Checking For Low Blood Sugar Levels
When blood sugar levels fall too low, the body releases the hormone adrenaline, which helps get stored glucose into the bloodstream quickly. Paleness, sweating, shakiness, and increased heart rate are early warning signs of this adrenaline release.
More severe symptoms such as confusion, drowsiness, seizures, and loss of consciousness may happen if the hypoglycemia isn’t treated and the brain doesn’t get enough glucose to work properly.
The only way to know for sure if your child has low blood sugar levels is to test them. Blood sugar levels can be tested with a glucose meter, a computerized device that measures and displays the amount of glucose in a blood sample. However, if the situation makes it impossible or inconvenient to quickly check the blood sugar, it’s important to treat your child for hypoglycemia immediately to prevent symptoms from getting worse.
Sometimes a child with diabetes may have symptoms of low blood sugar, but the levels are not actually low. This is a called a false reaction. Adrenaline also can be released when blood sugar levels fall rapidly from a high level to a normal level. Testing blood sugar levels before giving treatment for hypoglycemia can help you identify false reactions.
Also, some kids may learn to fake symptoms of low blood sugar to get a sugary treat or avoid something unpleasant. Again, checking the blood sugar level can confirm the presence of hypoglycemia.
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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.
Typical Dosing For Wegovy
The typical starting dose is 0.25 mg injected under your skin once a week for 4 weeks . You will use a higher dose every 4 weeks until you reach a maintenence dose of 2.4 mg once a week. The standard dosing schedule might look like:
- Month 1: 0.25 mg once a week
- Month 2: 0.5 mg once a week
- Month 3: 1 mg once a week
- Month 4: 1.7 mg once a week
- Month 5 and beyond: 2.4 mg once a week
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Eye Problems In People With Type 2 Diabetes
- Risk factors: History of eye problems caused by high blood sugar levels | Type 2 diabetes | High risk of heart disease | Rapid improvement in blood sugar levels
Wegovy can cause eye problems, such as cataracts, glaucoma, and damage to the retina, in people with type 2 diabetes and high risk of heart disease. This risk is higher in people who already have eye problems caused by high blood sugar levels . These eye problems might worsen temporarily after rapid improvement in blood sugar levels. Let your provider know if your eye problems worsen or if you have changes in your vision while taking Wegovy .
Hypoglycemia Tests And Diagnosis
To diagnose nondiabetic hypoglycemia, your doctor will do a physical exam and ask questions about any medicines you take. Theyâll want to know all about your health and any history of diseases or stomach surgery.
Theyâll check your blood glucose level, especially when you are having symptoms. Theyâll also check to see if you feel better when your sugar goes back to a normal level.
If your doctor suspects hypoglycemia, you may have to fast until you start to have symptoms. Theyâll test your blood glucose level at different times throughout the fast.
To check for reactive hypoglycemia, you may have to take a test called a mixed-meal tolerance test . For this, you take a special drink that raises your blood glucose. The doctor will check your blood glucose levels over the next few hours.
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Nighttime Low Blood Sugar
While low blood sugar can happen at any time during the day, some people may experience low blood sugar while they sleep. Reasons this may happen include:
- Having an active day.
- Being physically active close to bedtime.
- Taking too much insulin.
- Drinking alcohol at night.
Eating regular meals and not skipping them can help you avoid nighttime low blood sugar. Eating when you drink alcohol can also help. If you think youre at risk for low blood sugar overnight, have a snack before bed.
You may wake up when you have low blood sugar, but you shouldnt rely on that. A continuous glucose monitor can alert you with an alarm if your blood sugar gets low while youre sleeping.
Chemicals In Sweat Can Fight Many Types Of Bacteria
Sweat contains fatty acids and mineral matter as well as a potent anti-infective agent dubbed dermicidin. The first antimicrobial agent discovered that is produced by cells in the skin, dermicidin is active against many different types of bacteria, including Escherichia coli , Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and the common fungus Candida albicans.
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Side Effects Of Sugar That Are Horrifying For Your Health
You might have heard the tagline of dairy milk, Kuch meetha ho jaaye. We feel good when we eat something sweet. Oh, wait!! Thats one of the side effects of sugar.
