Hypoglycemia

Yesterday a coworker asked me about hypoglycemia. She was completely unaware of its symptoms and effects. She believes that her son is hypoglycemic. After he comes home from school he feels weak and tired. They finally tested his blood sugar this weekend - it was 52.

Anything below 70 mg/dl can be considered "hypoglycemic" or "low blood sugar".

Here are some symptoms of hypoglycemia:

• Confusion
• Blurred Vision
• Heart Palpitations
• Tremor
• Anxiety
• Sweating
• Hunger
• Loss of Consciousness (uncommon)
• Seizures (uncommon)
  

Action Steps when experiencing hypoglycemia

1. Test Blood Sugar - If possible test your blood sugar to verify that it is low. If you are not able to test your blood sugar, you should treat as if it were hypoglycemia anyway.
2. Eat Sugar - Eat a glucose tablet, hard candy, juice, or any other carbohydrate that you can. Simple sugars (candy, juice) will react faster and make you feel better quicker than complex sugars (wheat, grains).
3. Monitor - Test your blood sugar until it reaches a stable level.

Consult your doctor or endocrinologist for questions/more information.

Mayo Clinic - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypoglycemia/DS00198
Web MD - http://diabetes.webmd.com/tc/hypoglycemia-low-blood-sugar-topic-overview
Google Health - https://www.google.com/health/ref/Hypoglycemia