nearly enough

Today we will look at why keeping your blood sugar levels stable is SO important for reducing anxiety, and a couple strategies on how to prevent hypoglycemia-induced anxiety and panic attacks!

How Hypoglycemia Can Cause Anxiety Panic Attacks And Depression

Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar can act as a powerful trigger for anxiety.

You see

The brain relies on glucose as a fuel source.

If your blood sugar drops too low, the brain isnt going to get enough fuel which can have severe consequences.

This is an emergency situation for the body!

Thus, in a hypoglycemic state the body QUICKLY needs to bring blood sugar levels back up again so your brain doesnt run out of energy.

In order to get glucose to the brain as fast as possible, the body starts pumping out adrenaline and other stress hormones to help liberate energy from storage sites and increase blood sugar levels.

And you know what happens when you have high levels of adrenaline you get a fight-or-flight stress response withincreased anxiety, sweating, shakiness, feeling jittery and wired!

Case in point:

When you take a bunch of people in a laboratory setting and make them acutely hypoglycemic, they get a worsened mood and energy levels, and remain in a state of tense tiredness for 30 minutes even after restoring blood glucose to normal levels.

This is why low blood sugar, or unstable blood sugar that goes and up down like a Yo-Yo, can make you feel truly awful especially with a pre-existing tendency towards anxiety.

Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar

A hypoglycemic state can make you feel really bad, here are some common symptoms:

• anxiety and panic.
• dizziness.
• feeling like youre about to faint.

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