If anyone wants to know why sugar is bad for health? Youll get the answer below. However, you need to understand the main problem, which is the risk of consuming excessive sugar.
The major source of sugar is white sugar that almost all of us use in our kitchen. Another major source is artificial sweeteners that are found in packaged foods and drinks.
Now, lets find out the side effects of sugar and why it should not be consumed?
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What Are The Effects Of Low Blood Sugar
The effects of low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, usually include dizziness, blurred vision, and sweating. Some people may also begin to tremble and experience depression and anxiety. When low blood sugar is severe, it may cause fainting, seizures, and mental confusion. In most cases, the effects of low blood sugar can be quickly reversed if the person experiencing the symptoms is given something high in sugar to eat. If the person becomes too sick to eat or passes out as a result of low blood sugar, it may be necessary to administer injections of glucose as quickly as possible.
Low blood sugar can be the result of many different things. It is not uncommon for people either with diabetes or at risk of developing diabetes to have hypoglycemia. People who frequently crash diet and lose weight very quickly might also have problems with low blood sugar. Additionally, it could be a side effect of kidney or liver disease. People who frequently experience the effects of low blood sugar should seek advice from their doctors to determine why it is happening.
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S For Treating A Person With Symptoms Keeping Them From Being Able To Treat Themselves
Dont hesitate to call 911. If someone is unconscious and glucagon is not available or someone does not know how to use it, call 911 immediately.
Do NOT:
- Inject insulin
- Provide food or fluids
Increase In Heart Rate
Wegovy can cause your resting heart rate to rise. Some people taking the medication experienced a rise of 1 to 4 beats per minute in their heart rate, while others experienced a rise of 10 bpm to 20 bpm or more. Your healthcare provider will monitor your heart rate regularly while you’re taking Wegovy . Let your provider know if you feel your heart racing while at rest. If your heart rate remains higher than usual, stop taking the medication.
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What Causes Low Blood Glucose
- Symptoms occur when blood glucose levels fall below 70 mg/dl a condition known as hypoglycemia.
- In most cases, low blood glucose results from overtreatment: Either taking too much diabetes medication or not eating enough food. Higher doses of medicine than the person actually requires can also lead to hypoglycemia.
- People who aim for too-low values on their A1C test tend to experience more frequent drops in blood glucose.
- Vigorous exercise doesn’t just burn calories, it also burns blood glucose! Hypoglycemia can occur unless blood glucose levels are carefully monitored during and after exercise.
- Not eating on a regular basis can deprive the body of glucose and make it difficult to prevent hypoglycemia. Eat balanced meals throughout the day and always keep a snack on hand.
Prediabetes Symptoms & Signs
Prediabetes is a common condition in which the blood sugar level is higher than normal but not yet high enough to be considered diagnostic of diabetes. Prediabetes is a precursor of type 2 diabetes and increases a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or stroke. The condition has also been referred to as impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose .
While some people with prediabetes may experience some of the signs and symptoms of diabetes, in most people, prediabetes does not cause specific signs or associated symptoms. Therefore, many people are unaware that they have prediabetes. Symptoms of diabetes include
- excessive thirst,
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Epilepsy Treatment Usually Includes Fasting
When fasting, the body creates ketones, a by-product of fat-burning metabolism. Although fasting or a fat-rich diet has been used to try to control epilepsy and seizures, it is not a common way to treat patients. The NIH is examining the safety and effectiveness of such treatments currently since seizures often lessen or disappear during periods of fasting in some individuals with epilepsy. Other more common treatments include medications and surgery. The main treatments of epilepsy are antiepileptic drugs .
Colored Urine And Stool
Also known as beeturia, this phenomenon sees your body produce pink or red colored urine. For some, their stool may also be this alarming color and can be easily mistaken for blood in the stool or urine. While alarming, this isnt a cause for concern and is usually harmless.The dark-colored betanin pigment responsible for this trademark reddish pink hue of the beetroot merely color your urine and stools. This condition should pass in 48 hours or less, and stools and urine after this should return to their normal color.4 Once you stop consumption of beet juice or beets, anything beyond this 48-hour timeline may need to be investigated by a medical professional.
