If you have ever experienced hypoglycemia, you know that it feels like fatigue and usually hits mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Hypoglycemia can make you feel sluggish and is the leading cause of depression in the United States. It can be mild or severe and depending on your diet through out the day. Many doctors debate whether diet has anything to do with it. Most Americans do not even know they suffer from the effects.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia

Anxiety attacks

Confusion

Depression

Disorientation

Dizziness

Fatigue

Forgetfulness

Headaches

Heavy perspiration

Hunger

Mental confusion

Mood fluctuations

Muscle pain, cramps

Nausea

Nervousness

Pale ash color skin

Rapid heartbeat

Trembling

Tingling in hands and feet

Unconsciousness

Weakness

Hypoglycemia is also known as low blood sugar, a term often used when discussing diabetes. Just about anyone can be at risk for low blood sugar, frequent attacks can cause serious health problems. Thankfully with a few changes in diet one can avoid low blood sugar attacks completely.

You might be wondering what hypoglycemia does and how it happens? The body circulates sugar in the blood called glucose. Every cell in your body uses glucose for energy, when your blood glucose falls below its required levels for operation; you start to experience hypoglycemic symptoms. These symptoms come from the body pulling energy from your skeletal muscles and fat, your body has to work harder to convert protein and fat to energy than it does with sugar. Drops in glucose can occur when one does not eat enough food through out the day or when one exercise to much. If insulin in the blood is too high a hypoglycemic attack can occur. Diabetics experience hypoglycemia everyday because they inject insulin to help level out their blood sugar. When a diabetic injects more insulin then needed, their blood sugar will drop to far and they will experience a hypoglycemic attack. Insulin helps circulating glucose enter your body’s cells so that those cells can use the sugar for energy. A normal person after a meal releases just enough insulin to keep glucose at a constant level in the blood, but those suffering from hypoglycemic attacks release more insulin than needed, which drops blood sugar very fast. This causes excess stress on many of the body’s systems including the brain.

At this time there are no solid facts as to why one over produces insulin. Experts disagree about dietary causes of low blood sugar, but many believe that diets filled with simple sugars and simple carbohydrates can be part of the problem. Simple Carbs are converted to sugar quickly and transferred to the bloodstream; this quick rise in blood sugar makes the pancreas release excess amounts of insulin. Some believe that this surge of insulin from the pancreas, if left go, could lead to diabetes.

The simplest way to combat hypoglycemia is to change your diet. Break up your meals into smaller sizes and eat more often five to six times each day instead of three bigger meals per day. Consume less sugary foods, reduce alcohol consumption and caffeine, and limit the amount of fatty and processed foods. Eat more complex carbohydrates and fiber; add whole grains and vegetables with each meal, nuts and seeds are good sources of complex carbohydrates. Small amounts of protein in the form of fish, soybeans, eggs, and white meat can help suppress insulin production. Try eating eggs along with your carbohydrates in the morning for longer lasting energy.

Hypoglycemia can be a frustrating disease; if you experience severe attacks you should seek immediate medical help. For more mild cases drink a small glass of fruit juice, the juice will give you a small boost in blood sugar and help you through those periods of sluggishness through out the day. For those who love to put sugar in their coffee or tea, there are alternatives to sugar. Xylitol and Stevia are good sugar substitutes that do not elevate blood sugar but have a very sweet taste to them. If you suspect you have blood sugar issues, always consult your health care professional before taking matters into your own hands. Great sweeteners like xylitol and Stevia can be found at your local health food store or online.



Thanks to Darrell Miller for contributing this article to our Diabetes blog:

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Hypoglycemia is a condition in which the blood sugar level of a person dips down below the normal level. This leaves you unable to perform daily activities due to the decrease in energy levels caused by low blood glucose levels in the body. It usually affects adults and children over 10 years of age as a side effect of taking diabetic medication, although other ailments and medications can also bring it on.

The majority of hypoglycemic suffers have diabetes. Due to being diabetic their body struggles to bring blood sugar levels back within a normal range should they start to fall. This can leave you feeling hungry, anxious, weak, light-headed or sleepy with excessive perspiration and dizziness. Usually the reaction is not serious and can be treated by eating or drinking sugar or carbohydrate rich products. However, it is important to note that potential symptoms should not be ignored as, left untreated, hypoglycemia can cause a person to lose consciousness.

Hypoglycemia can also affect people who do not suffer from diabetes. There are two types of hypoglycemia not related to diabetes - reactive and fasting hypoglycemia. Fasting hypoglycemia occurs when people go periods without food such as overnight or after exercise. This is not a common condition in people without diabetes and is usually associated with another illness or medication. While, reactive hypoglycemia happens within about 4 hours of eating a meal.

Should you suffer from reactive hypoglycemia the following steps have been suggested by some health officials to counter the symptoms - eating little and often, exercising regularly, having a varied, high fiber diet and cutting out or reducing your intake of sugary foods.

If you do suffer from hypoglycemia there are also some precautions that you could think about taking. For example, wearing a bracelet with the condition on it in case of emergencies. Telling your friends and work colleagues what your particular symptoms are so they can watch out for you and remind you to eat when you appear to become irritable or fatigued. Keeping suitable snacks on hand and remembering to eat regularly to keep your blood sugar levels steady, limiting alcohol consumption and finally checking your glucose levels before using heavy machinery, driving or doing any strenuous exercise.



Thanks to Kirsten Whittaker for contributing this article to our Diabetes blog:

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