Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar, occurs when blood glucose drops below normal levels. Glucose is a form of sugar that your body needs to have enough energy. When you eat more sugar than your body needs the extra gets stored in your muscles and liver. When your blood sugar begins to fall your body will release a hormone to tell the liver to release more glucose. In most people this will raise and bring blood sugar levels back to normal. If it doesn’t happen you may have this condition where your blood sugar levels can be dangerously low.

Symptoms

- Nervousness
- Trembling
- Shakiness
- Dizziness
- Sweating
- Intense hunger
- Headache
- Pale skin color
- Palpitations
- Often having trouble speaking
- Sudden moodiness or behavior changes, such as crying for no apparent reason
- Clumsy or jerky movements
- Seizures
- Difficulty paying attention or confusion
- Tingling sensations around the mouth

Causes

- Most common – side effect of drugs used to treat diabetes
- Not eating enough of a meal, delaying or skipping meals or snacks
- Alcoholic beverages
- Too muck physical activity
- Medications
- Critical Illnesses (Hepatitis, kidney disorders, anorexia nervosa)
- Tumors
- Endocrine deficiencies

Complications

If this condition is left untreated it can lead to seizures, loss of consciousness and even death.

Treatment

- 4 teaspoons of sugar
- ½ can of regular soda or juice
- 4-6 pieces of hard candy
- 3 glucose tablets from a drug store

Prevention

The best way to prevent this condition from happening to you is to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. There are many ways to accomplish this through exercise, diet, medications, and natural supplements.

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