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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.
If your blood sugar is |
Eat this |
What to do next |
51 to 70 mg/dL |
10 to 15 grams of fast-acting carbs, such as 4 ounces of fruit juice, 6 to 8 hard candies, or 3 to 4 glucose tablets. |
Test your blood sugar again in 15 minutes. Repeat the treatment if necessary. |
Under 50 mg/dL |
Eat 20 to 30 grams of fast-acting carbs, such as 8 ounces of fruit juice, 12 to 16 hard candies, or 6 to 8 glucose tablets. |
Test your blood sugar again in 15 minutes. Repeat the treatment if necessary. |
Applying The 15/15 Rule To Remedy Hypoglycemia
Have one of the following right away to raise blood glucose:
Three or four glucose tablets
One-half cup of fruit juice, such as orange juice
One-half cup of a regular soft drink
8 ounces of milk
Five to seven pieces of hard candy
One tablespoon of sugar or honey
After 15 minutes, check your blood-glucose level again. If it is still below 70 mg/dL, you should eat another 15 grams of carbohydrates. Repeat these steps until the blood-glucose reading is at least 70 mg/dL. If a meal is not planned within 1 to 2 hours after treating the hypoglycemic reaction, eat a snack containing 15 to 30 grams of carbohydrate to prevent another episode.
If blood-glucose readings are often low, a change in the regular meal plan, physical activity, or diabetes medicines should be considered. It is important to keep track of low blood-glucose events, noting possible causes, such as unplanned physical activity. Reviewing the tracked results with the healthcare team will help to manage blood-glucose levels within a normal range.
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Exercise Food And Alcohol
For people with type 1 diabetes, maintaining the correct blood glucose level involves balancing how much insulin you inject, the amount of food you eat, and how much energy you burn during exercise.
Hypoglycaemia may occur if you’ve taken your dose of insulin as usual, but your carbohydrate intake is lower than normal or has been used up more quickly. This may happen if you delay or miss a meal or snack, don’t eat enough carbohydrate, or exercise more than usual.
People with diabetes who’ve drunk too much alcohol, or drank alcohol on an empty stomach, can also get hypoglycaemia.
However, it’s not always possible to identify why a particular episode of hypoglycaemia has occurred, and sometimes it happens for no obvious reason.
Excessive Sugar Causes Depression
Let me tell you something surprising, our body absorbs sugar within 30 minutes. There is a good sign in it and also a bad one. While the good part is that the sugar is not get stored in our body.
But the bad part is, it suddenly increasing the blood sugar level and after around 30 minutes it drops. After the cells absorb the sugar in the body, we feel irritation and anxiety. We want to have more sugar again and again. If this happens for a long time, it negatively affects your mood. Thus, leading to depression.
So, dont make it a habit of eating sugar every time you desire of having it and have control over overeating.
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Prevention Of Low Blood Sugar
Do not skip or delay meals. If your diet plan includes snacks, make sure to take these.
Measure insulin dosage carefully and inject it properly. If you cannot see well, a family member or a visiting nurse can prepare your insulin injections for you.
Take only the prescribed amount of insulin or oral medication for diabetes that your doctor has ordered.
Keep exercise consistent from day to day. Eat a snack or reduce your insulin prior to unusual exercise.
If you are taking insulin, notify your doctor if you have low blood sugars four or more times per week or if you have a severe low blood sugar. Severe low blood sugars are those less than 40 mg., those requiring help from another person, or those which cause you to have a convulsion or become unconscious.
If you are taking oral medication for your diabetes notify your doctor or nurse if blood sugars are running less than 80 mg. or if you have a severe low blood sugar.
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What Else Can You Do To Control Blood Sugar Levels
Yes. People with diabetes should wear identification stating they have diabetes and whether they have recurrent low blood sugar. Those at risk for the health condition should be counseled on checking blood sugars before they drive a car, operate heavy machinery, or do anything physically taxing. In addition, it is important to carry a quick-acting glucose source at all times, and keep a source in their car, office, and by their bedside. Efforts should be made to minimize the hypoglycemic effects of drug regimens and to avoid variable surges in exercise, activity, and drinking alcohol.